Sports and Commercial Law

Sports organisations continue to become more conscious of the need to contract well in all matters that face the organisation, especially as arrangements become more complex and varied. Solid and reliable contracting is increasingly seen as the 12^th man of all sports organisations, be they well-established and world-recognised clubs or governing bodies with a domestic or an international reach. Our sports commercial lawyers can ensure your contracting starts on the front foot.

We are a full-service, single-site law firm with experts across everything from technology and digital contracts, intellectual property and corporate to commercial disputes resolution, competition and regulatory compliance. Our sports expertise spans all of these, including our highly regarded commercial team, which is one of the largest commercial contracts teams outside of London, making us a leading sports commercial law firm.

Having spent significant periods of time in-house at sport organisations (namely Premier League and EFL Championship clubs) our sports commercial lawyers ensure they bring real-world experience, specialist knowledge, and commercially pragmatic advice to ensure you can:

• Avoid being caught napping by not accepting onerous or unusual terms.
• Ensure the terms of your contract correspond with the terms that have been agreed in principle.
• Put any concerns you have when contracting into row z.

Sports commercial lawyers that assist your goals

Household names trust our experts to advise on general commercial matters and provide legal confidence to help you to:

Deliver strong and lasting partnerships through

• Introducer or agency commission agreements.
• Official partner or supplier agreements including advice in relation to partnerships with regulated or quasi-regulated entities involved in gambling, financial services, crypto, for example.
• Playing kit or training wear agreements.

Get the most out of your stadia through

• Hosting third-party events at your stadium, from European or International competitions in your sport to the NFL, music concerts, boxing, and e-sports.
• Dealing with resellers to distribute tickets to events at your stadia.
• Communicating terms and conditions clearly with fans and visitors.

Create, distribute and sell your offerings through

• Manufacturing, distributing, and selling products donning your sports organisation’s brand.
• Broadcasting and transmitting your content across all media platforms.
• Contracting with influencers to connect and engage individuals with your sports organisation.

Deliver internal organisational efficiencies through

• Outsourcing arrangements, including the supply of services by third-party providers for retail operations, hospitality and food and drink, right through to security, stewarding, cleaning, maintenance, and playing or training surface upkeep or renovation.
• Intragroup arrangements, including agreements between a sports organisation and its charitable foundation.

Achieve on-field success through

• Tour and friendly-match agreements.
• Data analysis and advisory contracts

Recent examples of our sports commercial lawyers being in our clients’ corner

Recently, our team of experts have advised:

• an EFL Championship football club on its multi-year kit supply agreement with one of Europe’s largest sportwear manufacturers, for all playing and coaching staff and retail.
• a Premier League football club on its back of shirt and training wear sleeve agreement with an online video game provider.
• an EFL Championship football club on its front of shirt sponsorship with a UK betting brand.
• an EFL Championship football club on its commercial partnerships’ introducer agreement with an American sponsorship and naming rights agency.
• a Premier League football club on its multi-year partnership with an international school in South Korea to establish an exclusive global player development programme.
• a Premier League football club on its agreement with a specialist dogs and security services provider to deliver services at the stadium on event days.
• an EFL Championship football club on its agreement with a security and stewarding services provider to deliver services at the stadium on event days.

Find out more about how we support sports organisations, and our wider Sports Law team by visiting our dedicated page here.