Road to Kickoff (the “Service”) is an independent project operated by an individual, who acts as the data controller for the purposes of applicable data-protection law. This Privacy Policy describes the personal data the Service collects, the purposes for which that data is processed, and the rights available to you. Enquiries and requests may be directed to pitchhopper@gmail.com.
Personal data we collect
- Email address (optional). We collect an email address only where you choose to subscribe to fixture notifications. The planner functions fully without one. We operate a double opt-in process: you submit your address, we send a confirmation message, and no address is added to our list until you confirm it.
- Trip selections. The matches you add to a trip are stored locally within your browser (localStorage). This information remains on your device, is not transmitted to us, and is not accessible to us.
- Server logs. As is standard for any website, our hosting provider automatically records limited technical information, including IP address, browser type, and request timestamps, for the purposes of security and operational reliability.
- Aggregate link counts. We maintain simple aggregate totals recording how frequently certain outbound links are followed (for example, the number of times a club’s ticketing link is selected), in order to understand which resources are useful. These totals are non-identifying counters and store no IP address, cookie, or other identifier.
- Consent record. When you make a choice on the cookie banner, we keep a minimal record of it so that we can demonstrate your choice if required, as data-protection law obliges us to. The record contains an opaque random identifier (also stored in your browser), the choice you made, the time, the versions of this policy and the banner in force, and your approximate country. It contains no email address, IP address, name, or device identifier. Legal basis: compliance with a legal obligation.
Cookies, analytics, and advertising
With your consent, the Service uses cookies and similar technologies from third-party analytics and advertising providers to measure how the site and our marketing campaigns are performing. These may include Google Analytics, Google Ads, and the Meta (Facebook) Pixel. When enabled, they set cookies on your device and share information such as your IP address, the pages you view, and actions you take with those providers, who process it on our behalf and, in some cases, for their own purposes as set out in their own policies.
You are asked first. On your first visit we show a consent banner, and nothing analytics- or advertising-related loads unless you choose Accept. If you Decline, none of these cookies or scripts are set. You can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the footer. Legal basis: your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
Apart from these consented tools, the Service sets no cookies of its own for its core features, self-hosts its fonts, and does not sell, rent, or otherwise share your personal data. The aggregate outbound-link counts described above are non-identifying and involve no cookie or identifier.
Purposes and legal bases
- Email address: to send the notifications you have requested. Legal basis: your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
- Trip selections: these remain on your device and are not processed by us.
- Server logs: security and the prevention of abuse. Legal basis: our legitimate interests.
- Analytics and advertising cookies: to measure traffic and marketing-campaign performance. Legal basis: your consent, given through the banner and withdrawable at any time.
Service providers
We rely on a hosting provider (server logs), an email provider (confirmation and notification messages), a storage provider (your email address and subscription status), and, only where you have consented, analytics and advertising providers (Google and Meta). These providers may process data outside your country of residence, including in the United States, subject to appropriate safeguards. The fixture data itself contains no personal information relating to you.
Third-party content and external links
Certain pages, principally the club guides, load content supplied by third parties. When your browser retrieves a map from OpenStreetMap or a video thumbnail from YouTube, your IP address is disclosed to that provider; this is inherent to the operation of any embedded content. YouTube content is loaded in privacy-enhanced (“no-cookie”) mode, and the full player is loaded only after you select it. Any video that the Service hosts itself is served from our own domain and involves no third party. The Service also links to external websites, including transport and mapping services (Rome2Rio, Google Flights, Google Maps), club and ticketing pages, YouTube, and X. Once you follow such a link, or such content loads, the privacy policy of the relevant provider applies in place of this one.
Retention
- Email address: retained until you unsubscribe or request its deletion; every message contains an unsubscribe link.
- Unconfirmed opt-ins: discarded automatically if not confirmed within a few days.
- Server logs: retained for a short period in accordance with our hosting provider’s defaults, then rotated.
- Analytics and advertising cookies: stored on your device for the period set by the relevant provider (typically up to two years); you can clear them at any time in your browser, or withdraw consent via the Cookie settings link.
Your rights
If you are located in the EU/EEA or the United Kingdom, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data, to receive it in a portable format, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, contact pitchhopper@gmail.com; we will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection (supervisory) authority, and applicable law requires us to inform you of this right. If you are located in the United States, we honour equivalent access and deletion requests at the same address, and we do not sell or share your personal information.
Security
We limit the personal data we hold to the minimum necessary, engage reputable service providers, and serve the Service over HTTPS. We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects concerning you.
Children
The Service is a general-audience tool and is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe that a child has provided us with their email address, please contact pitchhopper@gmail.com and we will delete it.
Changes
We will update this page if our practices change and will revise the date shown above.