Can I photograph or film children at junior sport?

It depends on where the game is held.

• Public areas: there are no laws restricting photography of people, including children, as long as the images themselves are not illegal. Organisers cannot impose extra photography rules on members of the public using the same public space. If someone asks for their photo not to be taken, that request should be respected.
• Private venues (a club's own ground, or school or council facilities): the owner of the venue can restrict, ban or require permission for photography anywhere in the venue. Many council venues prohibit phones and cameras in change rooms and toilets.
• Never photograph or film in change rooms or toilets. Taking images covertly there is illegal.
• If an unknown person is taking photos at an event, the organiser should ask them to respect the club's safeguarding policy, stop, and delete the photos. Anyone with reasonable concerns that photos are being taken illegally (for example in toilets, change rooms or for sexual purposes) should contact the police immediately.

Photos of children posted online can travel further than intended, so Play by the Rules encourages respect for anyone who does not want their image taken or shared.

Source: Sport Integrity Australia, Photography and Filming of Children and Young People in Sport (February 2024), and Play by the Rules, Taking and Sharing Images at Sport (June 2025).