Sports Law

Offering expertise, understanding, support & solutions across all aspects of sports law

We pride ourselves on being a leading provider of legal services tailored to the specific requirements of the sports industry. Our cohesive team of experienced, specialist sports lawyers covers all legal disciplines. We provide the full range of legal services to our client base, which reflects the broad church of the sporting world and which includes football clubs, rugby clubs, cricket clubs, agencies/intermediaries, rights holders, broadcasters, national and international governing bodies, sports tech companies, and athletes.

When you are a JMW client, our team becomes your team. We pride ourselves on being market leaders in the sports law sector and delivering the highest level of legal expertise. We are rightly regarded as being pragmatic and intuitive, with unparalleled experience that we can draw upon to deliver successful solutions. Our sports law solicitors advise on a wide range of matters, from corporate, commercial and employment issues to litigation, dispute resolution and regulatory matters. We are dedicated to offering comprehensive legal solutions that meet the unique needs of the sports industry.

We also act for professional athletes, with our commercial, media, private client, family and motoring teams combining to deal with any and all legal matters, both on-field and off-field. Whether it is a sponsorship deal, professional contract, transfer negotiation or media issue, we act swiftly and decisively to protect your interests and secure the best outcomes.

Contact JMW’s sports law solicitors today and we can discuss your situation in more detail. Call us now on 0345 872 6666, or complete our online enquiry form and a member of the team will call you back promptly.

Our Sports Law Services

We advise clients across a wide range of sports, including football, rugby, cricket, athletics, boxing and cycling. Our deep understanding of the sports sector, combined with our extensive experience, positions us as the go-to firm for sports professionals and organisations seeking reliable and effective legal support.

Our Services for Clubs, Agencies, Governing Bodies & Associations

• Commercial: With expertise across a vast range of sports-related commercial agreements, we will be able to help you with any commercial agreement you are considering entering into, including naming rights agreements, front-of-shirt agreements, partnership agreements and all other types of agreement that fall under the sponsorship banner. As regards your business, we are extremely well placed to help you with the agreements that underpin its operation, both on and off the field, such as catering agreements, ticketing service agreements, stadium use agreements and technical kit supply agreements. When it comes to data protection issues, we have a number of recognised experts who can help guide clients in relation to the myriad of complex rules and regulations in this area.
• Corporate: In the mergers and acquisitions space, we have unrivalled experience of being involved in a multitude of deals from the sale and acquisition of clubs and joint ventures to advising organisations in relation to VC/PE investment and participation in competition franchise arrangements. As you’d expect from a highly regarded sports sector practice, we undertake a great deal of governance-related work, whether that’s advising established entities in relation to the application/amendment of their internal governance regime, or helping up-and-coming sports bodies with the adoption of a system of governance that will enable them to prosper commercially in the modern sports funding landscape.
• Employment: Our first-rate employment team is ideally placed to provide all the advice and support in relation to employment law matters that sports clients may require. Whatever the HR issue is, we will be able to help, whether that help is defending a claim through the tribunal, drafting HR-related policies or providing training for the client’s internal HR team in relation to the latest developments in employment law.
• Immigration services: We offer comprehensive immigration services for clubs and governing bodies to facilitate the international movement of players, coaches and staff.
• IP and rights protection: Our experts help sports clients with the protection and commercialisation of their intellectual property. We provide trade mark portfolio management services for a number of clients. Of course, we have a trade mark registration service, but that service is much more than just registering logos in accordance with the client’s instruction, as we provide strategic advice in relation to the classes of registration and the territories that should be covered. We have a great track record in relation to the enforcement of clients’ IP rights through the courts and other tribunals, and are recognised for our ability to quickly identify an expedient and commercially advantageous solution. We have a close relationship with Trademark Enforcement Services (TES), and through TES we are able to offer an anti-counterfeit solution that is not only extremely effective but also revenue-generating.
• Media: The rate of growth of media has been breathtaking, and we are well placed to support our sports clients in relation to all aspects of the media space - whether that be revenue generation through broadcasting agreements, or reputation management services to ensure that any defamation is swiftly and effectively dealt with.
• Dispute resolution: Unfortunately, disputes arise from time to time, and within the sports industry, disputes can often have additional layers of complexity. Fortunately, our highly regarded disputes resolution practice has the expertise, experience and size (one of the largest amongst law firms that offer services to the sports sector) that gives our sports clients confidence that they’re in good hands. We are able to help our clients achieve the result that they are looking for, whether that be injunctive relief, damages or some other remedy in whatever court or tribunal is the forum in play.
• Regulatory and governance: Sports clients are frequently subject to a wide array of seemingly constantly changing regulations and governance requirements. Our first-class regulatory lawyers have experience across a wide range of sports and understand how to achieve a result that really works for the clients. What sets our regulatory team apart from many of our competitors is that we have a number of seasoned criminal defence lawyers among our roster, who clients can call upon where non-compliance with regulations carries criminal sanctions. We understand the unique legal challenges faced by individuals and organisations within the sports industry, and provide a holistic, one-stop legal service tailored to meet the specific needs of our sports industry clients.

Our Services for Individual Athletes

• Anti-doping regulations: advice on compliance with anti-doping regulations and representing athletes in cases of alleged violations.
• Disciplinary proceedings and dispute resolution: representation in disciplinary proceedings, including anti-doping cases and other regulatory challenges, with a focus on protecting the athlete’s career and reputation.
• Family law: comprehensive family law services, addressing issues such as divorce, child custody and prenuptial agreements, with a sensitivity to the unique pressures faced by athletes.
• Image rights: advising on the protection (including via trade mark registration), management and commercialisation of image rights, to help athletes retain control over their personal brand and likeness.
• Immigration services: assistance with visa applications and immigration issues, to smooth out international travel and residency for athletes and their families.
• Individual representation & transfer negotiations: personalised representation in transfer negotiations for athletes moving between clubs or leagues.
• Personal endorsements & sponsorship agreements: structuring and negotiating endorsement deals and sponsorship agreements to help maximise returns.
• Player/athlete contracts: expert drafting, reviewing and negotiation of professional contracts for athletes, with a focus on securing favourable terms and full compliance with sports regulations.
• Selection/funding appeals: legal support for athletes in selection disputes and funding appeals, to ensure fair treatment and access to necessary resources and opportunities.

Meet the Team

You can learn more about the members of our wider sports law team below:

Our Sports Work

By leveraging deep industry knowledge and extensive experience, JMW Solicitors continues to deliver exceptional legal support to high-profile clients across various sports sectors, from motor racing to golf.

Take a look at some of our most high-profile clients below:

Explore some of our recent successes below.