As part of our ongoing commitment to the welfare of our players, the Club has set out the following guidelines for members on their use of social media. England Hockey recommends that club officials should not have direct contact by text or email with any player under 16, and with those between 16 and 18 only with the permission of the parent/guardian, as long as they are also copied into the communication. The official also should not become a social media “friend”, “follower”, etc. of any player under 18.

It is the Club's view that it would be wise for all members to follow these guidelines, for the protection of everyone. If a member chooses to go ahead with a social media friendship with someone under 18, they must be mindful that everything posted will be available to that junior, and must therefore be age appropriate.

The Club can only make recommendations to its members – parents are reminded that they need to be aware of their child's online and text contacts, and remain vigilant.

Juniors should be made aware of these guidelines so that they understand why their adult team mates may not respond to their social media requests.

Club Accounts and Posts

Ashford HC’s social media accounts fall under the oversight of the elected Communications Officer.

It is the view of the committee that anything posted under the Club name, and therefore officially representing Ashford (Middlesex) Hockey Club, must meet certain standards. With the exception of the Facebook group, these are public platforms and content is available for other clubs and potential new members to see. It must reflect the image of the Club as a safe and friendly place to play hockey with a competitive but fair attitude to the game.

Posts must be:

Factual, and not biased by the author’s opinion;
Not intentionally offensive to anyone;
Not inflammatory, or intended to cause or add to dispute.

Responsibility for the maintenance of these standards sits with the Communications Officer.

Players are free to post opinions on personal social media sites, and the Club would expect the same standards of behaviour already set down in the Member's Code of Conduct.

Before the start of each season, the access passwords to the Club accounts will be changed. Any member wishing to post on the accounts must first sign up to these guidelines and be approved by the Communications Officer before the password is re-issued. The accounts will be reviewed throughout the season, and if the committee feels that they are being abused, the passwords will be changed and access restricted.

The Club accounts are:

Instagram - @ashfordhockeyclub
Facebook (public page) - https://www.facebook.com/Ashford.HC
Facebook (private group) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/AshfordHC
Twitter - @Ashfordhockey
TikTok -