Monthly Roundup - October 2021
Welcome to LawInSport’s Roundup for October 2021. We have curated a selection of recent articles and podcasts from our content that reflect contemporary issues and popularity. An excerpt from each article is set out below, and the full article is accessible via the hyperlink. We have also included updates on events, jobs and new members of LawInSport.
Please enjoy, and if you have any related questions or feedback then please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you would like to write for LawInSport on a particular topics, please do get in contact and email us at
Chris Bond, Editorial Director and Manan Agrawal, Editor
Annual Conference
We are delighted to announce that The LawInSport's 7th Annual Conference - Understand The Rules of The Game 2021, will be taking place on the 6 & 7 December 2021 in a hybrid format with a live in-person conference in London and online conference taking place simultaneously for those that are not able to attend in-person.
We will be covering important issues such as:
- Risk and rewards of NFTs & Fan Tokens
- The future of dispute resolution
- Creating a unified approach to addressing discrimination
- Legal challenges when commercialising data
- Sports integrity and protecting the welfare of their participants
- Good governance
- Sustainable investment - Environmental, Social and Governance
- In-House Counsel Forum
- How to become a sports lawyer workshop
We will also be providing plenty of networking opportunities to take advantage of people being able to meet and connect in person, including two networking evenings.
Tickets for the in-person conference are limited and are being sold on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, please see here.
Moot Competition
LawInSport is proud to launch the Sports Law Arbitration Moot (SLAM) for 2021-2022 which is open to all students. The aim of this world class mooting competition is to promote greater knowledge of the values and rules of international sports arbitration, a key dispute resolution mechanism in the sector.
The competition will use the prevailing CAS Code. The cases for each round will be based on real world scenarios and the registered teams will need to familiarise themselves with CAS case law and sport rules that may be relevant to their arguments.
For more details on the competition and the registration process, please see here.
Articles
Football
What Is A ‘Golden Share’ In A Football Club & Should Fans Have One?
The main benefit of a ‘Golden Share’ is that it gives fans a say over, what is to them, some of the most important aspects of their club…read more
Written By Stuart Hatcher, Partner, Forsters
Football
The Role Of The EFL’s Player Related Dispute Commission In Disputes Between Clubs And Players
The EFL’s League Appeals Committee recently published a decision which considered whether an employee’s challenge to a disciplinary decision by a club is to be considered afresh, or whether the independent panel’s role is limited to that of a reviewing body along with the relevance of the law relating to unfair dismissal to such challenges…read more
Written By Nick Cusack & Richard Jobson, Assistant Chief Executives, PFA, Steven Flynn, Barrister, Kings Chambers & Philip Hutchinson, Senior Associate, Mills & Reeve LLP.
Basketball
The NBA Lawyers’ Business: Alcohol Team Sponsorship & Music Synch Licensing
Practical tips around alcohol regulations in the context of team sponsors in the United States music synchronisation by teams are discussed…read more
Written By Vered Yakovee, Principal Attorney, Yakovee Law & Kate Hardy, In-House Counsel, Australian Wine Research Institute
Broadcasting
The Future Of Sports Broadcasting In UAE: Reimagining Rights Agreements & Collaborating With The Competition
The growth of OTT has led to several challenges for traditional broadcasting. This article examines the shrinking demand for traditional broadcasting products, multiple systemic challenges to broadcast practices and potential adaptive strategies for sports broadcasting…read more
Written By Steve Bainbridge, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
Athlete Welfare
David Mackay’s Unpunished 'Bump': Why Australian Sports Must Do More To Tackle Head And Facial Injuries
Adelaide United’s David Mackay’s unpunished “bump” (tackle), which left his opponent knocked out with a broken jaw illustrates the room for improvement that still remains in the AFL’s approach to preventing concussion which is discussed along with the general state of the situation regarding concussion in Australia and overseas...read more
Written By Alexandra Veuthey, Swiss Attorney & Alexandria Anthony, Lawyer, SportsLawyer
Women's Foootball, United States
Creating Better Pathways For Young Female Football Players In USA: Olivia Moultrie V NWSL
Olivia Moultrie, one of the most prominent of the rising stars in US women’s soccer, recently sued the NWSL to obtain the right to play professional women’s soccer at the age of 15 years since the NWSL has an age rule which stipulates that the players paid to play in the NWSL must be of a minimum age of 18 years…read more
Written By Sarah Hartley, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Intellectual Property
Trade Mark Infringement: How UK’s New Sentencing Guidelines Benefit Sports Organisations
The Sentencing Council has recently published a definitive guideline to which from 1st October 2021 all sentencers must have regard when sentencing criminal offences under the Trade Marks Act, 1994…read more
Written By Brian O’Neill QC, Barrister, 2 Hare Court & Rosalia Myttas-Perris, Barrister, 2 Hare Court
Intellectual Property
Controlling Athletes' Trademarks: What Can Sports Learn From WWE's Trademark Ownership?
The WWE owns several trademarks in respect of the names and ring names of its wrestlers…read more
Written By Joy J. Wildes, Counsel, Davis & Gilbert LLP, Claudia G. Cohen & Andrew Richman, Associates, Davis & Gilbert LLP
Cricket
How The ‘Spirit Of Cricket’ Is Implemented Into The Rules Of The Game
The Spirit of Cricket is formally ingrained into the Laws of Cricket and affects several sporting incidents such as fake fielding, mankading & ball tampering…read more
Written By Anujaya Krishna, Civil Judge, High Court of Allahabad, India
Gambling Law
The Rules Against 'Portraying Problematic Behaviour' In Sports Gambling Ads (ASA V Ladbrokes)
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that a TV ad for Ladbrokes depicted gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible, and therefore breached the BCAP Code and told Ladbrokes to ensure future ads do not portray such behaviour …read more
Written By Anna Soilleux-Mills, Partner, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP & Laura Bilinski, Associate, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Football
FIFA, UEFA And ESL Clubs: Walking The Tightrope Between Discipline, Financial Stability And Competitive Balance
This article explores the regulatory backdrop and the probable financial reasons behind the European Super League along with the Spanish court and CJEU proceedings…read more
Written By Graham Shear, Co-Leader of Sports and Entertainment, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Andrew Street, Senior Associate, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP & Alec Browm, Associate, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Football
What Is The "Black-Out" Rule In Football And Is It Lawful?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second Manchester United debut brought back the debate surrounding the UK’s black-out rule for football which prevents broadcast of live Premier League matches between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays...read more
Written By Alex Haffner, Partner, Fladgate LLP, Thomas Edwards, Associate, Fladgate LLP & Daniel King, Trainee Solicitor, Fladgate LLP
Gambling Law
Football Index Collapse: Blurring The Lines Between Gambling & Investment
The UK Government released their independent review into the collapse of the Football Index which examined the role of the Gambling Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority…read more
Written By Fulcrum
Rugby
Expanding The NRL: Financial And Legal Challenges & Corporate Structure And Profit Sharing
This two-part article explores some of the legal and commercial challenges a new franchise and Australia’s National Rugby League will face along with legal, regulatory and governance considerations of corporate structure, and the profit-sharing and contractual considerations with regards to broadcasting agreements…read more
Written By Jeremy Moller, Senior Advisor, Norton Rose Fulbright
Careers
Summary On How To Build Your Network In The Sports Field
LawInSport’s “How to Build Your Network in the Sports Field” webinar discussed the importance of networking in the sports field and offered some best practices for how to expand and broaden your network…read more
Written By Mackenzie Rastello, Notre Dame Law School
Podcasts
Andrew L Lee, Former GC Of New York Jets & Counsel At Foley & Lardner LLP - E119 & E120
Andrew Lee talks about his 20 years of experience in the sports, media, and entertainment industries, both in-house as the first General Counsel of the New York jets and as an outside advisor. He also discusses future trends in sports law including NFTs, sports media, new entrants to the sports competition organisers space and more.…listen here
How To Approach Networking In The Sports Industry - Daniel Geey, Partner, Sheridans & Cynthia Mumbo, Founder & CEO, Sports Connect Africa - E121
Daniel Geey (Partner, Sheridans) and Cynthia Mumbo (Founder & CEO, Sports Connect Africa) along with Sean Cottrell (CEO, LawInSport) discussed the importance of networking in the sports field and offered some best practices for how to expand and broaden your network…listen here
Oliver Hunt, Partner, Onside Law - E122
In this podcast Oliver, who has earlier worked for IMG and is part of Eden Hazard’s management team, talks about his career path into sports law, starting a sports law practise from scratch and how to build long last relationships with clients…listen here
Membership
We would like to welcome and thank our new and renewing Corporate Members.
New Members
- TMT Law Practice
- Mackrell Solicitors
- Schelstraete c.s. Advocaten B.V.
- FIA
- Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)
- Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Renewing Members
- Indian Super League
- LawNK
- Parmars
You can find further information about becoming a Corporate or Academic members of LawInSport here.
Career Opportunities
To stay up to date with the latest opportunities in sport, visit our Jobs Board here. If you have any enquiries for job listings on our Jobs Board, please email
Current Openings:
- Onside Law (London) – Employment Solicitor (3-5 years PQE)
- JD Group (UK) – In-House Legal Counsel (Flexibility Available)
- Stats Perform (London) – Cosec Paralegal
- Aser Ventures/Eleven Sports (UK) - Senior Legal Counsel (8 years PQE)
- The International Tennis Federation *UK) - Governance & Regulatory Counsel
- Red Bull Media House (Austria) - Media Legal Counsel
- British Horseracing Authority (London) - Head of Legal Regulation
- Swim England (UK) - Director of Legal
Deadlines Closed In October 2021:
- Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (UK)- Legal Industrial Placement
- USA Track & Field (Indianapolis)
- SafeSport Administrator
- Business Affairs Coordinator/Legal Affairs Coordinator
- Southampton FC (Southampton) -
- Commercial Lawyer (0-2 years PQE)
- Regulatory Paralegal (Graduate)
- Wembley National Stadium Trust (London) - Trustee
- IMG (London) - Commercial Lawyer | Associate Counsel (2+ years PQE)
- Muckle LLP (UK) - Sports Lawyer (4-6 years PQE)
- Tottenham Hotspur (London) - Legal Counsel (4+ years PQE)
- PGA European Tour (UK)- Commercial Lawyer
