GDPR in the sports club: How to protect your members' data!

GDPR in the sports club: How to protect your members' data!

On February 4, 2025, the women's Bundesliga game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen became the scene of an exciting duel. The encounter not only promises top sporting performance, but is also in the context of current challenges that affect the sports world.

The current debate about cookies and data protection brings new requirements that affect not only marketing, but also communication within sports clubs. With the gradual abolition of third-party cookies, cookie tracking, one of the main sources for advertising revenue. Advertisers are concerned and are looking for new solutions. Cookieless Tracking, which takes place on the server and does not use locally stored data, could be an answer to the challenges of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

new forms of tracking

Tracking without cookies uses technical profiles and device fingerprints to create user profiles. While such methods raise many data protection concerns, they could also offer higher advertising effectiveness. dg-datenschutz.de further explains that cohorting and ID-based Targeting are becoming increasingly important to enable overarching tracking.

in an environment in which Internet users are increasingly careful with their data, the interaction of data protection and sport is becoming increasingly relevant. Clubs have to act particularly carefully because they process a lot of personal data from their members.

GDPR and their influence on sports clubs

The requirements of the GDPR are of fundamental importance for sports clubs. For example, you must have a list of processing activities and obtain the consent of your members to the processing of personal data. Sportverein.m marketing have to explain how your data is processed. If there is non -compliance, fines and the loss of trust.

The GDPR therefore has far -reaching consequences: from a number of members of 20, a data protection officer must be used to comply with the legal requirements. In addition, data should be protected against unauthorized access, for example by encrypted storage.

Today, at which Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen meet, is not just a highlight for football fans, but is embedded in a wide field of challenges regarding data protection and marketing in sport.