Duty of Care and Athlete Privacy: Finding the Balance
Clubs need enough information to keep athletes safe — but not necessarily access to everything.
Sporting clubs have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect their athletes. This includes knowing about relevant injuries, managing risks and ensuring athletes are not placed in situations where participation may be unsafe.
At the same time, athletes have a right to expect that their personal and health information will be handled appropriately.
So where is the balance?
The answer is giving the right people the right information — without unnecessarily exposing an athlete's private medical details.
A coach may need to know that an athlete cannot participate, but needs to know when they are to return
A trainer may need access to the injury details and treatment plan.
A club administrator may only need to know that an injury exists or that an athlete is currently unavailable.
Not everyone needs access to everything.
The athlete should remain at the centre
This becomes particularly important when an athlete plays across multiple sports or clubs.
An athlete may have injuries or concussions recorded across AFL, basketball, futsal or other sporting environments. Looking at each club's records separately may not provide a complete picture of the athlete's history.
An athlete-centred approach allows the athlete to maintain a continuing injury record while giving each club appropriate access to the information it needs.
Privacy shouldn't mean the club knows nothing
Privacy controls should not prevent a club from accessing information that is genuinely necessary to manage an athlete's safety.
Instead, information can be shared according to:
- Role — who needs the information?
- Purpose — why do they need it?
- Risk — what does the club need to know to keep the athlete safe?
- Privacy — what information should remain restricted?
The goal
The objective isn't to choose between duty of care and privacy.
It is to achieve both.
Clubs need enough information to keep athletes safe. Athletes should not have to give up their privacy to receive that protection.
AthHQ is built around this principle — keeping the athlete at the centre, while helping clubs access the injury information they need to support athlete safety and meet their responsibilities.