Football fan fury over kids database

Jun 1 2007 By Anna Jeys, Birmingham Mail

A LIFELONG Blues fan has vowed to stop supporting the club after discovering that personal details of his children would be kept on a database.

Barry Godwin has been supporting the club for 53 years but was furious when he was asked for personal information when he renewed a season ticket for his daughter Joanna.

The 58-year-old said he applied at the ticket office only to be told he would have to provide a birth certificate or passport for the 11-year-old, which would be photocopied and kept on a database.

The ticket salesperson said the information was needed to stop adults going into St Andrew's on child tickets.

It is a Football League sanctioned move which is also carried out at many other clubs around the country, including Aston Villa.

But Mr Godwin, who lives in Evesham and whose grandfather was chief scout for the club, was unhappy that details of children would be kept on file.

He said: "What right have they got to keep the details of children? I would have been happy to show them a birth certificate and take Joanna with me, but not to have them copied.

"There are then personal details and photographs of children on file. Even when schools ask for that information they have to sign a form and the staff are all checked.

"When I refused, Blues said I did not meet the criteria and could not have a ticket."

A spokesman for Birmingham City said the policy was in line with regulations set down by the Football League.

He said: "It is a stipulation from the League that everyone has to provide proof of age which is then kept on file.

"It is stated in all literature in terms and conditions that proof of age has to be provided when buying a season ticket."

An Aston Villa spokeswoman confirmed the club operated a similar policy.

She said: "We do request that birth certificate and/or passport or medical card is provided by way of proof of age.

"These are scanned into a computer database so there are no paper copies around."

But a spokesman for West Bromwich Albion said the club did not use a database or scan any information for records.

He said: "We ask for proof of age and status where necessary."