Football

Our expert team of football law solicitors can assist clients throughout the world of modern football. From managers, coaches, players, backroom staff, and support staff to members of their families, we can advise everyone on the full range of legal issues they face in their careers and personal lives. We also act on football club acquisitions and sales, disputes, insolvencies, and contract negotiations.

Experienced football law solicitors for the modern game

Our practice features a number of well-regarded lawyers overseeing high-value, specialist arbitrations and player/agent, club/agent, and club/player disputes before various bodies including the FA, FIFA, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as well as the Employment Tribunal and civil courts. The football sector group at Penningtons Manches Cooper has more than 25 lawyers, many of whom are ranked as leaders in their respective fields by the Legal 500 and Chambers UK legal guides.

The wealth of experience within our team and repeated referrals from the League Managers Association (LMA) in particular have helped to build a robust practice that is now widely recognised across the sector for its track record in advising managers and coaches on contractual disputes at the end of their employment with leading Premier League and Championship clubs, as well as for reputational management and insolvency matters.

Our football law team provides a full-service offering to all parties regularly involved in arbitrations and litigation, advising on transfers, contract negotiations and exits, and appearances before disciplinary tribunals. We can assist on a variety of matters, including employment, immigration and visa issues, family and relationship issues, safeguarding matters, tax and estate planning, personal injury, property transactions, commercial contracts and disputes, sponsorship, brand protection, reputation management and protection, libel claims, media law, and fraud and tax investigations. Our football lawyers are also increasingly instructed on club insolvencies, and on acquisitions and sales.

As a business that is highly football focused, we always feel that we are in the best possible hands with Penningtons’ sports practice.

We are one of the only firms that can fully support international professionals within the game who are moving to the UK and need complex wealth management and tax planning advice. Through our offices in Europe and Asia, we have strong international links which combine with relationships forged through our memberships of Multilaw, a global network of 10,000 lawyers across over 100 jurisdictions, and the International Academy of Family Lawyers. Many of our football lawyers are members of Women in Sports Law (WISLaw), the British Association of Sports Lawyers (BASL), the American Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) and LawInSport.

How we help our clients

Negotiating player contracts, transfers, and agent and representative agreements

Contract claims including EPL Managers’ Arbitrations and FA Rule K Arbitrations

Claims before FIFA Tribunals and the Court of Arbitration for Sport

Statutory employment disputes

Defamation and reputation management

Sponsorship, brand protection and image rights

Tax planning, wealth management, and family and matrimonial matters

Personal injury claims

Property litigation

Professional negligence claims

Immigration issues and visa applications for international players

Club acquisitions, sales and insolvencies

Useful resources

Sports podcast series: Fair Play

Recent work highlights

Managerial pay-off battles

Dealing with a number of high-value English Premier League Managers’ Arbitration Tribunal cases on behalf of managers and coaches in relation to the failure of clubs to honour their contractual obligations following termination of employment.

Chief executive whistleblowing claim

Providing legal guidance with regards to an Employment Tribunal whistleblowing dismissal claim on behalf of the former chief executive of a Premier League football club.

Football club finance investigations

Advising on HMRC investigations into football club finances from both a criminal and civil perspective, as well as on the potential implications from an FA regulatory point of view.

Gillingham Football Club acquisition

Acting for US-based businessman Brad Galinson on the purchase of a majority stake in the holding company of Sky Bet League Two team Gillingham Football Club.

Child arrangement advice following separation

Acting for the parent, a topflight footballer, in reintroducing contact with his child after the mother withheld contact, and successfully negotiating a reduction in child maintenance under Schedule One (unmarried parent).

EFL chief executive club move

Dealing with the move of an English Football League chief executive from one club to another, advising on both the settlement agreement from the old club, and contract of employment from the new club.

Football manager newspaper libel case

Representing a professional football manager in a libel case against a UK regional news publisher, resulting in a published apology from the newspaper and paid damages.

EPL chief financial officer exit

Advising the chief financial officer of the owner of a Premier League football club on his exit from the club, and assisting with the negotiation of the resulting settlement agreement.

Professional footballer contract dispute

Representing a professional footballer in an overdue payables claim before the FIFA Tribunal. The claim was successful, and the club was ordered to pay the outstanding amounts due.

Senior football club role exit strategy

Advising a football club on a range of internal employment matters, including a recent commercially sensitive change in a senior role, advising on a grievance process and exit strategy.