Whether you are involved in sport as a board room director or a player you will face employment challenges, welfare needs and commercial opportunities that go far beyond the usual employer/employee issues that affect other industries. We will help you to prevent and resolve sports team issues whether they arise at a club management or dressing room level. We will also work with specialist lawyers across the firm to advise you on any employment, disciplinary, reputation management, tax or commercial issues which underpin the relationship.
We also advise player associations and agencies representing players’ and coaching staff’s collective interests. Contact us to receive constructive and effective advice to maximise your team or club’s playing and commercial potential.
We can advise you on:
- Player contracts
- Transfer and loan arrangements
- Team endorsement deals
- Advising how teams can exploit commercial opportunities collectively, as distinct from their individual sponsorship opportunities
- Establishing “player partnerships” to represent and exploit the collective needs of the team
- Bringing or defending legal challenges on behalf of the players, the team, the club or the governing body
- Advising the team on media issues including PR, privacy, communications and defamation/libel
- Tournament participation terms
- Interpreting and advising on team codes of conduct, including anti-doping, anti-corruption, disciplinary provisions
- Safety, welfare, insurance and retirement issues.
The England Cricket Team (the ‘Team England Player Partnership’)
We have advised The England Cricket Team since it was established as a partnership in 2001, including the negotiation of player central contracts with the ECB, commercial revenue share agreements, the grant of rights for the ECB to license player image usage to its partners such as Sky Sports, and on IPL release agreements and individual playing contracts with IPL franchise teams. We have also advised the England cricketers in relation to ICC tournament participation and tour safety issues.
Premier League football clubs
We advise leading Premier League football clubs in relation to sponsorship agreements, arrangements with commercial partners and image rights arrangements with players and managers.
Worcester Warriors and other Premiership rugby clubs
We advised Worcester Warriors and other Premiership rugby clubs on player agreements and club employment contracts.
The League Managers’ Association
We advised The League Managers’ Association on various Premier League and Championship club managers’ employment arrangements with their clubs, as well as reputational and media issues.
Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA)
We advised the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association on its negotiation with the ICC in respect of the Members’ Participation Agreement, and in relation to restraint of trade issues surrounding the establishment of the Indian Cricket League and Indian Premier League.
