Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Pickle Leagues ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service, including our website, marketplace, coaching platform, messaging system, video analysis tools, and all related features.

By using Pickle Leagues, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

We collect information you directly provide when you:

• Create an Account: Name, email address, password (encrypted), phone number (optional)
• Complete Onboarding: Skill level, playing preferences, location (city/town), profile image
• Update Your Profile: Bio, profile photo, playing history, and other optional details

2.2 League & Tournament Data

• Create Leagues: League names, locations (city/town, facility name), court information, league images
• Manage Players: Player names, optionally linking them to registered user accounts
• Enter Game Data: Game scores, dates, player participation, standings
• Tournaments & Ladders: Tournament registrations, bracket data, ladder session results

2.3 Marketplace Information

When you use our Marketplace to buy or sell used sports gear, we collect:

• Listings: Product titles, descriptions, pricing, condition, category, and product photos you upload
• Buyer/Seller Communications: Messages exchanged between buyers and sellers through our messaging system
• Transaction Interest: Records of inquiries and expressed interest in listings

2.4 Coaching Information

If you register as a coach or book coaching sessions, we collect:

• Coach Profiles: Bio, certifications, specialties, experience level, hourly rate, and profile photo
• Availability & Scheduling: Available time slots, location preferences, and booking schedules
• Bookings: Session date, time, duration, booking status, and associated payment information
• Ratings & Reviews: Star ratings and written reviews submitted by players for coaching sessions

2.5 Messaging Data

Our in-platform messaging system collects:

• Message content exchanged between users (buyer/seller conversations, player/coach communications)
• Timestamps, read receipts, and conversation metadata
• Attachments or images shared within conversations

2.6 Video Analysis Data

When you use our AI-powered video analysis feature, we collect:

• Video Uploads: Pickleball gameplay videos you upload for analysis
• Analysis Results: AI-generated feedback, metrics, and recommendations produced by the PB Vision API
• Video Metadata: File size, duration, upload date, and associated titles or descriptions

2.7 Payment Information

We use Stripe for payment processing. We do not store your credit card information. Stripe collects and processes payment data according to their Privacy Policy. Information collected by Stripe includes:

• Credit card details
• Billing address
• Payment history

2.8 Blog & Newsletter Data

• Newsletter Subscription: Email address and name provided when you subscribe to our newsletter
• Blog Comments: Comments you post on blog articles, along with your display name and timestamp
• Blog Authorship: Content, images, and metadata for blog posts authored by coaches or administrators

2.9 Push Notification Data

If you opt in to push notifications, we collect and store:

• PushSubscription Data: Browser push subscription endpoint URL and encryption keys (p256dh and auth keys) as provided by the Web Push API
• Notification Preferences: Your per-category preferences for receiving notifications (e.g., messages, live scores, booking confirmations)
• VAPID Authentication: We use VAPID (Voluntary Application Server Identification) keys via the pywebpush library to authenticate push notification delivery. Your subscription data is stored securely and used solely for delivering notifications you have opted into.

2.10 DUPR Integration Data

If you choose to link your DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) account:

• DUPR Account Link: Your DUPR player ID and verified rating information
• Rating Data: Singles and doubles ratings imported from your DUPR profile

This data is fetched from the external DUPR platform with your authorization and is used to display verified skill ratings on your Pickle Leagues profile.

2.11 Image Uploads

We collect and store images you upload across various features:

• Profile Images: Photos you upload as your user avatar
• League Images: Logos or photos associated with leagues you create
• Marketplace Photos: Product images uploaded with marketplace listings
• Sponsor Banners: Banner images uploaded by sponsor administrators

Uploaded images are stored on our servers and may be publicly visible depending on the context (e.g., public league images, marketplace listing photos).

2.12 Location Information

We collect location data in the following ways:

• GPS Detection: With your permission, we may use your device's GPS to detect your location during onboarding or when searching for nearby leagues, coaches, or marketplace listings
• Location Autocomplete: When you type a location, we use the OpenStreetMap Nominatim API to provide autocomplete suggestions
• Stored Locations: City/town location data you provide is stored in your profile and associated leagues for proximity-based features

2.13 Automatically Collected Information

When you use our Service, we automatically collect:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent, interactions
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, IP address
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Session cookies for authentication and functionality

2.14 Sponsor & Advertising Data

• Impression Tracking: We track the number of times sponsor banners are displayed to users
• Click Tracking: We track when users click on sponsor banners or links

This data is collected in aggregate and is not used to build individual advertising profiles.

2.15 CRM & Contact Management

Our administrators may use an internal CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to manage brand contacts, partnership communications, and sponsor relationships. This system stores business contact information for brand representatives and is accessible only to authorized platform administrators.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Delivery

• Create and manage your account
• Provide league management features (standings, scheduling, scores)
• Generate and display public league directories
• Process payments and manage subscriptions
• Enable cross-league player statistics (for premium subscribers)
• Facilitate marketplace listings and buyer/seller communications
• Enable coach discovery, booking, and review systems
• Deliver in-platform messaging between users
• Process and display AI-powered video analysis results
• Display verified DUPR ratings on user profiles
• Deliver push notifications based on your preferences

3.2 Content & Community

• Publish and display blog posts and comments
• Send newsletter communications to subscribers
• Display sponsor content and manage advertising partnerships
• Provide location-based discovery of leagues, coaches, and marketplace listings

3.3 Service Improvement

• Analyze usage patterns to improve features
• Debug technical issues
• Develop new functionality
• Measure sponsor banner effectiveness through aggregate impression and click data

3.4 Communication

• Send transactional emails (account confirmations, password resets, payment receipts)
• Notify you of subscription changes or renewals
• Send push notifications for messages, scores, and booking updates
• Deliver newsletter content to subscribers
• Respond to support requests
• Send important service updates (with option to opt-out of non-essential communications)

3.5 Legal and Security

• Enforce our Terms of Service
• Prevent fraud and abuse
• Comply with legal obligations
• Moderate marketplace listings and messaging for prohibited content

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 Public Information

The following information is publicly visible by default:

• Public league names, locations, and images
• Player names in public leagues
• Game scores and standings in public leagues
• Marketplace listings (product title, description, photos, price, seller display name)
• Coach profiles (name, bio, certifications, ratings, availability)
• Blog posts and associated comments
• DUPR ratings linked to your profile (if you choose to link your account)

You can make leagues private to restrict visibility to only you and added players.

4.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who help us operate our Service:

• Stripe: Payment processing and subscription management
• Hosting Provider: Server infrastructure and data storage
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim: Location search and autocomplete (no personal data shared, only search queries)
• PB Vision API: Video analysis processing (gameplay videos are transmitted for AI analysis)
• DUPR: Rating verification (your DUPR player ID is used to fetch rating data)
• Web Push Services: Browser push notification delivery via standard Web Push protocol

4.3 User-to-User Sharing

Certain information is shared between users as part of platform features:

• Marketplace messages are visible to both buyer and seller participants in a conversation
• Coaching reviews and ratings are visible to all users viewing a coach's profile
• Blog comments are visible to all readers of the associated post

4.4 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law or in response to:

• Legal process (subpoenas, court orders)
• Government requests
• Protection of our rights or safety
• Investigation of fraud or security issues

4.5 Business Transfers

If Pickle Leagues is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4.6 Never Sold

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Marketplace Disclaimer

Pickle Leagues provides the Marketplace as a platform for users to list and discover used sports gear. Please note:

• Pickle Leagues is not a party to any transaction between buyers and sellers. All transactions are conducted directly between users.
• We do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or accuracy of any listing or the ability of sellers to sell or buyers to pay.
• Users are solely responsible for the content of their listings, the accuracy of product descriptions, and the completion of any transactions.
• We provide messaging tools to facilitate communication but do not mediate disputes between buyers and sellers.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Specifically:

• Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
• League Data: Retained until the league owner deletes it
• Marketplace Listings: Active listings are retained until removed by the seller; sold or expired listings may be retained for record-keeping purposes
• Messages: Conversation history is retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account deletion
• Coaching Data: Booking history and reviews are retained while your account is active
• Video Analysis: Uploaded videos and analysis results are retained until you delete them or your account is closed
• Push Notification Subscriptions: PushSubscription data is retained while your subscription is active and deleted when you unsubscribe or revoke browser permissions
• Newsletter Subscriptions: Email and preferences are retained until you unsubscribe
• Payment Records: Retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance
• Backups: May persist in backups for up to 90 days after deletion

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to access and export your personal data. Contact us to request a copy of your data in a portable format.

7.2 Correction

You can update your account information through your account settings at any time. Coach profiles, marketplace listings, and other user-generated content can be edited or removed through their respective management pages.

7.3 Deletion

You can request deletion of your account and personal data. Note that:

• Deleting your account also deletes all leagues you own
• Marketplace listings you created will be removed
• Your coach profile and associated bookings will be deleted
• Messages you sent may still be visible to the other party in the conversation
• Reviews you authored may be anonymized rather than deleted
• Some information may be retained for legal or legitimate business purposes
• Data in backups may persist for up to 90 days

7.4 Opt-Out of Communications

You can opt out of promotional emails by clicking "unsubscribe" in any email. You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time. You can manage push notification preferences in your account settings or revoke permissions through your browser. You cannot opt out of transactional emails necessary for service operation.

7.5 Cookie Management

You can configure your browser to refuse cookies, but this may limit functionality. We use essential cookies for authentication and session management.

7.6 GDPR Rights (EU Users)

If you are in the European Union, you have additional rights under GDPR:

• Right to withdraw consent
• Right to object to processing
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

7.7 CCPA Rights (California Users)

If you are a California resident, you have rights under CCPA:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know if personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt-out of sale (we don't sell your data)
• Right to deletion
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Passwords are hashed using bcrypt; data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS
• Access Controls: Limited employee access to personal data; CRM and admin tools are restricted to authorized administrators
• Secure Push Delivery: Push notification subscriptions are encrypted using VAPID keys and delivered over secure Web Push protocol
• Payment Security: All payment processing is handled by Stripe; we never store credit card numbers
• Regular Backups: Automated daily database backups
• Secure Infrastructure: Hosted on secure, monitored servers
• File Upload Security: Uploaded images and videos are validated and stored securely

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

Pickle Leagues is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will delete it.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. When using third-party services such as the PB Vision API for video analysis or DUPR for rating verification, your data may be processed by servers in different jurisdictions. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

11. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Service may contain links to third-party websites and integrates with external services including:

• Stripe billing portal for payment management
• DUPR platform for rating verification
• PB Vision API for video analysis
• Sponsor websites linked from banner advertisements

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites and services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Email notification
• Push notification (if you have opted in)
• Prominent notice on our website
• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy

Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

Email: privacy@pickleleagues.com

Response Time: We will respond to privacy requests within 30 days.

14. Data Protection Officer

For GDPR-related inquiries, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at: dpo@pickleleagues.com