Safety Tips
When you are meeting anyone to play sport whether these are registered coaches or individuals personal safety is key to consider.
We strongly suggest that you read the below before meeting anyone to help avoid any potential problems.
- Never give your home address, email address or telephone number to a stranger.
- Always arrange to meet in a very public place. It’s a good idea to meet at the sports centre at the given time not outside this.
- Always tell someone else where you are going and approximately what time you will be back home.
- Above all use your common sense, if you are unsure about meeting someone then don\'t. You’ll find a lot more sports buddies out there.
- If you have any problems tell us we can do something about it. We’re here to support you
Tips for a safe (and fun) meeting
Meeting people via findasportbuddy is probably the safest form of meeting your ideal sporting partner. Findasportbuddy has been set-up to provide people a way to find the ideal sporting partner, improve at sport or try a new sport.
You never have to give any personal details (such as your real email address, telephone number or home address) to anyone unless you wish to do so and all correspondence is done via our anonymous messaging facility.
Finding a sport buddy is different
Finding an online sporting partner is a great immediate way to get in touch with other people with sports interests.
- Make use of the anonymous messaging system – do not give out personal details straightaway. Do not put personal details in your profile or initial messages such as phone number, email address, home address or place of work
- Always use your common sense and be responsible for your conduct.
Finding a coach
When finding a coach it’s important that you :.
- Check the qualifications of that coach and that their
qualifications are fully up to date.
- Coaches should have no issues with presenting full up
to date documentation and if they are evasive or your suspicions
are aroused it is important that this is reported to admin@findasportbuddy.co.uk
so that we can take action to protect all our members.
Arrangements for a safe contact
When you get to the point of meeting face-to-face follow our simple tips for a safer experience:
- Meet in a public place that you know well. If you are asked to go to a place you are not sure of then take a friend before your scheduled meeting to see if you are comfortable with this.
- Always have a friend or family member to call on if you need help. Always let them know where you are going and what time you’ll be expected back. Call them to let them know things are ok. Leave details of the person you are going to meet.
- Remember, when you meet someone for the first time they are still a stranger.
- Don’t accept a lift home if you feel uncomfortable about it
- Always have a contingency plan for the unexpected so you can get away quickly, and have someone close by you can call on. Take a mobile phone with you – and make sure it is fully charged, working and has enough credit to make calls.
- Impostors and liars can be found anywhere, especially in “offline” places such as bars and nightclubs. The internet is no different, however they are more easily spotted online and we will always remove anyone from the site who is less than genuine.
- Always use your common sense, keep in control and don’t be forced into doing something you wouldn’t normally do.
Finally
Trust your instincts – they are often right. If you feel uncomfortable about someone, stop. Discontinue contact.
Follow our simple tips for a safer sport buddy experience. Feedback to us anything that you feel is unusual.