Football's national body has issued an ultimatum to a Sydney father who devotes his free time to coach his son's team at weekends: Sign away your name and image rights to us or walk away from the sport.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) runs a three-hour "grassroots" training course for volunteer parents who train five to nine-year-old players. Woven into its terms and conditions is a compulsory clause that grants the organisation a royalty free, worldwide, "irrevocable license" to use people's names and images for "marketing and promotional activities".

Adam Hollingworth – football coach and dad – has been told to sign a contract that allows the FFA free use of his name and image, or walk away from his son Tully's team. Credit:Anna Kucera

Fairfax Media can confirm there are currently approximately 25,000 community coaches who have either knowingly or unwittingly agreed to the arrangement, as have half a million players who are competing nationally under the FFA banner, including juniors.

The document's fine print does not elaborate on how the data and other supplied details are used. But, in its privacy policy, the FFA states it may share personal information with "third parties" in relation to the running of the game, as well as "any use" that is "reasonably apparent" at the time it is collected.