Keep a Recruiting Photo and Media Release Log

Recruiting profiles use photos from club teams, school media, family shoots, and tournament photographers. Each image has a different owner and a different permission.

A release log records where each image came from and what the family is allowed to do with it. It protects the athlete and the people who took the photo.

Record the source of every image

For each photo or video clip, note the file name, the date, the photographer or organization, and where it was published.

If the image came from a team photographer, the club may own it. If it came from a parent's phone, the family does. The distinction matters before an image is used in a profile, a graphic, or a printed handout.

Confirm permission in writing

Ask for a short written permission that names the image, the intended use, and the duration. An email is enough for most family and team uses.

For school or club media, check the organization's policy. Some allow promotional use by athletes; others require a specific request.

Keep the athlete's consent

A minor athlete may need a parent or guardian to approve the use. Record who consented, the date, and the scope.

Update the log when the athlete turns 18 or when the intended use changes from a profile to commercial promotion.

Handle takedown requests

If a photographer or family member asks for an image to be removed, record the request, the date, and the action taken.

Remove the image from the profile, the highlight thumbnail, and any printed material still in circulation. A takedown that stops at one page is not a takedown.

Avoid unlicensed action photos

Tournament and news photos are often copyrighted. Do not assume that because an image is public it can be reused in a recruiting graphic.

Use images the family owns, images with written permission, or licensed stock. When in doubt, use a neutral graphic instead of an action photo.

Review the log before each profile update

Before publishing a new profile, graphic, or film thumbnail, check that each image has a source and a permission entry.

The log does not need to be complicated. One row per image, a permission column, and a review date keeps the profile clean and the family out of a licensing dispute.