Community Guidelines

1. Who These Guidelines Apply To

These Guidelines apply to:

• athletes;
• parents and legal guardians;
• coaches, mentors, specialists, volunteers, and other adults authorized by Athletes of Life;
• guests and participants in events, workshops, group chats, video calls, or online community spaces.

Parents and guardians are expected to review these Guidelines with minor athletes in age-appropriate language.

2. Be Respectful

Community members must:

• treat athletes, families, coaches, staff, officials, and other participants with dignity;
• use respectful and age-appropriate language;
• respect differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, body type, playing level, economic background, and athletic ability;
• give feedback constructively and without humiliation;
• respect another person's physical and emotional boundaries.

3. Prohibited Conduct

The following conduct is not permitted:

• bullying, hazing, harassment, intimidation, stalking, or threats;
• discriminatory, hateful, degrading, or sexually inappropriate language or content;
• unwanted sexual attention, grooming behavior, sexual misconduct, or exploitation;
• physical violence, dangerous conduct, or encouraging self-harm;
• retaliation against a person who raises a concern or makes a good-faith report;
• impersonation, fraud, scams, or deliberately misleading information;
• spam, unauthorized advertising, solicitation, or repetitive promotional content;
• sharing illegal content or instructions that could reasonably place someone at risk;
• pressuring an athlete to disclose private, medical, academic, financial, or family information;
• asking a minor to hide a conversation, relationship, gift, meeting, or interaction from a parent or guardian.

4. Protect Privacy

Do not post, send, or disclose another person's private information without proper permission. This includes:

• phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, or precise live locations;
• school schedules, travel plans, or information that could reveal where a minor will be alone;
• medical, academic, recruiting, financial, immigration, or family information;
• private messages, documents, screenshots, recordings, photos, or videos;
• account credentials or access links.

Do not download, copy, record, repost, or use another participant's content outside its intended context without authorization.

5. Images, Video, Voice, and Stories

Athletes of Life may photograph or record activities only when the appropriate permission has been obtained.

• Promotional use of an athlete's name, image, voice, story, or testimonial requires a separate optional media authorization.
• Declining promotional media consent does not prevent an athlete from participating in a program.
• Recording a group mentorship for private replay access is different from permission to publish that recording publicly.
• Participants may not independently record or publish another minor without authorization from the appropriate parent or guardian.

6. Communication With Minor Athletes

Communication between an authorized adult and a minor athlete must remain professional, relevant to the program, and open and transparent.

• A parent, guardian, or another authorized adult must be included in electronic communications involving an adult and a minor whenever required by Athletes of Life policy.
• Adults may not use disappearing, secret, encrypted-for-concealment, or anonymous communications with minor athletes.
• Adults may not ask a minor to move a conversation to a private channel to avoid parental visibility.
• Video meetings must use approved platforms and settings. A parent or guardian may observe an individual session involving a minor, subject to reasonable program and privacy rules.
• Emergencies should be handled through emergency services and the athlete's parent or guardian, not through secret direct messaging.

7. Athlete-to-Athlete Conduct

Athletes should encourage one another and respect differences in age, experience, ability, identity, and goals.

Athletes may not:

• isolate, ridicule, shame, or gang up on another participant;
• share another athlete's private messages or personal circumstances for entertainment or embarrassment;
• pressure another athlete to send photos, videos, passwords, or personal information;
• create unofficial accounts, polls, rankings, or posts designed to humiliate another athlete;
• present rumors, recruiting claims, or personal opinions as verified facts.

8. Recruiting and College Information

Community content is educational and supportive. Athletes of Life does not guarantee:

• a scholarship;
• admission to a college or university;
• a roster position, starting position, or playing time;
• a response, evaluation, or offer from any coach;
• any specific recruiting or athletic result.

Members must not misrepresent coach interest, scholarship terms, academic records, statistics, video footage, eligibility, or recruiting results.

9. Health and Safety

Athletes and families should promptly report injuries, suspected concussions, unsafe behavior, and other health or safety concerns to an appropriate adult.

If an athlete may have a concussion, she should be removed from participation and should not return the same day. Return to participation must follow applicable program rules and appropriate healthcare guidance.

Never use the Athletes of Life community as a substitute for emergency, medical, mental health, or law-enforcement services.

10. Reporting a Concern

To report conduct that may violate these Guidelines, contact:

Please provide, when safe and available:

• the name of the program or community area;
• what happened;
• when it happened;
• who was involved;
• screenshots, links, or other relevant evidence.

Reports will be reviewed as promptly as reasonably possible. Athletes of Life cannot promise complete confidentiality, because information may need to be shared to protect a participant, investigate a concern, comply with law, or make a required report.

11. No Retaliation

Athletes of Life prohibits retaliation against anyone who makes a good-faith report, asks a safety question, participates in a review, or seeks help.

A knowingly false or malicious accusation may itself violate these Guidelines. A report that cannot be substantiated is not automatically considered false.

12. How We May Respond

Depending on the circumstances, Athletes of Life may:

• provide a reminder or warning;
• remove content;
• limit messaging or community features;
• require a parent or guardian to participate in communications;
• pause or suspend participation;
• remove a person from a program or community;
• preserve relevant records;
• contact a parent or guardian;
• contact emergency services, law enforcement, child-protection authorities, SafeSport, U.S. Soccer, a platform provider, or another appropriate organization;
• take other reasonable action to protect participants and the community.

Athletes of Life may take immediate interim protective action while a concern is being reviewed. Any refund, credit, or payment consequence remains governed by the applicable program agreement and is not decided by these Community Guidelines alone.

13. Moderation Is Not Guaranteed to Be Immediate

Athletes of Life may review, restrict, or remove content and accounts, but cannot guarantee that every message or activity will be monitored in real time. Parents and guardians remain responsible for supervising their child's device use and reporting concerns promptly.

14. Updates to These Guidelines

Athletes of Life may update these Guidelines as programs, technology, safety practices, and legal requirements evolve. The current version and effective date will be posted on this page.

15. Related Policies

Please also review:

• Privacy Policy
• Children's Privacy Notice
• Terms of Service
• Accessibility Statement
• applicable program agreements, waivers, consents, and safety policies