Sports Law

Recognised by Legal 500 as a Tier 1 sports law team, we are one of the leading sports solicitor practices advising on sports law issues in Football, Rugby, Tennis, Golf, Cricket, Boxing and Equestrian.

We regularly advise on commercial, regulatory, contentious and non-contentious issues representing high profile professional sports organisations, clubs and associations, national governing bodies, leagues, individual players and athletes in the UK and internationally.

Geldards are the exclusive legal partner of The Professional Body of Sports Leadership, representing some of the most senior executives and high performance specialists in sport.

Our sports lawyers are all experienced sport sector specialists. Our expertise covers:

  • Athlete endorsements and image rights. We help world-renowned tennis players, golfers and other athletes to negotiate the most favourable terms for their commercial agreements with brands such as the largest international shoe and clothing manufacturers.
  • Buying and selling football clubs. Our corporate lawyers have many years’ experience in private M&A transactions involving buying, selling and investing in football clubs.
  • Football regulation. Our regulatory and dispute resolution experts advise football clubs and rugby clubs when defending high-profile disciplinary proceedings brought by sport governing bodies.
  • Digital, Technology and Social Media. We help sports clubs, rights holders and athletes to generate revenue from their digital and social assets.
  • Sport Governing Bodies. We advise sport governing bodies on such matters as corporate governance, intellectual property, disputes, sports injury claims and regulatory issues.
  • Hosting and delivering sports events. We work for venue owners and operators staging major events at stadia and other venues.
  • Ticketing. We advise ticketing businesses on the terms of their client agreements, consumer rights, ticketing terms and conditions, advertising and regulatory issues.
  • Media Rights. We help media companies and sports rights holders with media content production and distribution arrangements.
  • Talent Management. We act for agents and athletes on the terms of their representation agreements.
  • Player Transfers. We act for football clubs on the terms of player transfers. We also advise on manager appointments and terminations.
  • Sponsorship and Licensing. We advise on the full range of sponsorship deals including stadium naming rights, shirt sponsorship, official suppliers and partners and player sponsorship. We also help rights holders to manage their sports rights inventory.
  • Intellectual property and brand protection. We advise rights holders on trade mark infringement and passing off matters related to the removal of unauthorised advertising and marketing.
  • Investors and Business Founders. We advise investors in the sport sector on the terms of their equity investments in sports agencies and other ventures.
  • Professional services. We advise professional services firms on the terms of their appointments by football clubs and rugby clubs.
  • Sport related claims. We defend personal injury claims arising out of sporting activities on behalf of public bodies. We also act for professional athletes who have suffered negligent medical treatment which has cut short their career.

Related expertise include: Commercial Contracts, Commercial Disputes, Employment Contracts & Rights, Intellectual Property Protection & Disputes, Joint Ventures.

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What clients say

"Paul Hopkins was superb in providing clear and concise summaries of the legal complexities and pitched things perfectly to my level of understanding."

Legal 500, 2024

"Having worked extensively with both the litigation and corporate teams at Geldards over the last year during the pandemic, they have managed to continue as normal, providing the same quality of service for a number of large cases and transactions with successful conclusions. "

Sport, East Midlands, Legal 500 2022

"Geldards LLP's multi-disciplinary offering provides an 'extremely knowledgeable' service to an impressive roster of sporting clients."

Sport, Wales, Legal 500 2022

"They have always resolved our issues, and dealing with them gives me a great deal of confidence."

Sport, Wales, Chambers & Partners 2022

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