Mills & Reeve LLP

Our sports law team has advised clients on a wide range of legal issues across a variety of different sports for over fifty years. In that time, we have built a strong foundation based upon providing clients with a wealth of experience and a personal and engaging approach. Our clients include clubs, agents, sponsors, players' unions, federations, and some of the best athletes in the world.

For sports organisations, associations and clubs, we work as part of your team to allow our clients to focus on achieving their objectives without the distraction of legal issues.

We also have extensive experience working with individuals in the sport sector. Whether our clients are just starting out in their sports career, are an established name or are nearing the end of their sporting life, our specialist sports law team can provide the necessary legal support and advice that they need.

Our sports lawyers are frequently asked to provide comments and analysis on legal and commercial issues in sport for the BBC, the Times, the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Independent, Sky Sports, ESPN, the New York Times, and more.

Our experienced team offers a full range of services, including smart, commercial advice about:

• Regulatory governance, disciplinary and doping issues 
• Financial Fair Play 
• Insolvency and restructuring 
• Reputation management 
• Contract negotiations and commercial arrangements 
• Sponsorship, merchandising, broadcasting and image rights
• Employment immigration and commercial disputes
• Sports arbitration and mediation - domestic and international 
• Event and facility management 
• Property related matters
• Tax planning, HMRC investigations and tax issues

Our expertise and resources make us a “go to” team for sports law advice – nationally and internationally.

Team head Mark Hovell sits as an arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. He has been involved in a number of high profile cases including; the transfer of Morgan De Sanctis, arguably the leading Article 17 case (FIFA Regulations on the status of transfer of players); and UEFA’s suspension of Beskitas from European competition which was the first appeal from UEFA under the Financial Fair Play regulations. Mark has just returned from the Rio Olympics 2016, where he was one of twelve arbitrators selected to hear cases arising out of the Olympics.