Sports Law

2 Hare Court members regularly appear before governing bodies and adjudicative tribunals in relation to a range of different sports, including The Football Association, the British Horseracing Authority, the National Anti-Doping Panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

We provide comprehensive advice and representation to individuals, clubs and corporate clients as well as to the governing bodies themselves.

Chambers’ expertise in sports law extends across all levels of seniority. In undertaking this work, we are able to deploy the high standards of written and oral advocacy and tactical judgement developed in other practice areas, such as regulatory law, professional discipline and crime. As well as achieving the best outcomes for clients, we understand the commercial and reputational concerns that professionals have and tailor our advice and representation accordingly.

In football, members have recently represented the FA in the Ivan Toney betting case, the Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho match referee abuse cases, the Nottingham Forest tweets case, the Swindon Town FC intermediary regulations proceedings, the Aidrian Ward / Colossal intermediary case, the Daniel Sturridge and Joey Barton betting cases and the Frank Lampard and Mikel Arteta media comments cases.

In horseracing, members have represented trainer Jim Best in his ‘non-triers’ case, his wife Suzie Best for her application for a trainer’s licence and jockey Tom Morgan for breaches of the BHA’s betting rules.

Members have also represented the IAAF before the CAS in the Shobukhova doping / Russian corruption case and Harlequins RFC and related individuals in the Bloodgate scandal.

A number of senior members of Chambers also sit on the adjudicatory bodies for various sports.