1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better browsing experience, and supply information to the website owners.
Cookies serve a variety of functions. Some are essential for the website to operate correctly, while others help us understand how visitors interact with our site so we can improve it. Cookies can be "first-party" (set by the website you are visiting) or "third-party" (set by a different website, such as an analytics or advertising provider).
Cookies can also be classified by how long they persist:
- Session cookies: These are temporary cookies that are deleted from your device when you close your browser. They help the website remember what you have done during your current visit.
- Persistent cookies: These remain on your device for a set period (or until you delete them manually). They help the website recognise you when you return and remember your preferences.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
We use the following categories of cookies on mansfieldtownfitc.net. Each category is explained in detail below, including the specific cookies involved and their purpose.
Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function properly. Without these cookies, certain basic features of the site would not work. These cookies do not collect any personally identifiable information and cannot be disabled without affecting the site's core functionality.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
cookie_consent |
Stores your cookie consent preferences so you are not repeatedly asked for consent. | 1 year | |
cf_clearance |
Set by Cloudflare to confirm you are a legitimate visitor and not a bot. Required for site access and security. | 30 minutes | |
__cf_bm |
Cloudflare bot management cookie. Helps distinguish between humans and automated bots to protect the site from abuse. | 30 minutes |
Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. This data allows us to improve the site's structure, content, and performance. We use Google Analytics for this purpose.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga |
Google Analytics cookie used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. Included in each page request and used to calculate visitor, session, and campaign data for site analytics reports. | 2 years | |
_ga_* |
Google Analytics 4 cookie used to persist session state across page loads. Helps identify individual browsing sessions. | 2 years | |
_gid |
Google Analytics cookie used to distinguish users. Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited. | 24 hours | |
_gat |
Google Analytics throttling cookie. Used to limit the rate of requests to Google Analytics, reducing data collection on high-traffic sites. | 1 minute |
Functionality Cookies
Functionality cookies allow the website to remember choices you have made and provide enhanced, more personalised features. For example, they may remember your preferred layout or which sections you have expanded or collapsed.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
nav_preference |
Remembers your navigation preferences, such as whether the mobile menu was last open or closed. | 30 days | |
theme_preference |
Stores your preferred display settings if applicable (e.g., dark mode or light mode). | 1 year |
Advertising and Affiliate Tracking Cookies
This website contains affiliate links to third-party bookmaker websites. When you click on these links, the bookmaker or affiliate network may set cookies on your device to track the referral. These cookies allow the bookmaker to attribute your registration or deposit to our website, which is how we earn the commission that funds our editorial operations.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
_aff_* |
Affiliate network tracking cookies. Set when you click an affiliate link to a bookmaker. Used to attribute your visit to our website for commission purposes. | 30–90 days | |
btag |
Bookmaker affiliate tracking parameter. Identifies the referral source when you visit a bookmaker via our links. | 30–90 days | |
campaign_id |
Tracks which marketing campaign or page you visited before clicking through to a bookmaker website. | 30 days |
3. Third-Party Cookies
In addition to our own cookies, third-party services we use may set their own cookies on your device. The primary third-party services that may set cookies when you visit our website are:
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics collects information about page views, session duration, bounce rates, traffic sources, and general geographic location (country/region level only). This data is aggregated and anonymised — we cannot identify individual users from Google Analytics data.
Google's privacy policy governs how Google processes this data. You can learn more at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Cloudflare
Our website uses Cloudflare for security, performance optimisation, and content delivery. Cloudflare may set essential cookies on your device to distinguish between legitimate visitors and automated bots, and to ensure the site loads correctly. These cookies are strictly necessary for the operation and security of the website.
For more information about Cloudflare's cookie practices, visit cloudflare.com/cookie-policy.
Affiliate Networks
When you click on an affiliate link to a bookmaker, the affiliate network or bookmaker may set tracking cookies. These are third-party cookies set on the bookmaker's domain. We list the affiliate link destinations transparently in our content, and the use of cookies by these third parties is governed by their own cookie and privacy policies, not ours.
4. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. There are several ways to manage your cookie preferences:
Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically find these settings in the "Options," "Settings," "Preferences," or "Privacy" menu of your browser. The specific steps vary by browser:
- Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
- Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
- Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies and site data
- Opera: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies
You can configure your browser to block all cookies, block only third-party cookies, or alert you each time a cookie is being set. You can also delete all cookies that are already stored on your device.
Google Analytics Opt-Out
If you want to prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits to our site specifically, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. This add-on instructs the Google Analytics JavaScript running on websites not to send visit information to Google Analytics.
Do Not Track
Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that sends a signal to websites requesting that your browsing activity is not tracked. There is currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals, and our site does not currently alter its behaviour in response to DNT signals. However, you can still manage cookies using the methods described above.
5. Impact of Disabling Cookies
If you choose to block or delete cookies, some features of our website may not function as intended. Specifically:
- Blocking essential cookies may prevent the website from loading correctly or cause security verification challenges to appear repeatedly.
- Blocking analytics cookies will not affect your browsing experience but will prevent us from understanding how you use the site, which helps us improve it.
- Blocking functionality cookies may mean the site does not remember your preferences between visits.
- Blocking advertising/affiliate cookies will not affect your browsing experience on our site. However, if you click an affiliate link to a bookmaker, the bookmaker may not be able to attribute your visit to our website, which means we would not receive the commission that helps fund our editorial work. The offers and services available to you at the bookmaker are not affected.
Disabling cookies does not prevent you from accessing our content. All articles, reviews, guides, and other editorial content remain fully accessible regardless of your cookie settings.
6. Consent
When you first visit our website, we will ask for your consent to set non-essential cookies (analytics, functionality, and advertising cookies). Essential cookies do not require consent as they are strictly necessary for the website to function.
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your browser cookie settings as described in Section 4 above, or by clearing your browser's cookies and revisiting our site, which will prompt the consent request again.
By continuing to use our website after being presented with cookie information, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy. If you do not consent, please adjust your browser settings accordingly.
7. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this cookie policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in technology, or changes in applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
8. Further Information
For more general information about cookies and how they work, we recommend visiting allaboutcookies.org, which provides comprehensive guidance on cookies and how to manage them across different browsers and devices.
You may also wish to read our Privacy Policy, which provides more detail about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
9. Contact Information
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this cookie policy, please contact us:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Contact Us page
We aim to respond to all cookie-related enquiries within five working days.