Sport

We advise on a wide variety of disputes in sport, including commercial, regulatory and disciplinary issues. Examples of our work in these areas includes advising:

• An FA Premier League football club on regulatory investigations regarding player transfers, employment and corporate matters.
• Professional sportsmen in disciplinary inquiries before their professional bodies, including the Football Association.
• A global sports federation on its application for IOC recognition for inclusion in the Summer Olympic Games.
• The Professional Squash Association in multiple disciplinary and regulatory proceedings.
• Football and rugby agents in a variety of regulatory and debt disputes.
• The International Hockey Federation on a dispute with a production services supplier.

We offer a discreet, co-ordinated crisis management service. For allegations which are criminal, we establish an immediate dialogue with the police and/or whichever supervisory authority is involved.

We attend immediately and in person at the point of arrest, interview or other police involvement.

When necessary we engage with PR professionals to keep an allegation or the client’s name out of the public domain.

Our lawyers have been involved in:

• Discreetly and successfully representing numerous professional footballers at all stages in dealings with the police in England and Wales.
• Successfully acting for a world famous international footballer in staving off criminal allegations at a crucial stage of his career.
• Successfully defending a Premier League footballer acquitted of two allegations of indecent assault at Middlesbrough Crown Court.
• Representing an England International footballer in proceedings at Guildford Crown Court.
• Advising high profile athletes and agents at all stages of HMRC and regulatory investigations and proceedings.

We advise a wide range of players and athletes on the commercialisation of their talent and image, and protection of their privacy and reputation. Our work includes:

• Advising star athletes in endorsement arrangements.
• Advising football players on contracts with clubs, teams and leagues.
• Drafting intermediary and agent representation contracts, including advising on intermediary and agents’ regulations.
• Reviewing and advising book publishers and agents in respect of players’ autobiographies.
• Advising on defamation and privacy issues which arise in relation to reports published in the media.
• Advising as to the use of photographs and images belonging to players or their agencies (including use of images on social media).
• Advising athletes on international trademark registrations to protect the goodwill in their names.

We also provide specialist sports immigration services for sporting clubs, agents and individual players and coaching staff. Our team has an excellent understanding of the UK’s points-based immigration system and can assist with a variety of immigration matters such as:

• Sponsoring a Sportsperson or Sporting Worker.
• Obtaining a Sporting Sponsor Licence.
• Applications for endorsement by the appropriate sports governing body.
• Sports Visitor Visas.

We advise sports federations, agencies, broadcasters and digital platforms on all aspects of the creation, acquisition and exploitation of sports media rights and data rights.

We are often engaged by rights holders to advise on market conditions for and prior to the sale of rights and have extensive experience of running successful high-profile auctions in the UK and overseas.

Notable work includes:

• Advising European Professional Club Rugby on the auction and sale of pay-TV and free to air UK and international broadcasting rights to the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.
• Acting for the Professional Squash Association on a multi-year global media rights agreement with Facebook and a sports data rights deal with Sportradar.
• Advising talkSPORT in respect of its successful bidding strategy for Premier League UK radio rights, as well as managing multiple auctions and licences for its exclusive Premier League international radio rights.
• Advising Cage Warriors (Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promoter) on a ground-breaking global media rights deal with UFC Fight Pass .
• Advising leading horseracing data provider Total Performance Data on software, hardware and licensing matters.

Our Corporate and Employment teams advise sports industry clients on all aspects of their businesses. Advice we have provided includes:

• Providing corporate advice to establish a new sports agency with a focus on new media activities and drafting template representation agreements.
• Advising Premiership Rugby shareholder London Irish Rugby Club on a corporate re-organisation of the league following a major investment by investor CVC Capital Partners.
• Advising Cage Warriors on shareholder and investment agreements.
• Advising Watford AFC on investment arrangements.
• The merger of the men’s and women’s governing bodies in squash.

Our team acts for a range of clients in sport relating to sponsorship, endorsement agreements, event production, and the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights.

Experience includes:

• Acting as exclusive outside counsel to the Professional Squash Association, advising on all commercial, IP and corporate matters. This included the ground-breaking merger of the men’s and women’s tours, the establishment of the PSA’s in-house production facilities, sponsorship arrangements and the management of international trademark strategy.
• Representing British Eventing as their sole counsel, advising on all commercial and IT matters, including acting on the establishment of a new international equestrian series.
• Advising Cage Warriors on sponsorship agreements, event hosting and athlete representation agreements.
• Advising a leading sports consultancy on a ground-breaking sponsorship and procurement agreement for the 2023 Pan American Games.
• Acting for SportsBible and LadBible, advising on sports media content acquisition matters.

‘We use the firm as a professional advisor as well as a law firm. The vast industry experience make them extremely knowledgeable about the industry.’ Legal 500, 2021

“The team has a breadth of experience across a number of fields of litigation…” Legal 500, 2021

“The team has a breadth of experience across a number of fields of litigation, including employment law, meaning they are an up-and-coming force in sports law.” Legal 500, 2020