Skip to main content

Bird & Bird - Sports Law Analysis

At Bird & Bird LLP the “sheer breadth of expertise and experience means you know you will get a product that reflects the best industry practice in the sector”’ 

Legal 500, 2021
Womens Football Celebration
| Lereesa Easterbrook, Josie Price  | Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Articles

Beating health barriers in sport – insights from the Women & Equalities Committee report

It is clear that interest in women’s sport continues to grow, with the industry estimated to reach £1 billion in 2024[1]. Nevertheless, many women still face significant barriers…

Offices

  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • China
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • Poland
  • Singapore
  • Slovak Republic
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • UK
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United States
Womens soccer game
| Tom Macken, Brianna Quinn | Bird & Bird, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Blogs, Football, Commercial, Articles

Legacy of success: The transformative impact of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Australian sport

5 minutes. That’s all it took for the now legendary purple jersey worn by the Australian (Matildas) goalkeeper Mackenzi…
Scales of Justice
| Lereesa Easterbrook, Magnus Wallsten | Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Olympic, Safeguarding

An analysis of the new CAS Guidelines on examining vulnerable witnesses and testifying parties

In December 2023, the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (“ICAS”) issued new Guidelines for the hearing of…
Footballers tackling
| Richard Bush, Magnus Wallsten | Competition, Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Regulation & Governance

Football agents (PROFAA) v FIFA – CAS’s biggest EU competition law decision yet?

On 24 July 2023, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) issued its decision in the dispute between the Professional…
| Richard Bush | Bird & Bird, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Blogs, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Regulation & Governance, Safeguarding

Yves Jean-Bart v FIFA: Observations from a safeguarding regulation perspective

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) recently announced that it upheld an appeal by the former President of the H…
Girl Playing Football Video Game
| Alex Dixie, Andrew Cox, Callum Granger | Bird & Bird, Sports, Esports, Blogs, Articles

In-Game Advertising: Opportunities & Key Issues For Video Games & Esports

As the video game industry, and the associated esports industry, continues to expand, publishers are seeking new ways t…
Artificial Intelligence Data
| Andrew Cox, Toby Bond, Saskia King, Andy Danson | Competition, Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Football, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Regulation & Governance

What does the Genius v Sportradar settlement mean for sports data rights holders?

It was recently announced that the long-standing dispute between Genius Sport and Sportradar has come to an end because…
Scales of justice
| Richard Bush | Bird & Bird, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Blogs, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Regulation & Governance, Safeguarding

Safeguarding Proceedings - How To Balance The Rights Of The Accused With Treatment Of The Abused?

Safeguarding practice is about protecting and promoting wellbeing. It encompasses a wide variety of actions that are de…
| Richard Bush | Basketball, Bird & Bird, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Blogs, Articles

The Independent Mali Basketball Abuse Investigation – Important Lessons For International Sport

On 10 June 2021, a New York Times reporter sent an email to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), indicating…
Hungary Lady Justice
| Peter Rippel-Szabo | Athletics, Anti-Doping, Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Football, Articles, Olympic, Paralympic, Regulation & Governance, Swimming

Key Amendments To The Hungarian Sports Act - Major Events, Anti-Doping & Agent Regulation

In Hungary, the legislative framework for sports is set out in Act I of 2004 on sports[1] (Sports Act).  The Sport…
Laptop Screen Showing Players Playing Football
| Conor Hume; Ansgar Fassbender, Dr. Joseph Fesenmair | Key Cases & Developments, COVID19, Media Rights, Baseball, Bird & Bird, Sports, Esports, Blogs, Football, Hockey, Articles

Sports Technology And Media Rights - The Year In Review 2020/2021

2020/2021 has been a year like no other for everyone, and the commercial sports world is no exception. The COVID-19 pan…
| Conor Hume and Craig Giles | Media Rights, Basketball, Cricket, Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Commercial, Articles

How Brexit Affects Sports Broadcasting In The UK And Europe

Even before the Brexit vote, the UK broadcasting industry has in recent years been faced with a high degree of legal an…
| Ansgar Fassbender and Dwayne Bach | American Football, Media Rights, Competition, Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Commercial, Corporate, Articles, Regulation & Governance

An Introduction To The ELF - Europe's New Professional American Football League

Recently, a stir was caused by a press release[1] announcing plans to launch the European League of Football (ELF)…
| Francine Cunningham and Conor Hume | Media Rights, Bird & Bird, Sports, Blogs, Articles, Intellectual Property

How the EU’s newly proposed Digital Services Act could benefit the sports industry

In a bid to achieve "technological sovereignty", the European Commission has unveiled a wide-ranging package of proposa…
| Richard Bush | Bird & Bird, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Blogs, Criminal, Dispute Resolution , Articles, Safeguarding

Addressing Participant Welfare And Safeguarding Issues In Sports Disciplinary Investigations

Anyone who is the subject of a disciplinary investigation will, almost inevitably, be placed under a degree of stress…
| Ansgar Fassbender, Dwayne Bach | COVID19, Bird & Bird, Contract, Employment, Articles

Fired for breaching coronavirus rules: key points from the Joshiko Saibou case

The authors’ prior article (available here[1]) discussed how German professional basketball player, Joshiko Saibou, had…
Football huddle
| Richard Bush | Athletics, United Kingdom, Cricket, Cycling, Bird & Bird, Athlete Welfare, Football, Articles, Safeguarding, Tennis

Sports safety: should it be mandatory to report child protection & safeguarding concerns?

It is essential to any child protection and safeguarding system that concerns about the safety of those the system is d…
Youth Player
| Richard Bush | Bird & Bird, Sports, Athlete Welfare, Football, Articles, Health and Safety, Regulation & Governance, Safeguarding

FIFA Guardians and why international federations should play a greater role in safeguarding sport

An international approach to safeguarding in sport is something that is far less developed than it should be, with rela…
Long Jumper
| Jonathan Taylor QC | Athletics, Anti-Doping, Bird & Bird, Sports, Dispute Resolution , Articles

Assessing contamination and thresholds under the World Anti-Doping Code: an advocate’s view on Lawson v IAAF (CAS 2019/A/6313)

This article is part of a series of articles by LawInSport looking from different perspectives at the important issue r…
Football
| Péter Rippel-Szabó | Bird & Bird, Articles, Regulation & Governance, Tax Law

A guide to Hungary’s new legal framework for international sports federations

In Hungary, the legislative framework for sports is set out in Act I of 2004 on Sports (the Sports Act), which contains…
Title image of Jonathan Taylor QC podcast on WADA CRC Recommendations
| Sean Cottrell | Podcasts, Features, Anti-Doping, Bird & Bird

Jonathan Taylor QC explains WADA's decision to sanction Russia

In this interview, Jonathan Taylor QC, chair of WADA's Independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) & Co-Head of S…
Football players on field running after the ball
| Rebecca OKelly-Gillard & Chris Lavey | Bird & Bird, Sports, Football, Commercial, Articles, Intellectual Property

Top of the league: How football clubs protect and exploit their brands in a global marketplace

b The 2017/18 Premier League season kicks off today and the revenues of the league and its football clubs continue to…
Cameraman
| Stacey Cox | Bird & Bird, Sports, Commercial, Articles, Intellectual Property

Breaking up the exclusivity of sports broadcasts – a Hungarian lawyer's perspective

This article provides an overview of the provisions of Hungarian law addressing exclusive sports broadcasting rights in…
| Stacey Cox | Action Sports, Athletics, American Football, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Bird & Bird, Sports, Football, Commercial, Golf, Hockey, Horseracing , Ice Hockey, Motorsport, Articles, Olympic, Paralympic, Rugby, Snooker, Swimming, Tennis, Winter Sports

Exploitation of sports rights under the Hungarian Sports Act

Optimised exploitation of sports rights is a central issue from the viewpoint of Hungarian sports rights owners. Althou…
LawInSport Podcast