Corrections, and how we handle them

USI's library is built on sourced facts. Every claim in every article points back to a primary source: Football Australia, your state body, peer-reviewed research, government data. When a parent at a club tells us something didn't match what they've seen on the ground, that's a signal worth more than a hundred web searches.

How to flag something

At the foot of every published article there's a short form: Spot something wrong, or know something we missed? Click it, pick the category (factual error, outdated, missing context, or other), and write a sentence or two. You need to be signed in. Signup is free, no card, no expiry.

If the issue is not tied to a specific article, the contact form reaches the same inbox.

What happens after you submit

Every submission gets read. Within seven days, one of three things happens:

1. The article changes. If your note surfaces a factual error or outdated claim, the article is edited and a brief note is added. You'll get a short email telling you what changed.
2. The article doesn't change, but you'll hear back. Sometimes a parent's experience at a club doesn't match the formal rule, and the article is correct as written. We'll reply explaining the source and the context, often pointing to a different article that addresses the on-the-ground reality.
3. Your note becomes a new article. Gaps between regulation and reality are exactly the topics USI exists to cover. If your note surfaces something the library hasn't addressed, it goes into the next-article queue.

How often we re-check articles

Every article carries a re-verify date, twelve months from publication for any claim tied to a price, regulation, age cutoff, or program structure. State body fee schedules are re-checked in February (post-registration) and August (mid-season). When a source moves or a rule changes, the article updates and the date rolls forward. If a claim can no longer be defended, the article is rewritten or unpublished.

What we mean by a correction

A correction is a change to a factual claim: a number, a date, a name, an eligibility rule, a regulation. A typo or a clearer phrasing isn't a correction in this sense, it's just an edit. Both happen, both quietly. We use the word correction when the meaning changed, not when the prose did.

Why this is here

Research on news trust is consistent: readers don't lose confidence when they see visible corrections, they gain it. USI's positioning depends on parents trusting the library enough to act on it. A correction policy that's clear, fast, and public is the trust-building act, not the trust-damaging one. We'd rather be the place that corrects in seven days than the place that quietly hopes nobody noticed.

For the technical detail of how each article's sources are tracked, see USI's about page.