Pickleball Federation of South Africa

Effective Date: 20 Nov 2025

1. Introduction

Pickleball Federation of South Africa ("the Federation", "we", "our", "us") is working to become the national governing body for Pickleball in South Africa. We are committed to protecting the privacy, security, and confidentiality of all personal information we collect in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you interact with us, use our website, or participate in federation activities.

By using our website or engaging with the Federation, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

2.1 Information you voluntarily provide

Full name
ID or passport number (if required for verification)
Email address
Phone number
Residential or postal address
Age or date of birth
Membership details
Club or association affiliation
Competition, ranking, or participation records
Payment or billing information
Emergency contact details

2.2 Automatically collected information

When you visit our website, we may collect:

IP address
Browser type and device information
Website usage data (using cookies or analytics tools)
Location data (approximate, not precise)

3. Purpose of Collecting Personal Information

We collect and process personal information for the following purposes:

To manage membership/database registrations and renewals
To administer competitions, rankings, and events
To communicate important updates, notices, or newsletters
To comply with national and international sporting regulations
To facilitate payments and financial transactions
For safeguarding and security purposes
To improve our website and user experience
To meet legal and regulatory obligations

We will only process your personal information for legitimate purposes related to federation activities.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)

We process personal information based on:

Your consent
Performance of a contract (e.g., membership, National Player Database)
Legitimate interests (e.g., maintaining rankings or event participation)
Legal obligations

5. Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information. However, we may share personal information with:

Affiliated clubs, regional associations, or international bodies (e.g., International Pickleball Federation)
Event organisers, tournament directors, and officials
Service providers (IT, payment gateways, email systems)
Legal or regulatory authorities when required
Sponsors or partners only with consent or anonymised data

We ensure all third parties comply with POPIA.

6. Cross-Border Transfers

Your information may be transferred to international sporting organisations.

Such transfers will only occur when:

Necessary for membership, ranking, or competition purposes, and
Adequate protection measures are in place.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as required to fulfil the purposes outlined above, or as required by law.

After this, information will be securely deleted or anonymised.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including:

Secure servers
Encrypted communication
Access controls
Regular security monitoring

No system is completely secure, but we take all reasonable precautions.

9. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to:

Access your personal information
Request correction or updating
Request deletion (where legally permissible)
Withdraw consent
Object to certain types of processing
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa

Information Regulator contact:
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
Website: https://www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/

10. Cookies Policy

We use cookies to improve browsing experience and analyse website performance.

You may disable cookies in your browser settings, although certain functionality may be affected.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on our website with the revised effective date.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions or want to exercise your rights, contact us:

Email: info@pickleballfedsa.co.za
Phone: 0834620209
Address: [Insert physical address]

POPIA Disclaimer (Short Version for Website Footer / Forms)

POPIA Disclaimer:

By submitting your personal information to Pickleball Federation of South Africa, you consent to the processing, storage, and use of that information for purposes related to membership management, events, communication, and other federation activities. We undertake to protect your information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information at any time by contacting us at info@pickleballfedsa.co.za.