Sports clubs are increasingly permitting third party use of their venue for concerts, sporting events, corporate functions and other activities to generate additional revenue, foster community engagement and elevate the club’s brand visibility.

The scale of this trend in 2025 shows just how significant these opportunities have become. Premier League venues hosted some of the world’s biggest music acts this year: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour filled Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for six nights, Sam Fender homecoming shows at St James’ Park drew over 150,000 fans to the North East, and Dua Lipa headlined at Anfield. Hampden Park, Villa Park, and the Principality Stadium welcomed Kendrick Lamar and SZA, while Wembley staged BLACKPINK’s record-breaking K-pop show.

And it’s not just major football stadiums. Hull’s Sewell Group Craven Park—home of Hull KR—hosted Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour for two sold-out nights in August, marking one of the band’s only UK stops outside London. These shows attracted tens of thousands of fans and transformed a rugby venue into a global entertainment stage.

Globally, the trend is even more pronounced. AT&T Stadium in Dallas hosted AC/DC and Post Malone alongside non-sporting spectacles like Monster Jam, while Italy’s iconic San Siro Stadium in Milan transformed into a concert arena for Bruce Springsteen’s European tour. These examples highlight a clear shift: modern stadiums are no longer just sporting arenas—they’re multi-purpose entertainment hubs.

How can stadium hire benefit your sports club?

Lucrative as they can be, these events offer more than just a revenue stream for your club. They can deliver a significant boost to the local economy and strengthen the bonds between the club and its community.

But with opportunity comes complexity, and the contractual issues behind these arrangements are far from straightforward. These opportunities have a habit of materialising (or sometimes slipping away) quickly, so deals are almost always done at pace in order to secure the event. That urgency can lead to oversights, which is why you should identify and prioritise key contractual protections.

Essential contract clauses to protect your interests:

• ‘Hire Period’ clauses to define the precise periods of exclusive and non-exclusive access, including setup and breakdown, and to avoid operational disruption.
• Post-event obligations and remedies to ensure that the stadium is restored to its original condition, including inspection rights and liquidated damages for delays.
• Clear cost mechanisms that ensure all parties understand what is (or isn’t) included in the ‘hire fee’, and how additional costs are to be apportioned.
• Ticketing provisions ensuring that the right quantities go on sale to the right people, without hampering staffing responsibilities, branding rights, or any pre-allocated tickets (for example to club sponsors or members). Ticketing provisions will also deal with complementary tickets and their allocation.
• Food and beverage rights to clarify who operates stalls, revenue-sharing arrangements, and compliance with health and alcohol regulations.
• Merchandise and IP protections to safeguard club branding and ensure quality control while maximising the revenue opportunities for all parties.
• Hospitality and sponsor obligations to allocate responsibilities for VIP areas and avoid conflicts with existing sponsorship rights.
• Branding and signage clauses to regulate temporary event branding and ensure removal post-event.
• Cancellation provisions setting out notice periods, financial consequences, and force majeure protections.

By addressing these issues upfront, you can reduce risk, protect revenue streams, and ensure smooth delivery of third-party events without compromising their own operations or reputation.

How we can support you

Hosting third-party events can be a lucrative opportunity, but it requires careful planning and robust contractual protections. Our team at Walker Morris has extensive experience advising sports organisations on venue hire agreements for music concerts, boxing matches, international tournaments and other sporting events. We can help you:

• Draft and negotiate venue hire agreements tailored to your operational needs.
• Identify and mitigate legal and reputational risks.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
• Protect your commercial interests while maximising revenue opportunities.

If you are considering opening your doors to concerts or other events, get in touch to ensure your arrangements are watertight.