--- bcp_version: "2.0.0" file_type: boundaries parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/us-soccer-785/.well-known/brand.md last_updated: "2026-10-19" --- # Boundaries These limits come from the Soccer Forward toolkit (CTA p.3 "Messaging Sensitivity", HOWTO placement pages and "Things to Avoid", LOCKUP, SUPPORT and the Safe Storytelling guidance) and from ussoccer.com, all checked on 2026-10-19. U.S. Soccer has not reviewed this file. Rules marked *(inference)* are Encoded's, not U.S. Soccer's. Claims and their caveats are in `claims.md`; this file says where the lines are. Each rule carries `surface`: `toolkit` (Soccer Forward / Keeping Score of What Matters materials), `federation` (ussoccer.com corporate, national-team and news pages) or `both`. A toolkit rule binds campaign and partner assets; it is not a stated federation-wide policy unless marked `both`. ## Hard nos ```yaml hard_no: - item: "Never put body, weight or mental-health statistics where children are the audience or might feel singled out." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Field banners, on-field signage, event displays, merch, OOH near schools or rec centers, youth-facing social, pages frequently visited by children, pamphlets in public spaces — paired with stats on fat loss, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, depression, anxiety or confidence." source: "CTA p.3: 'Use sensitive stats (e.g. health, confidence) in adult-facing spaces only.' 'Don't put body or mental health stats where kids might feel singled out (e.g. on-field signage).' HOWTO p.25: 'Avoid using health-focused messaging on pages frequently visited by children.' HOWTO p.29, p.35, p.47." allowed_alternative: "Youth-facing: joy, teamwork, belonging, confidence-as-experience ('Kick off recess with a quick game of soccer'). Health stats go in newsletters, emails, banners and decks aimed at parents, staff, funders or officials (HOWTO p.38, p.41)." - item: "No statistics or personal outcomes at all on event signage and experiences; only broad, empowering messages on OOH and merch." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Entrance arches, photo spots, wayfinding, hydration stations, field backdrops, billboards and bus stops near schools, giveaway merch — carrying any number (e.g. '20% more girls', '580 Fests') or a personal-outcome promise." source: "HOWTO p.47 (event signage): 'Choose messages that celebrate teamwork, joy, and participation—not stats or personal outcomes.' HOWTO p.49 (OOH, placed 'near schools, community centers'): 'Keep the messaging broad and empowering' with 'a short CTA'. HOWTO p.35 (merch): 'Keep printed messages light and motivational—avoid health stats or heavy messaging.' HOWTO p.29 (pamphlets): 'avoid sensitive stats in public-facing copy.'" allowed_alternative: "Strap line plus a short CTA ('Keeping score of what matters / Join the legacy.') or a stat-free benefit line ('Soccer can help bring a community together.', IMPACT p.8)." - item: "Never present soccer as a treatment, cure or substitute for medical or mental-health care." tier: core surface: both trigger: "'Soccer treats anxiety', 'skip the meds, play soccer', 'soccer prevents heart disease'." source: "No source supports treatment or cure; stronger IMPACT lines ('chronic disease prevention', IMPACT p.5) are usable only as attributed, adult-facing records (claims.md)." allowed_alternative: "Use the claims.md impact statement with its hedge and citation, adult-facing only." - item: "Never identify or locate a child or vulnerable contributor in a story." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Full names of children, school uniform logos, street signs, geotags, the name of a specific school together with a child's details." source: "SAFE p.4: 'Stories should not include identifiers which could be used to locate contributors (e.g. logos on school uniforms, street names or other signage, geotagging on social media).' 'Only use contributors' first names in stories.'" allowed_alternative: "First names only; generic locations ('a school in Ohio'); extra restrictions (changed name, face not shown) for high-risk stories." - item: "Never use a contributor's story, photo or footage without demonstrable, informed consent — from a parent or guardian for children." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Using a supplied quote or image in a new medium, a request to 'just use the kid's photo from the tournament'." source: "SAFE p.6: 'If you are unable to locate proof of consent, do not use the footage.' 'If you wish to use content in a different way not covered at the time of consent, you should re-confirm consent.'" allowed_alternative: "Use the toolkit photo bank (visual.md) without naming anyone, or mark '[consent required]'." - item: "Never portray contributors as victims, rely on stereotypes, or sensationalise hardship." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Refugee, disability, homelessness, illness, low-income or immigrant stories; 'tragic', 'suffering', 'broken', 'against all odds' framing." source: "SAFE p.3: 'avoid portraying contributors as victims'; 'portray the subject from a position of strength'; 'allowing them … to tell their own story in their own words.'" allowed_alternative: "Strength- and agency-first framing in the person's own words, like the ambassador 'The Score that Matters most to me is…' quotes." - item: "Never redraw, recolour, re-angle or multiply the Soccer Forward Foundation logo or goalpost; never recreate the U.S. Soccer crest or put it in partner assets." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Typesetting 'soccer forward foundation' as a fake logo, a green or red goalpost, a tilted goalpost, two goalposts in one frame, crest drawn from memory." source: "HOWTO p.17 'Things to Avoid'; HOWTO p.10: '*U.S. Soccer crest is for placement only – add your crest where it is placed!' (the template crest slot is for the partner's own crest); GUIDE has no crest artwork." allowed_alternative: "Composite an official SFF lock-up file the user supplies. Fill the template crest slot with the partner's own crest or logo. Otherwise leave labelled placeholders ('[SFF lock-up]', '[your organization's crest/logo]')." - item: "Never claim or imply official partnership, endorsement, sponsorship or funding by U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward that has not been granted." tier: core surface: toolkit trigger: "Partner copy saying 'official partner of U.S. Soccer', 'endorsed by', 'in partnership with Soccer Forward', or writing a Soccer Forward testimonial for a club." source: "SUPPORT p.3–7 (testimonials and letters are issued by Soccer Forward on request, 2–4 week review); LOCKUP p.3 (co-branded lock-up 'may be used in broader applications by those who are not official partners')." allowed_alternative: "'Get involved in soccer with (organization name).' plus the permitted co-branded lock-up; request a testimonial via the toolkit." - item: "Never invent statistics, studies, quotes, ambassador statements, or programme results." tier: core surface: both trigger: "'90% of kids say…', a made-up Goal Click story, an invented quote from a national-team player." source: "SAFE p.5 Accuracy: 'Avoid telling stories that could be misleading, distort or sensationalise.' claims.md." allowed_alternative: "Use claims.md records or clearly marked placeholders ('[local stat — source required]')." - item: "Never present a partner or campaign asset as an official U.S. Soccer or national-team communication, and never put national-team players' names, images or words into an asset beyond the published ambassador statements." tier: core surface: both trigger: "'A message from the USMNT', a USWNT player's face on a club flyer, a made-up quote from a named ambassador, federation-style news copy announcing a partner's event." source: "LOCKUP p.3 (co-branded lock-up is for 'those who are not official partners'); HOWTO p.10 (partner places their own crest); ambassador statements are published on https://www.ussoccer.com/soccer-forward (checked 2026-10-19). Player-likeness limit is Encoded inference: no image or likeness rights were supplied." allowed_alternative: "Partner-voiced copy under the partner's own crest; quote an ambassador only verbatim from their 'The Score that Matters most to me is…' statement, credited by name (representation.md)." ``` ## Soft nos ```yaml soft_no: - item: "Do not use more than one impact statement as the headline of an asset." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "Encoded inference from IMPACT p.2 ('Use them as your hook'; 'Match your statement to your goal') and the single-statement templates (HOWTO p.4, p.21); not a stated toolkit rule. Long-form (email, newsletter, deck) may use more, each with its citation." - item: "Do not move the logo, tagline or CTA when resizing a template, and do not brand merch outside the approved areas." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "HOWTO p.25: 'Maintain original logo, tagline, and CTA placement when resizing.' HOWTO p.35: 'Brand with your logo only in approved areas.'" - item: "Do not drop the strap line 'Keeping score of what matters' from campaign assets." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "HOWTO p.9: 'an essential element of the campaign … Ensure it appears clearly and prominently.' Optional in federation (non-campaign) work." - item: "Do not lead with the problem." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "CTA p.3 ('Lead with positivity'): 'When possible, focus on the positives of the sport (empowerment, inclusion, and joy) — not just the problems it helps fix.' A problem may follow as context in adult-facing long-form." - item: "Do not mix a personalised CTA with the Soccer Forward CTA in one asset." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "CTA p.2 offers 'Personalize Your CTA' OR 'Soccer Forward CTA'." - item: "Do not publish partner or contributor stories before they have reviewed them." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "SAFE p.5: 'Share content with partners and/or contributors before it is publicized'; 'verify proposed content with the partner to ensure you are accurately representing each organizations' role and the attribution of outcomes.' For AI drafts, mark as draft for review." - item: "Do not schedule story gathering in ways that disrupt contributors' lives or ignore their practices; brief any third party on this guidance." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "SAFE p.3: 'minimises disruption to participants and respects the work, education, family, religious and cultural practices of contributors.' SAFE p.2: share the guide with third parties and 'assess their understanding of and adherence to the guidance.'" - item: "Do not state time-sensitive facts (grant windows, event counts, rosters, results) without a fresh check." tier: default surface: both condition: "See claims.md caveats; cite the page and date." - item: "Do not set regular-size white text on Unifying Red (#F20023)." tier: default surface: toolkit condition: "Computes 4.38:1, below WCAG AA 4.5:1, although the GUIDE p.6 cheat sheet shows it passing (visual.md OI-1). Use it for large text only (24 px+, or 18.66 px+ bold), or switch to white on Enduring Blue." - item: "Do not apply the toolkit look (Enduring Blue / Unifying Red cut-out frames, lowercase italic headlines, the strap line) to federation or national-team content." tier: default surface: both condition: "Encoded inference: the GUIDE is scoped to the Keeping Score of What Matters campaign, and ussoccer.com serves a darker red (#C2001C) and different type cuts (visual.md 'Live surface'). Federation master guidelines were not supplied." ``` ## Forbidden claims (explicit list) The 13 `forbidden` records in `claims.md` (register `forbidden` or `expired`) are never stated as fact, in any surface: 1. Soccer treats, cures or prevents depression, anxiety, obesity, heart disease or any medical condition. 2. Any impact statement moved to another population (adult study as a kids' result; girls-in-sports stat as a soccer stat). 3. The uncited IMPACT p.6 adaptive-soccer and disability-development statements, as independent findings (usable only as "U.S. Soccer's Soccer Forward toolkit says…"). 4. CDC-attributed soccer and concentration statistics (uncited in HOWTO). 5. "265 million soccer players worldwide" (FIFA 2007, expired). 6. Record women's soccer revenue or attendance, with any specific figure. 7. The USWNT Olympic gold-medal count from /about, as a current count (possibly outdated; recheck first). 8. The /about USWNT salary-subsidy statement, as current (historical). 9. The FIFA World Cup 2026 as upcoming or "coming to the United States". 10. Soccer Forward Foundation as a registered charity, a 501(c)(3), tax-deductible, or the same as "U.S. Soccer Foundation". 11. A named partner as endorsed by, an official partner of, or funded by U.S. Soccer or Soccer Forward. 12. Names, titles or tenure of federation leaders or head coaches; rosters; results; ticket or Insiders prices. 13. Toolkit photos as showing a specific team, programme, place or named person. Exact wording, evidence and check dates are in `claims.md` § Forbidden. ## Brand safety ```yaml brand_safety: adjacency_unsuitable: - "Content sexualising, exploiting or endangering minors" - "Abuse of referees, players or fans; harassment and hate speech (U.S. Soccer runs 'Referee Abuse Prevention', 'Respect the Call' and a fan code of conduct — ussoccer.com nav, checked 2026-10-19)" - "Gambling and betting promotions next to youth or community content (inference)" - "Alcohol, tobacco, vaping or cannabis promotion next to youth content (inference)" - "Misinformation about health, including anti-exercise or miracle-cure content (inference)" - "Graphic injury or violence" adjacency_acceptable: - "Grassroots, school and community sport" - "Coaching, refereeing and volunteer development" - "National-team and professional soccer coverage" - "Adaptive and disability soccer (power soccer, amputee, CP, deaf, blind) presented with dignity" - "Public health and education content that is evidence-based" adjacency_contextual: safeguarding_news: rule: "Do not counter-program or minimise safeguarding concerns. Point to the U.S. Soccer Safeguarding Hub (SAFE p.7) and, for immediate risk, local emergency services." political_content: rule: "Soccer Forward language on equity and access is U.S. Soccer's own; do not attach it to partisan campaigns or candidates (inference)." sponsor_brands: rule: "Header sponsors (Volkswagen, Nike) and Bank of America (Soccer at Schools) appear on ussoccer.com. Do not add sponsor marks or imply sponsor involvement in partner or campaign assets (inference)." ``` ## Regulatory and policy context ```yaml regulatory: framework: > United States. Story gathering must follow local privacy, data-protection and child-protection law and the organization's safeguarding policy (SAFE p.1, p.4). Children's consent comes from a parent or guardian; for adults with care and support needs 'consent should be obtained from a family member but, wherever possible, the adult contributor should give their assent to participate and sign the consent form' (SAFE p.6). ADA accessibility: 'Always test text and background colors to meet ADA standards' (GUIDE p.5). Advertising health-adjacent statements in the U.S. falls under general FTC substantiation expectations (inference). notes: > A designated safeguarding lead and a risk assessment are expected before story gathering (SAFE p.2). Report concerns to the organization's Safeguarding Lead within 24 hours (SAFE p.2). restricted_claims: > Treatment or cure wording; transferring study results across populations; unsourced statistics; endorsement or partnership claims; tax-deductibility of donations to Soccer Forward Foundation. ``` ## Escalation - **Toolkit, logo files, working files, USSF Unity font:** soccerforward@ussoccer.org (HOWTO p.7–8, LOCKUP p.2). - **Testimonials, letters of support, advocacy:** the request form linked from the toolkit page (SUPPORT p.3–7). - **Safeguarding concern:** the USSF Safeguarding Hub (SAFE p.7), linked from the ussoccer.com homepage as https://www.ussoccer.com/safeguarding, with a report route at https://www.ussoccer.com/safeguarding/report-a-concern (links observed 2026-10-19); safeguarding resources: Soccer Forward Resource Hub filtered by safeguarding (SAFE p.7); immediate risk: local emergency services. - **Federation facts, rosters, results, leadership:** a current ussoccer.com page; no named communications contact is published in the sources.