Sports Law – Sports lawyers, solicitors and barristers at Keystone Law

The sports industry attracts increasingly innovative broadcasting, sponsorship and merchandising deals. At the same time, new technologies are constantly expanding the commercial playing field and reaching new global audiences.

Our sports law services

Keystone’s team of experienced sports solicitors have the broad commercial knowledge and detailed sector insight that clients need to make consistently good decisions in a fast-moving environment. We are also able to draw on advice and support of colleagues in litigation, corporate, tax, employment, competition and other areas of law when circumstances demand.

Who do we advise?

Our clients in this sector range from sport’s governing bodies, rights holders and sponsors, to stadium operators, clubs, broadcasters and brands. We also advise individual sportsmen and women involved in a variety of sports such as football, equine, motorsports, rugby, cricket, golf, and even Olympic sports.

Why choose our sports team?

The team can assist with a variety of issues and have been providing advice to sports teams, sponsors and employees for a considerable number of years. Whether it is a one-off dispute or regular advice on contracts, our sports lawyers can support you. They have invaluable experience and have been recognised by leading legal directory The Legal 500 as having a “Great range of knowledge”, being “easily accessible” and “straightforward to deal with.”

For further information or to discuss a sports matter, please telephone 020 3319 3700 or click here to email us.

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Keystone provide a very strong, market-leading service. They are able to unite very impressive individual practitioners across key areas to build formidable teams.

Legal 500 2025
Experienced team with long-established, high-profile clients.

Legal 500 2024
An excellent and nimble outfit, who are very willing and able to work together at all levels to provide an excellent service to clients.

Legal 500 2024

Bidding
Branding
Constitutional documents, stakeholder agreements, commercial rules and sporting regulations
Contracts and transfers
Disciplinary and doping matters
Event Agreements
Gambling arrangements
Hosting agreements
Image and Personality Rights
Merchandising Agreements
Product Endorsement
Sponsorship and Advertising Agreements
Ticketing

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Acted for a leading football manager in a libel action resulting in the highest recorded award of damages by a jury against a national newspaper
Acted for an Olympian dressage rider over her concerns about the terms of employment of her staff given the extensive and bespoke benefits arrangements that they enjoyed
Retained advisor to Nikon Inc on all branding, advertising and sponsorship matters in the sports world
Advised a football club in relation to a charge of misconduct and the threat of exclusion from the league, which was successfully defended at a subsequent league disciplinary hearing
Advised an ex-F1 race engineer in relation to a dispute with an international motorsport brand resulting in settlement without recourse to litigation
Advised Jockey Club Racecourses Limited on a range of interesting enquiries including sponsorship of the Hill at Epsom, employment and constitutional issues
Provided wide-ranging legal advice to professional rugby players at all levels including academy players and also those making the transition at the end of their playing careers
Acted for a new entrant into the bloodstock breeding world buying a major share in an exciting new Group 1 winning stallion
Represented a leading member of the England women’s cricket team in all on and off the field matters
Advised the first team coach of a leading county cricket club regarding his exit from the club
Advised a boxer and holder of British and Commonwealth Middleweight titles on his title defence obligations
Advised a care custody and control insurer on a claim brought by an owner who alleged negligence in the custody and training of his horse against a high-profile and important trainer
Acted for a premier league football manager on his exit from the club
Instructed by a number of leading young drivers, including McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver finalists and BRDC Rising Stars, and also by driver managers and management companies to draft and negotiate driver management agreements
Delivered wide-ranging legal and operational support to the Young Racing Driver Academy
Drafted image rights agreements for an international footballer playing in the English league
Dealt with a dispute with a sales company regarding the veterinary evidence provided in a filly’s breeding certificate provided for a mare sold in the sale
Acted for a director departing a main board position at a racing administration organisation
Provided employment law advice for a start-up British stud enterprise
Advised a former Chelsea football manager in a high-profile promotional dispute
Advised on TUPE, commercial HR and people on termination of data rights contract, including advice on reorganisation and redundancies as well as new arrangements
Secured the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s legal helpline work providing first-call assistance for its 3,000 members in the UK
Acted for Sam Rush, Derby County FC, Former Managing Director in bringing proceedings for breach of contract in the High Court for compensation of £6mn, for unfair dismissal in the Employment Tribunal and defending counterclaims for over £7mn based on alleged breach of fiduciary duty and misconduct.
Acted for four long-serving senior members of a Premier League football team’s coaching staff on the termination of their employment following the high-profile departure of former manager.
Acting for Peter Davies who claims to be the copyright owner of the club’s distinctive angular wolf’s head logo.
Advised and represented Lasham Gliding Society (LGS) the UK’s largest gliding club (and one of the largest gliding clubs in the world) in relation to the Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) made by TAG Farnborough in which a large volume of controlled airspace close to LGS was sought
Advising and representing the British Gliding Association in relation to communications with the CAA about the manner in which the CAA takes decisions in relation to changes to the UK’s airspace
Acted for a leading and acquisitive force in the global horse racing, breeding and bloodstock world
Acted for a leading racehorse trainer regarding their intended proposed changes to the horse racing industry standard staff employment contract to reflect their own modern working practices
Acted for a horse racing related charitable housing organisation based in Newmarket, which was planning a restructure of one of its divisions and had received initial advice on the employment implications of its intended proposal
Advised on a dispute over the sale of a leisure horse for a significant sum in circumstances where buyer and seller had their names and reputations to protect but the horse was unsatisfactory for veterinary reasons and owing to its unpredictable behaviour

Please note: The experience list above features work carried out by lawyers who now work at Keystone Law however this work may have been completed prior to them joining the firm.