Photograph and Video in Public

Gerry T

Does anyone know what the legal situation is regarding the taking of photographs and video of a kids football game. Kids in question are 13 to 14 and the game was being played in a public area, not private grounds.
The match was a league game with official referee.
Does a parent of one child have the right to take photos/video or does he need permission to take photos/video of the match from anyone: parents, both team managers, the referee, the league ??

Paulw

The age of the participants makes no difference - adult, child, etc.

Public parks are generally owned - usually by the council. This shouldn't be an issue though, as long as there is no council by-law prohibiting photography or photographing of events there.

With those factors aside - anyone can take photos/video. If it's a public event, then there is no right to privacy.

It is generally polite and easier to just ask permission or let the ref and managers know you are taking photos, but I am not aware of any legal requirement for this.

What you use the photos for afterwards is a whole other discussion and may include Data Protection issues.

Gerry T

Paulw wrote: »

The age of the participants makes no difference - adult, child, etc.

Public parks are generally owned - usually by the council. This shouldn't be an issue though, as long as there is no council by-law prohibiting photography or photographing of events there.

With those factors aside - anyone can take photos/video. If it's a public event, then there is no right to privacy.

It is generally polite and easier to just ask permission or let the ref and managers know you are taking photos, but I am not aware of any legal requirement for this.

What you use the photos for afterwards is a whole other discussion and may include Data Protection issues.

Thanks Paulw, I'm not the man with the camera ! but the photos usually end up on the club website, a lot of clubs do this. In fact there has been talk of using video footage to as a training aid to explain to the kids where they are making mistakes. Just one parent on the other side kicked off, looked like a crazy person. Doubt anything will come of it but was curious if others had experience in this area.

Peregrinus

In this day and age people are nervous about having their kids photographed or videoed by strangers. Best practice is for the host club to appoint an "official" photographer/videographer, and to let the guest club know in advance that they have done this, and to make sure that parents are aware of this, so no-one is surprised to find this happening, and they have some reassurance that this is not just a random stranger.

But, legally, a random stranger could come up and photograph or video a football game being played in a public place. You absolutely don't want your kids being filmed playing football? Then get then into an indoor five-a-side league.

Gerry T

Peregrinus wrote: »

In this day and age people are nervous about having their kids photographed or videoed by strangers. Best practice is for the host club to appoint an "official" photographer/videographer, and to let the guest club know in advance that they have done this, and to make sure that parents are aware of this, so no-one is surprised to find this happening, and they have some reassurance that this is not just a random stranger.

But, legally, a random stranger could come up and photograph or video a football game being played in a public place. You absolutely don't want your kids being filmed playing football? Then get then into an indoor five-a-side league.

I agree, and in this instance the "photographer" was with the away team. Maybe a comment to the home team would have been appropriate, but wasn't done, but I know that was not a concious decision.
I think people in charge of children should know the fact's and not "kick-off" on the assumption that they have a right to stop people taking photo's in public.