Database notes
How this database works: identifiers, sourcing and corrections
Every player, club and competition entry carries a permanent identifier and a stated source. Here is what those labels mean.
Written by GFR Editorial Desk · 2026-01-02 · 2026-02-10 · 4 min
A database is only as useful as its willingness to say where a number came from. This one applies four rules.
Permanent identifiers
Every player record carries an internal identifier in the form FD000001. Clubs use FC-prefixed identifiers and competitions CO-prefixed ones. Identifiers are never reused, so a citation stays valid even if a name or club changes.
Two classes of data
Entries are labelled as either documented or public. Documented means we hold a specific file and we name it on the page. Public means the fact is uncontroversial and widely recorded. Where a record is documented but supplied by an interested party, we say so plainly rather than presenting it as independently audited.
What we do not publish
We do not publish transfer rumours, unverified injury claims, invented quotes, or match reports for fixtures we have not verified. If we cannot source it, it does not go up.
Corrections
Errors are corrected on the page itself, with the change and its date noted at the foot of the entry. Requests from a player, club or federation about their own record are prioritised.