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Sport, entertainment and media

Our team is widely recognised as one of the UK's leading sport, entertainment and media law practices, acting for the biggest names in the industry - at home and overseas.

illustration for Sport, entertainment and media

The team of sports, entertainment and media lawyers has unrivalled depth in the sport, entertainment and media industry and operates from all our seven UK offices. We've built a strong reputation based on providing clients with a wealth of experience and a personal and engaging approach.

We're one of the few truly international sport, media and entertainment law solicitor teams based in the UK, with an unrivalled network of overseas firms that we collaborate with.

We understand the need to provide timely, commercial, and pragmatic advice that adds value, by addressing our clients’ unique challenges, seizing opportunities, and ensuring their success in this competitive landscape.

A little about sports, entertainment and media

Our sports, entertainment and media solicitors are recognised for our deep industry expertise, international reach, and client-focused approach, as we offer comprehensive legal support across all relevant disciplines, due to the full-service and holistic nature of our practice.

Unrivalled industry expertise: Deep understanding of the perspective of a broad range of industry stakeholders gained from decades of experience in the sports, entertainment and media sectors.

International reach: Strong global network and collaboration with overseas firms who are also industry specialists.

Comprehensive legal support: Expertise across all relevant disciplines, from commercial agreements, employment issues, competition law, to sports arbitration.

Client-centric approach: Personalised and engaging service which is tailored to our clients’ specific needs. We provide advice that offers practical solutions, empowering our clients to achieve their goals and navigate challenges with confidence.

High-profile clients: Representing household name clients, including Premier League clubs, managers and players, international sporting federations, and leading media companies and talent.

Our experience

 

Our sports, entertainment and media law experts have developed a deep understanding of your sector so you can feel safe in the knowledge of having specialists in your corner. We have decades of experience advising on entertainment, media and sports legal matters. Here are some highlights:

  • Integrity, governance, and anti-doping matters: Representing elite athletes and domestic and international sporting bodies.
  • Commercial sponsorship, media rights, and content licensing agreements: Managing and advising on complex deals.
  • Player transfers, contract negotiations, and image rights deals: Regularly acting on high-value domestic and international transactions.
  • Sports arbitration and litigation: Representing clients in regulatory and disciplinary matters, both domestically and internationally.
  • Employment law and HR support: Defending Tribunal claims, advising upon internal disciplinary and grievances processes, whistleblowing, discrimination, worker status issues, Settlement Agreements, and Restrictive Covenant disputes.
  • Construction and real estate development: Supporting major sports stadia projects.
  • Reputation management and brand protection: Safeguarding the interests of top-tier athletes, media personalities, and leading industry brands and businesses.
  • Visa sponsorship requirements: Advising on the Governing Body Endorsement Criteria and offering ongoing sponsor license compliance and right to work processes for international sports professionals and media talent.
  • Discrimination cases and transgender advice: Leading on landmark cases within the sports industry.
  • Intellectual property protection: Ensuring the creative assets of high-profile celebrity clients, brands, and media personalities are safeguarded, their reputations maintained, and their commercial interests maximised.
  • Private client matters: Managing with utmost sensitivity and confidentiality for high-profile clients.
  • Investments, acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations, and corporate governance: Handling board restructuring, compliance audits, and managing shareholder relationships in the sports, entertainment, and media sectors, ensuring strategic growth, compliance, and optimal business performance.
  • Inquiries and investigations: Conducting thorough and impartial inquiries on behalf of numerous sporting bodies, ensuring transparency, integrity, and adherence to regulatory standards.

Aside from offering focussed legal expertise, our sports, media and entertainment lawyers have genuine in-depth knowledge of the sport, entertainment and media industry. Many of our team members have held senior roles as directors, trustees, arbitrators, in-house counsel, or are former professional athletes. The team is often invited to speak at conferences, lectures, and events. 

Did you know?

250

Number of Court of Arbitration for Sport cases we've been involved in.

25

Number of years we've advised the Professional Footballers' Association for.

32,500

Page views of our unique legal resources, Sports Score and Reevaldo, in 2018.

What our clients say about us?

“Mills & Reeve have supported me, on and off the field, and are great to work with. They think outside the box and have recommended ways to protect my image and brand that are forward thinking. ”

Cole Palmer

Chelsea F.C. and England football player

“I have appointed Mills & Reeve after competitive tendering exercises in previous roles in sport and they have advised me across a wide range of issues. They have an excellent grasp of the law and how to apply it to the sport sector. The advice has always been first class, and the firm appears to place high value on customer experience. I was delighted to ‘inherit’ Mills & Reeve when appointed to my current role. ”

Rod Findlay

General Counsel, Birmingham City FC

“Mills & Reeve has been a great support with all my personal legal needs on contractual and commercial work. Mills & Reeve has also been important to the negotiation and execution of the England Women Central Contracts.”

Steph Houghton MBE

Former England and Manchester City women's footballer and captain

“Due to their high levels of expertise and market know-how, the lawyers always have very strong commercial awareness.”

Chambers

“An excellent all-round sports law practice focused on high quality legal advice to deliver the business' objectives at a reasonable rate.”

Legal 500

“Their flexibility and broad expertise over a lot of different elements of the law - not only sports - is of a really high standard.”

Chambers

Our clients

  • Elite Sporting clubs: Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Rangers FC, Crystal Palace FC, Leicester Tigers.

  • Talent, including elite athletes (professional footballers, golfers, rugby players and Olympians), musicians, actors, writers and influencers.

  • Players' Unions: The PFA, Rugby Players' Association, Professional Golfers Association.

  • International Federations and National Governing Bodies: International Paralympic Committee, International Tennis Integrity Agency, British Cycling, Commonwealth Games Federation, England Golf.

  • Arbitration and mediation panels: CAS, Sports Resolutions, SAAC, National Anti-Doping Panel, The FA, and FIFA.

  • Live entertainment promoters and venue owners, such as Broadwick Group.

  • Technology companies that provide solutions and services to the sport, entertainment and media industries, such as Kaboodle Ticketing. 

Reevaldo

Explore the dynamic world of football with our webpage which offers a unique glimpse into the intricacies of the football industry, from transfers and contract negotiations to image rights and agent dealings. Whether you’re a player, agent, or club - dive in, meet the characters, read our stories, and discover how we can support your journey in the sports world.

Lawful Disruption

This series explores the impact of new digital regulations on the media and creative industries, focusing on laws addressing fake news, deep fakes, and fake reviews. It examines how these regulations will disrupt digital content creation, consumption, and marketing, highlighting challenges and opportunities from AI and new technologies. 

Legal expertise in women's sport

Our specialist legal service (The Equaliser) is aimed at supporting the growth of women’s sports. It offers free preliminary consultations, providing one hour of initial advice via phone or face-to-face. The service is led by an experienced team in women’s sports law, offering expert legal advice. 

The Half Time Equaliser

Our web series where we shine a spotlight on women's  sport and speak to key stakeholders on their careers, to date as well as hot topics in the industry.

Meet our sport team

Get in touch

Our team of legal experts are here to support you.
Contact one of our lawyers today.

FAQs

Mills & Reeve stands out due to our unrivalled industry expertise, international reach, and full-service legal support. Our team of sports law, entertainment law and media law solicitors, includes former professional athletes, directors, trustees, and arbitrators, providing in-depth industry knowledge. We build strong client relationships through personalised service, free education, and thought leadership.

Mills & Reeve provides comprehensive legal support across all relevant disciplines in the sports, media, and entertainment sectors. Our services include commercial agreements, media rights, content licensing, disciplinary matters, employment law, finance, insolvency, restructuring, football regulations, IP, brand protection, immigration, doping cases, discrimination, player contracts, reputation management, sports arbitration, and real estate development for sports stadia. Our team’s deep industry knowledge and client-centric approach ensure tailored legal solutions to meet your specific needs.

Our team has extensive experience in sports arbitration and litigation, both domestically and internationally. We have successfully defended high-profile clients in landmark doping cases and provided strategic advice on various disputes. Our expertise includes representing clients before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and other arbitration bodies. Mark has acted in over 450+ CAS cases, and Carol is one of only 20 FIFA mediators worldwide. Therefore, we are in a great position to guide our clients through the complexities of sports law, ensuring their interests are protected and their objectives achieved.

Our media lawyers help clients navigate the complexities of media rights and content licensing agreements. Our team of media solicitors has successfully completed numerous high-value deals, ensuring clients maximise their commercial opportunities. We provide strategic advice on content distribution, digital rights, and regulatory compliance, helping clients protect their intellectual property and achieve their business goals.

Our team of sports law solicitors has guided clubs, agents, managers and players and other football organisations through complex domestic and international player transfers, contract negotiations and image rights. We have a deep understanding of football regulations and provide practical, commercial advice to ensure compliance and successful outcomes. Our experience in sports law also includes advising on disputes, disciplinary and regulatory matters at international level, making us the go-to advisers in this area.

We provide legal support for the construction and real estate development of major sports stadia. Our services include advising on planning, financing, construction contracts, and regulatory compliance. We help clients navigate the legal intricacies of large-scale projects, ensuring timely and successful completion. Our experience with high-profile stadia projects demonstrates our capability to handle complex real estate developments in the sports sector.

We provide comprehensive reputation management services, including crisis response, media relations, and brand protection. Our sports law and media law team helps clients navigate public relations challenges, ensuring their reputation remains intact. We offer strategic advice on handling media inquiries, social media management, and legal actions to protect against defamation and privacy breaches.

We offer specialised immigration services for sports professionals and media talent, including visa applications, work permits, residency issues, and Governing Body Endorsements advice. Our team of sports and media lawyers have extensive experience navigating the complex immigration landscape, ensuring clients can work and compete domestically and internationally without legal hurdles.

We build strong, long-term relationships with our clients through a personalised service, free education, and thought leadership. Our team of sports, entertainment and media solicitors offer regular seminars, blogs, and articles on relevant legal issues, ensuring clients stay informed and supported. Our client-centric approach ensures we meet their specific needs and objectives.

A question of sport and insurance

Legal content focussing on topical issues for professional sports clubs, governing bodies and agents, and their insurers.

Sports blog

Our sports law blog provides legal insights and updates on the key issues affecting the sports industry.

Current articles

Recent blogs