Player Consent Explained

Player Consent Explained

SquadTracker lets you store a player's real name, or only their initials, based on whether a parent or the player themselves has agreed to it. This article explains who needs consent, what each status means, and exactly where it changes what's shown.

What you'll learn

• Who needs consent, and who can give it themselves
• What the four consent statuses mean
• Exactly what changes between Pending, Approved and Declined
• How this is different from — but connected to — a family's Hub privacy choices
• Where a coach can see a player's current status
• That consent can be withdrawn at any time

Quick Steps

1. Mark the player — Tick Requires parental consent (under 16) when adding a player, or request it later from Team Management → Players. They start as Pending.
2. Share the link — A parent, or the player themselves if they're 16 or over, opens the consent link and enters their name.
3. They decide — The status becomes Approved (full name shown) or Declined (initials only, always).
4. Check the status anytime — Look at the icon next to the player's name on their player card.
5. It can change later — Approved consent can be withdrawn, and a decline can be re-requested.

Who needs consent

Under-16 players need a parent or guardian to give consent on their behalf. Players aged 16 or over can give consent themselves. You choose which when you request it — Parent/Guardian or Player (16 or over).

The four statuses

• Not Required — The "Requires parental consent" tick was never ticked for this player. Their full name is always shown, everywhere.
• Pending — Consent has been requested but no one has responded yet.
• Approved — A parent or the 16+ player has agreed. Their full name is shown everywhere.
• Declined — Consent was refused, or later withdrawn. Only initials (e.g. "J. S.") are ever shown for this player.

What actually changes

On the Players page, the Stats page, the CSV stats export, and the image generated when you share a match result, a player's name is shown as initials unless their status is Approved or Not Required — so both Pending and Declined players appear as initials there.

The lineup planner (and the share image generated from a lineup plan) works slightly differently: it shows full names for Pending and Approved players, and only switches to initials once a player is explicitly Declined. This is deliberate, so you can still plan your team while you wait for a parent to reply.

Teamsheets always show full names, whatever the consent status — they're your own match-day paperwork, not something shared publicly.

How this differs from Hub privacy choices

The Parent & Player Hub has its own two privacy switches, set only by the family: Share stats with the team (whether a player appears on leaderboards other families can see) and Allow social sharing (whether they appear in photos and match graphics). These are a separate choice from name consent — but Allow social sharing actually writes to the very same record. If a family turns it on from the Hub, that player's consent status is automatically set to Approved; turning it off sets it to Declined. Share stats with the team never touches consent status at all. See Stats and Privacy Choices in the Hub for the family's side of this.

Where you can see it

Each player's card shows a small icon next to their name whenever consent is required: a clock for Pending, a green tick for Approved, and a red cross for Declined. Tap it to open the consent-sharing dialog.

Withdrawing consent

A parent or 16+ player can ask you to withdraw consent at any time. You withdraw it from Team Management → Players → Manage Player Consent — see Recording Consent Given in Person for the exact steps. Withdrawing sets the player straight to Declined, so they show as initials from that point on.

See also Collecting Consent from Parents and Players, Recording Consent Given in Person, Stats and Privacy Choices in the Hub and Giving Consent for Your Child.