Sport & Employment Law – Annual Review 2025/26
Welcome to the Employment Law chapter of LawInSport’s Annual Review 2025/26. Three themes presently dominate sports employment law: who counts as an employee; what employers can do about out-of-work misconduct; and how to prepare for the Employment Rights Act 2025. The Supreme Court settled, for now, the employment status of part-time referees; a television pundit's IR35 (off-payroll working rules for clients, workers (contractors) and their intermediaries) battle confirmed that giving opinions on camera does not make you self-employed; and a Premier League official's very public downfall illustrated the limits of off-duty conduct. Meanwhile, the Employment Rights Act 2025 received royal assent in December 2025, bringing with it changes to unfair dismissal qualifying periods, compensation caps, time limits, and NDAs that will take effect progressively from late 2026. This chapter analyses each development in turn.
Chapter Overview
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- Tags: Employment | Employment Rights Act 2025 | Employments Law | Equality | F1 | Football | HMRC | Supreme Court | Tax | Tennis | Unfair Dismissal | United Kingdom (UK) | Welfare
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Written by
Sophie Cashell
Sophie is a Barrister at Littleton Chambers, and an active member of the Littleton Sports Law Group. She accepts instructions in all of Chambers’ main areas of practice, including sports law, an area she has a keen interest in. Her experience includes assisting in a sports-related investigation into the strengths and weaknesses of one of the organisation’s Olympic programmes, which included investigating safeguarding concerns. Sophie is also a member of the SCMP Legal Advice Service.
Lydia Banerjee
Lydia Banerjee co-leaders the Littleton Sports law group. Lydia regularly acts as counsel and/or as arbitrator in various sports; particularly by reference to her expertise in safeguarding, athlete welfare and equalities law issues. She frequently appears as a panellist and speaker at domestic and international sporting conferences, is on the LawInSport Editorial Board and on the Sports Resolutions panel of arbitrators.
