Disclaimer

1. About this disclaimer

This Disclaimer sets out the basis on which OMS (ABN 76 838 394 349), trading as United Sporting Institute, provides the website at unitedsportinginstitute.com and all content made available on or through that website (together, "USI" or "the Service"). Read it before relying on any USI content for a specific decision. This Disclaimer forms part of our Terms of Use and is to be read together with the Privacy Policy at unitedsportinginstitute.com/privacy and the Terms of Use at unitedsportinginstitute.com/terms. By using the Service, you accept this Disclaimer.

2. What USI is

USI is an independent Australian information service for parents and guardians of children playing football. The content on the Service is general information, written for a general audience of adults responsible for football-playing children in Australia. USI is not affiliated with Football Australia, any state member federation, any association, or any club, and does not represent any of those bodies.

3. What USI is not

USI is not a substitute for legal, medical, psychological, coaching, financial, or any other professional advice in your specific situation. USI content cannot account for the full circumstances of any individual case, family, club, or child. Where a specific situation calls for professional advice, USI is not that advice. You are responsible for assessing whether any USI content applies to your situation and for obtaining professional advice where required.

4. Urgent child safety

USI is not an emergency channel. If a child is in immediate danger, or you have witnessed something involving a child's safety that may be criminal, contact police on 000 first. State and territory child protection services are also available for non-emergency safeguarding concerns. USI articles may describe the football governance pathway for safeguarding matters, but the protection-of-the-child decision is a personal, situational decision that may need direct contact with police or child protection services before any football process is started.

5. Health and injury

USI is not a medical resource. Where USI content touches on injury, concussion, fitness, nutrition, growth, fatigue, or any other health-related topic, the information is general. For specific medical advice for a specific child, consult a qualified medical professional. Do not delay seeking medical attention because of anything you have read, listened to, or generated on USI. For concussion in particular, USI content does not replace return-to-play protocols administered by qualified medical or coaching personnel.

6. Mental health and wellbeing

Where USI content touches on mental health, anxiety, body image, eating, identity, bullying, or other wellbeing topics, the information is general. It is not psychological assessment or treatment. If you or your child is in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or your local mental health service. If life is at risk, contact 000. Consult a qualified mental health professional for specific advice about a specific child.

7. Coaching content

USI provides decision frameworks for parents, not technical coaching instruction. USI does not prescribe drills, training routines, repetitions, durations, intensities, or specific skill content. Technical coaching for a child should come from an accredited coach in an accredited environment. Football involves physical activity and carries inherent risk of injury. Nothing on USI should be taken as advice that any activity is safe for any particular child. The decision to allow a child to participate in any activity remains with the parent or guardian.

8. Registration, transfers, and football regulations

USI describes the general framework of Australian football registration, transfers, complaints, and governance as published by Football Australia and the state member federations. Specific cases vary by state member federation, by association, by competition tier, and by the timing within the season. Always check the current published policies of the relevant football body for the most accurate information for your situation. USI is not authorised to act on your behalf with any football body.

9. Complaints and disputes

USI describes general frameworks for raising concerns at football clubs, associations, and state member federations in Australia. The substance and outcome of any specific complaint depend on individual circumstances, the relevant body's process at the time, and the procedural fairness obligations that apply. USI cannot guarantee any particular outcome from following its frameworks and is not a party to any complaint a parent lodges with a football body.

10. AI features

The Service includes AI-powered features. The USI AI assistant uses an underlying large language model with USI content as its primary knowledge source. The audio podcast feed is generated using AI text-to-speech. Both features are labelled within the Service as "AI". AI output can be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, even when it sounds confident. The AI assistant is not a person, not a coach, and not a qualified professional of any kind. It does not provide medical, legal, financial, or coaching advice, and must not be used to assess child safety or safeguarding concerns. The AI-narrated audio is generated automatically from article text; pronunciation, names, and emphasis may not always be accurate. You should treat all AI output as general information only and verify any claim before acting on it.

11. External links

USI cites primary sources where possible and links to external sites maintained by Football Australia, state member federations, government agencies, and other organisations. USI is not responsible for the content of any external site, and the presence of a link does not imply endorsement. Following an external link is at your own risk.

12. Sources and currency of information

Information on USI may become out of date. Policies, regulations, fees, eligibility rules, and best practices change. USI updates its content periodically but does not guarantee currency at any given moment. Where currency matters, check the source linked in the article and confirm with the relevant body before acting on the information.

13. No warranty

Information on USI is provided as is. USI makes no warranty, express or implied, that any specific outcome will result from following its content, that the Service will be available at any given time, that the content is fit for any particular purpose, or that any error in the content will be corrected within any particular period. Nothing in this Disclaimer excludes any warranty or guarantee that cannot be excluded under Australian law, including the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law.

14. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Australian law, OMS and its operators are not liable for any loss, damage, or consequence arising from any reliance on USI content, whether human-written or AI-generated. Where you choose to act on a USI article, the decision and the responsibility for that decision are yours. The limitation of liability and Australian Consumer Law preservation in our Terms of Use apply.

15. Reproduction and copyright

All content on USI is the intellectual property of OMS or our licensors and is provided for personal, non-commercial use by readers. Content may not be reproduced, copied, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, performed, broadcast, posted into any forum, social network, group chat, mailing list, newsletter, course, book, or paid product, paraphrased as a substantial substitute, submitted to any artificial intelligence system for training or retrieval, scraped by any automated tool, or used to build any competing service, in whole or in part, without our express prior written permission. Short excerpts of a sentence or two may be quoted for review or commentary purposes with attribution to USI and a link to the original article. Detailed restrictions are set out in our Terms of Use at unitedsportinginstitute.com/terms. We may seek injunctive relief, damages, account of profits, and any other remedy available at law or in equity for any breach.

16. Changes to this disclaimer

OMS may update this Disclaimer from time to time. The version on this page is the current version. Earlier versions are not maintained on the site. Material changes will be communicated where reasonable, including by email to Members.

17. Contact

For any question about this Disclaimer or to request permission for reproduction of content, contact us through the web form at unitedsportinginstitute.com/contact. Where post is preferred, write to OMS, PO Box 526, Caringbah NSW 2229, Australia.