Sport

Get in touch

Cost control regulations, club versus country disputes and legal issues arising from the growth of social media are just some of the ongoing challenges the Sport industry faces.

Why choose our Sport lawyers?

At Fieldfisher our specialist Sport group advises sports bodies and regulators, marketing agencies, sponsors, sports brand owners, broadcasters and professional clubs on a range of issues within the sector. Working across numerous disciplines including football, motor racing, rugby, cricket, horse racing, golf, basketball, ice hockey, extreme sports, powerboat racing and polo, our experts take a multi-disciplinary approach, giving clients a full-service legal offering.

Whatever the size of the transaction, our expertise in corporate, tax, finance, IP, technology, dispute resolution and regulatory practices covers all the bases. With depth and breadth of experience in the sports industry and commercial insight, our specialists are focussed on delivering practical solutions that work.

Whether dealing with acquisition and funding, brand protection, betting and gaming, commercial agreements, competition, regulatory and disciplinary issues; or endorsements, merchandising, project finance, sponsorship and marketing, ticketing, TV, media rights and stadia development – we know the industry inside out.

Notable Deals

We advised on the takeover of The Rangers Football Club Limited

We advised on the takeover of The Rangers Football Club Limited and subsequently advised its new holding company Rangers International Football Club plc on its placing, offer to the public and admission to trading on AIM with a market capitalisation of £45 million.

We successfully acted for New Zealand Rugby League

We successfully acted for New Zealand Rugby League, securing registered trade mark protection in the EU for the trade mark "The Kiwis", in the face of several challenges.

We advised Telenet, a leading provider of broadband cable services

We advised Telenet, a leading provider of broadband cable services, on its successful bid to acquire the Premier League broadcasting rights in Belgium.

We advised Football Aid and its parent company Field of Dreams

We advised Football Aid and its parent company Field of Dreams on a raft of legal requirements from debt claims and technology contracts to licensing arrangements and employment terms and conditions, as well as auditing their constitution and general commercial affairs.

Key contacts

Patrick Cannon

Consultant, Corporate
London, England +44 (0) 330 460 6424 Email Patrick

Corporate Finance

Real Estate Finance
Sarah Ellson

Partner, Co-Head of Regulatory
Manchester, England +44 330 460 7019 Email Sarah

Healthcare

Investigations

Life Sciences & Healthcare

Professional Discipline
David Bond

Partner, Co-head of Franchising and Commercial and Head of Advertising
London, England +44 (0)330 460 6316 Email David

Commercial
Christine Phillips

Partner, Head of Shareholder Activism, Governance and Sustainability
London, England +44 330 460 6378 Email Christine

Corporate

Energy and Natural Resources

Equity Capital Markets

Sport
Gordon Drakes

Partner, Co-head of Franchising and Commercial
London, England +44 7872 398795 Email Gordon

Distribution and Agency

Energy

Food and Beverage

Franchise Transactions
Stephen Saltzman

Head of International Entertainment Group, Media
+44 330 460 7152 Email Stephen

Media

Media and Entertainment
Andrew Chapman

Partner
London, England +44 330 460 6398 Email Andrew

Asset Management

Hotels and Leisure

Real Estate

Restructuring and Insolvency
Donna Goldsworthy

Partner
London, England +44 (0)330 460 6609 Email Donna

Arbitration

Energy and Natural Resources

Financial Services

Media
Dr Sebastian Kamm

Partner, Corporate
Hamburg, Germany +49 (0)40 87 88 698 522 Email Dr Sebastian

Corporate

Energy

Joint Ventures

Mergers and Acquisitions
James Lappin

Partner, Dispute Resolution
Manchester, England +44 330 460 6628 Email James

Life Sciences and Healthcare