Sports

The implications of the For Women Scotland judgment in the world of sport

Women’s sport is the latest sphere to feel the ripple effects of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers case (discussed here). In For Women Scotland, the Supreme Court held that transgender people retain their biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA) even if …
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Bates Wells and Fair Game drive key improvements in Football Governance Bill as it advances in Parliament

The Football Governance Bill has received its first reading in the House of Commons, having passed through the House of Lords with its key provisions intact. The Bill will introduce an Independent Football Regulator to oversee the licensing of clubs in the top five tiers of the men’s game, with three main objectives: protecting individual …
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Early Neutral Evaluation: A game-changer for resolving sports disputes

Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in UK dispute resolution. While commonly used in business and contractual disagreements, ENE is also gaining traction in the world of professional sports, where legal conflicts often involve sponsorship deals, regulatory issues, and financial disputes between clubs, players, and governing bodies. Recent high-profile sports disputes, …
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Independent Football Regulator: getting ready

The Bill introducing the Independent Football Regulator is currently making its way through the legislative system. It will be operational later this year. Under the new regulatory framework, all professional football clubs will be required to obtain a licence to participate in English men’s football competitions. The Bill is subject to change, but there are …
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The Football Governance Bill – does Rugby Union need its own independent regulator?

English sport has traditionally followed a model of self-governance. However, times are changing. The Independent Football Regulator is being introduced imminently, and the England and Wales Cricket Board has opted to create its own arms-length regulator. In this series, Clara Hutter and Ben Thomas look at rugby union and ask whether a similar approach to …
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“Be the change you want to see” – Sport England’s bold commitment to environmental sustainability in sport

Sport England has launched its inaugural sustainability strategy, called “Every Move – Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan”. It is aimed at addressing the impact the sport and physical activity sector has on climate change and the impact climate change has on levels of participation in sport.   The Strategy made headlines with the announcement that …
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How B Corp status might revolutionise football

Following the government’s welcome announcement on 25 April that it would seek to implement the recommendations of the Crouch Review – a “Fan-led Review of Football Governance” – there is now finally momentum in the need of reform for the country’s most loved sport. The issue with the various reviews into football, including the Crouch …
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The answer to the European Super League fiasco? The Better Business Act.

Benjamin Thomas gives his thoughts on the issue at the heart of the European Super League: shareholder primacy. On Sunday, 18 April 2021, the biggest football news story in decades broke out of nowhere. 12 of Europe’s elite clubs simultaneously issued a press release which announced the launch of an alternative to the Champions League: …
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