Cookie & Storage Notice

1. About This Notice

This Cookie & Storage Notice explains how the Blues Bar at Cogenhoe United Football Club website may use cookies and similar technologies.

These technologies may store information on, or access information from, devices such as computers, mobile phones and tablets.

This Notice should be read alongside our Privacy Notice.

2. What Is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small piece of information stored on a device when somebody uses a website.

Cookies can be used for purposes such as:

• maintaining a secure session;
• remembering choices;
• operating website functionality;
• authenticating authorised users;
• preventing fraud;
• processing transactions; or
• measuring use of a website.

The rules can also apply to other technologies that store or access information on a user's device, not only traditional cookies.

3. Our Approach

The Blues Bar website is not intended to use advertising or behavioural-tracking technologies as part of its normal operation.

We do not intend to build advertising profiles of website visitors or sell information about their browsing behaviour.

Where possible, we will minimise unnecessary cookies and similar technologies.

4. Strictly Necessary Technologies

Some storage or access technologies may be necessary for the website or a service requested by the user to operate securely and correctly.

These may include technologies required for:

• administrator authentication;
• maintaining secure sessions;
• preventing fraud or misuse;
• website security;
• processing a transaction requested by the user;
• recording essential user selections;
• load balancing; or
• providing another service specifically requested by the user.

Where an applicable legal exception means consent is not required, these technologies may operate without an optional-cookie consent choice.

The ICO's current guidance recognises a strictly necessary exception where the technology is essential to provide the online service requested by the user, including certain authentication, security and fraud-prevention uses.

5. Administrator Authentication

The protected Club Administration area may use cookies or similar technologies to:

• authenticate an administrator;
• maintain a secure signed-in session;
• protect administrative functions;
• prevent unauthorised access; and
• support system security.

These technologies must not be used for unrelated advertising or behavioural-tracking purposes.

6. Membership and Guest Services

The website may use necessary technical storage while somebody completes functions such as:

• membership applications;
• membership verification;
• Guest Sign-In;
• secure form submission; or
• other requested online processes.

Where information is stored within the Club's membership or guest database rather than on the user's device, that processing is primarily explained in the Privacy Notice rather than this Cookie Notice.

7. Payments

Membership and other approved online payments may be processed using Stripe or another approved payment provider.

A payment provider may use cookies or similar technologies necessary to:

• process a payment;
• maintain transaction security;
• prevent fraud;
• authenticate a transaction; or
• provide its payment service.

The payment provider may also have its own privacy and cookie information.

The website must not assume that every technology used by a payment provider is automatically exempt from consent requirements. The actual integration must be reviewed when it is implemented.

8. FA Full-Time

The website may display football fixture information using an official FA Full-Time integration.

Embedding third-party content may cause the third-party service to process technical information or use storage/access technologies.

The website should therefore be configured to minimise unnecessary third-party tracking where reasonably possible.

The actual behaviour of the FA Full-Time integration must be checked and recorded in the website's technology register.

9. Maps

Where the website provides a simple external link to a mapping service, the external service's own terms and cookie arrangements apply when the visitor chooses to leave the Blues Bar website.

If an interactive map is embedded directly into the Blues Bar website, the Club must check whether that embed places or accesses cookies or other information before treating it as an essential service.

10. Social Media

The website may contain links to Blues Bar or Cogenhoe United social-media accounts.

A normal link that simply takes the visitor to an external social-media website is different from embedding a social-media tracking plugin within the website.

Where a social-media plugin or tracking technology is embedded, its use must be assessed appropriately.

The ICO specifically states that tracking through social-media plugins is not covered by the strictly necessary exception and requires the appropriate consent.

11. External Ticketing

Some future events may use an external ticket provider.

Where the website simply links visitors to an external ticket provider, the provider's own cookie and privacy arrangements apply once the visitor uses that service.

If ticketing functionality is embedded directly within Blues Bar's website, the technologies used by the integration must be reviewed and reflected in this Notice and the website's cookie controls.

12. Analytics

If the Club introduces website analytics, the technology must be reviewed before activation.

Do not assume that analytics is automatically "strictly necessary".

The Club should determine:

• what technology is being used;
• what information it collects;
• whether information is stored/accessed on the user's device;
• whether an exception applies;
• whether consent or an objection mechanism is required;
• how long information is retained; and
• whether information is shared with another organisation.

13. Advertising and Behavioural Tracking

The Blues Bar website does not currently intend to use:

• behavioural advertising cookies;
• cross-site advertising trackers;
• advertising pixels;
• profiling for targeted advertising; or
• cross-device advertising tracking.

If this changes, this Notice and the website's consent controls must be reviewed before the technology is enabled.

14. Cookie/Storage Categories

Where applicable, technologies used by the website should be grouped into clear categories such as:

Strictly Necessary
Required for security or a service requested by the user.

Preferences / Appearance
Used to remember certain user choices or presentation preferences where applicable.

Statistics / Analytics
Used to understand use of the website where applicable.

Third-Party / Embedded Services
Technologies associated with embedded external services.

Advertising / Tracking
Not currently intended to be used.

The legal treatment of a technology depends on its actual purpose and operation rather than merely the category name given to it.

15. Consent and Other Exceptions

Where consent is legally required, the relevant technology must not be activated before the user has made the required choice.

Consent must involve a genuine positive action and must not be inferred simply because somebody continues browsing the website.

Where one of the applicable statutory exceptions applies, consent may not be required, although users should still receive appropriate information.

The ICO's current guidance also recognises additional exceptions in certain circumstances, including some statistical and appearance uses, subject to their conditions and a simple free means of objecting.

16. Cookie Banner / Preference Controls

If the website uses technologies requiring consent or another user choice, it should provide an appropriate preference mechanism.

Where applicable, users should be given clear choices such as:

Accept optional cookies

Reject optional cookies

Manage preferences

Rejecting optional technologies should not prevent access to ordinary website content unless the relevant technology is genuinely necessary to provide a particular service the user requests.

17. No Pre-Consent Optional Tracking

Technologies requiring prior consent must not be activated before consent has been obtained.

The ICO states that where consent is required, it must be obtained before the technology is used.

18. Changing Your Preferences

Where the website uses optional technologies, users should be able to change their preferences later.

A permanent or readily accessible:

Cookie Preferences

link should be provided where applicable.

Withdrawing consent should be as straightforward as giving it.

19. Browser Controls

Users may also be able to control cookies using their web browser.

Browser controls may allow users to:

• delete cookies;
• block cookies;
• restrict third-party cookies;
• clear cookies on exit; or
• use private-browsing modes.

Blocking all cookies may affect website functions that genuinely require essential storage.

20. Third-Party Services

Third-party services are responsible for their own technologies and privacy arrangements.

Depending on the services actually enabled, relevant third parties may include:

• payment providers;
• The FA / FA Full-Time;
• mapping providers;
• ticketing providers;
• social-media platforms; or
• other embedded service providers.

The Club should not describe a third-party service as using particular cookies unless this has been checked.

21. Cookie and Technology Register

The Club should maintain an internal register of storage/access technologies actually used by the website.

For each technology, the register should record where reasonably applicable:

• name;
• provider;
• purpose;
• first-party or third-party;
• category;
• duration;
• whether personal information is involved;
• whether consent is required;
• applicable exception where relied upon; and
• date last reviewed.

This register should be reviewed whenever a significant integration or website feature changes.

22. How Long Technologies Remain

Some technologies may operate only for the current browser session.

Others may remain for a defined period.

The specific duration depends on the technology and provider.

Where appropriate, the website's detailed cookie-preference information should identify actual durations rather than using vague descriptions.

23. Personal Information

Where a cookie or similar technology involves processing personal information, that processing must also comply with applicable data-protection requirements.

Further information about how the Club handles personal information is provided in the Privacy Notice.

24. Shared Devices

Some Blues Bar services may operate on Club-owned shared devices, including the dedicated Guest Sign-In iPad.

The system should be designed so one visitor's information is not unnecessarily exposed to the next visitor.

The Guest Sign-In interface should clear or reset appropriately after use.

25. Changes to This Notice

This Notice may be updated where:

• website functionality changes;
• a payment provider is introduced or changed;
• event ticketing is integrated;
• an embedded service is introduced;
• analytics are introduced;
• relevant technology changes; or
• applicable law/guidance changes.

The current version and review date should be published on the website.

26. Contact

Questions about cookies, website storage or privacy can be sent to:

Blues Bar at Cogenhoe United Football Club
Compton Park
Brafield Road
Cogenhoe
Northampton
NN7 1ND

Email: admin@bluesbarcogenhoe.co.uk