Terms of Service

1. About CoachSpot

CoachSpot ("we", "us", "our") is operated by CoachSpot Training Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. CoachSpot is an online marketplace that connects families, athletes and independent sports coaches based in the United Kingdom. We provide the technology platform; we are not the employer, agent or contractor of any coach listed on the platform. All coaching services are provided directly by the coach to the family or athlete.

2. Accounts

You must be at least 18 to open a parent or coach account. Athletes aged 13 or over may open an athlete account, but the account will remain restricted until a nominated parent or guardian confirms it by email. Children under 13 may not create their own account; a parent must create and manage the account on their behalf.

3. How enquiries and bookings work

Families and athletes send an enquiry to a coach through the platform. The coach can accept or decline. Once accepted, the family and coach chat on-platform to agree venue, time and price for a first trial session. Payment for the coaching session itself is arranged directly between the family and the coach — CoachSpot does not process it and takes no cut. All subsequent bookings, scheduling and payments are likewise arranged directly between the family and the coach, outside of CoachSpot.

Intermediary role reminder. CoachSpot's role in any enquiry or booking is limited to operating the platform that introduces the parent/athlete to an independent coach. CoachSpot is not a party to the coaching arrangement, session or contract that follows, which is solely between the parent/athlete and the coach (see clause 12).

4. Fees

• Families and athletes: browsing, viewing coach profiles, creating an account, sending enquiries and messaging coaches on CoachSpot are all free. CoachSpot does not charge parents or athletes any fee for using the platform.
• Coaches: a subscription of £19.99 per month is payable to be listed and discoverable on the platform. Coaches keep 100% of the fees for the coaching sessions themselves. CoachSpot does not take commission from session fees.

5. Verification of coaches

Coaches are required to upload an Enhanced DBS certificate (with Children's Barred List check), a sport-specific safeguarding certificate, coaching qualifications and evidence of public liability insurance. Verification documents are visible only to CoachSpot administrators for the purpose of verification and safeguarding. They are not visible to families or other users. A "verified" badge indicates that an administrator has reviewed the documents on record at that time; it is not an endorsement or guarantee of the coach or of the coaching provided.

6. Marketplace disclaimer

CoachSpot is a marketplace. We do not deliver coaching, do not set session prices, and are not a party to the coaching contract between coach and family. Coaches are independent providers responsible for their own services, tax affairs, insurance, compliance with governing-body rules and safeguarding practices during sessions. Families are responsible for satisfying themselves that a coach is appropriate for their child and for making their own arrangements with the coach. This intermediary-only role is described further in clauses 12–14.

7. Conduct

You agree not to use CoachSpot to harass, defraud, misrepresent yourself, share content that is unlawful, or attempt to circumvent the enquiry and booking flow (for example, by soliciting off-platform contact prior to acceptance). We may suspend or terminate accounts that breach these terms or that raise safeguarding concerns.

7a. Keeping first contact on-platform (safeguarding)

Many coaches on CoachSpot work with under-18s. To keep a moderatable, reviewable record of first contact between coaches and families for safeguarding purposes, both coaches and users agree that, when using CoachSpot's enquiry and messaging tools, they will not:

• share or solicit personal contact details in enquiries or messages — including phone numbers (in any format, including spelled out) and email addresses (including obfuscated forms such as "name at example dot com");
• direct the other party to move the conversation off-platform before an enquiry has been accepted.

Coaches may publish their own mobile number, email address, Instagram, personal website and WhatsApp number on their public profile; these are visible to any signed-in visitor and are not subject to the messaging filter. The restrictions above apply to the CoachSpot messaging system itself, not to a coach's own published profile links.

Messages and enquiries are scanned automatically. Where a message is caught by this filter, the relevant portion is redacted before delivery and the sender is shown an explanation. Attempts are logged so our safeguarding team can review patterns of behaviour.

Consequences. A first flagged attempt is treated as a warning. Repeated or deliberate circumvention (three or more flagged attempts) may result in any of: temporary suspension of the account's messaging, permanent suspension or removal of the account, loss of any "verified" badge, and, for coaches, removal from search results and forfeiture of subscription fees paid.

8. Liability (summary)

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CoachSpot's liability in connection with the platform is limited as set out in clause 18 below. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or a customer's statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Coaching itself is provided by the coach; any dispute over coaching quality, injury or conduct is between the family and the coach in the first instance (see clause 16).

Clauses 12–19 below are additional liability-shielding provisions added to this draft. Each is numbered so it can be reviewed and adjusted individually by a solicitor before finalization.

12. Intermediary role

CoachSpot's role is strictly limited to operating a platform that introduces parents/athletes to independent coaches. CoachSpot is not a party to any coaching arrangement, session, agreement or contract entered into between a parent/athlete and a coach. Any such arrangement is solely between those parties. References elsewhere in these Terms to bookings, sessions, scheduling or payment for coaching should be read consistently with this clause.

13. No warranty on coaching quality

CoachSpot does not warrant, guarantee or take responsibility for the quality, timing, methodology, safety during sessions, or outcome of any coaching services provided by a coach. Coaches are independent and are not employees, agents or representatives of CoachSpot.

14. Vetting is reasonable-efforts, not a continuous guarantee

CoachSpot performs reasonable verification of DBS checks, safeguarding certificates, insurance documents and qualifications submitted by a coach at the time of upload and at stated renewal/expiry checks. CoachSpot cannot guarantee that a coach retains valid DBS, insurance or safeguarding status at all times between checks, nor can it guarantee a coach's conduct, behaviour or actions during any session. Parents and guardians are encouraged to ask to see current original certificates directly and to exercise their own judgement before and during any engagement. A verification badge reflects that a document was reviewed and found current as of the date shown; it is not an ongoing guarantee.

15. Customer responsibility to evaluate

Parents and athletes are solely responsible for evaluating the suitability of a coach for their needs and for the decision to engage them.

16. Mutual dispute release

In the event of a dispute between a parent/athlete and a coach, both parties agree to release CoachSpot, its employees and agents from any and all losses, damages, claims or demands arising directly or indirectly from that dispute, other than any liability arising from CoachSpot's own breach of these Terms.

17. Payment processing separation

Coach subscription fees are processed via a third-party payment processor (Stripe) enabled through the platform. Any fees, invoicing or payment arrangement for the coaching sessions themselves are between the parent/athlete and the coach directly and are not processed, warranted or guaranteed by CoachSpot. This is consistent with CoachSpot's intermediary-only role described in clause 12.

18. Liability cap (with mandatory carve-outs)

Subject to the carve-outs below, CoachSpot's total liability to a user in respect of any claim or series of related claims is limited to [PLACEHOLDER — SOLICITOR TO CONFIRM: e.g. £50, or a fixed cap, pending legal review].

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (c) any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including a consumer's statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

19. User indemnity

Users agree to indemnify and hold CoachSpot harmless against claims, losses or costs arising from their own breach of these Terms or misuse of the platform.

20. Changes

We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified through the platform or by email.

21. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

22. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent through our contact form.