We have worked in-house for sports organisations and the largest global player agency. We also have FA qualified advisors with experience of advising players on high profile transfers and arrangements.

Our team has experience of advising international foundations, rights owner, agencies, brands and personalities. We work within numerous sporting disciplines including football, boxing, rugby, tennis, motorsport, cricket, rowing and triathlon.

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We are specialists in:

  • Structuring of commercial rights programmes
  • Event organisation
  • Reputation management
  • Sponsorship and endorsement agreements
  • Player contracts
  • Contractual disputes
  • The exploitation and protection of commercial rights, including infringement and anti-counterfeiting issues
  • Employment contracts, player arrangements and disputes
  • Brand and image management
  • Sports governance
  • Social media
  • The drafting of rules and regulations including appeals procedures
  • Dispute resolution (including mediation and expert determination)
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We have worked in-house for sports organisations and the largest global player agency. We also have FA qualified advisors with experience of advising players on high profile transfers and arrangements.

Our team has experience of advising international foundations, rights owner, agencies, brands and personalities. We work within numerous sporting disciplines including football, boxing, rugby, tennis, motorsport, cricket, rowing and triathlon.

Find out more

We are specialists in:

  • Structuring of commercial rights programmes
  • Event organisation
  • Reputation management
  • Sponsorship and endorsement agreements
  • Player contracts
  • Contractual disputes
  • The exploitation and protection of commercial rights, including infringement and anti-counterfeiting issues
  • Employment contracts, player arrangements and disputes
  • Brand and image management
  • Sports governance
  • Social media
  • The drafting of rules and regulations including appeals procedures
  • Dispute resolution (including mediation and expert determination)
View less

Case Study

SailGP 

SailGP, the revolutionary new global sports championship founded in 2018 by Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts, made its European debut in Cowes over the weekend of 10/11 August 2019. Six of the most technologically advanced catamarans hit UK waters …

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Case Study

Private: La Liga Lowdown

Providing advice to digital and content creation channel for Spanish football ‘La Liga’. Advice includes the structuring and securing of various rights, securing of content and associated rights with various high profile Spanish footballers including Lewis Garcia, Victor Sanchez Del …

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Case Study

Private: PlayFootball

Advising Playfootball, a leading provider of football venues for competitive leagues, on the roll-out of sports centres and 5-a-side football centres across England on a range of advice on their site expansion including defending a high profile planning challenge at …

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Case Study

Private: Tie Break Tens

Acting as lead legal adviser on the structuring, protection and growth of an exciting new tennis format and series. Acted for the redraft of all Player Option Agreements and negotiation of agreements with key tennis players including Andy Murray, Stan …

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Recommendations

‘The firm executes an extremely high level of service and attentiveness with its clients – allied to the extremely high level of excellence – in every single action or decision.’

Legal 500 2021 Testimonial - Sport (ranked: Tier 5)

‘Every element of the process is well-handled, well-communicated and I would not hesitate to recommend Hamlins to other potential clients.’

Legal 500 2021 Testimonial - Sport (ranked: Tier 5)

‘Matthew Pryke stands out as a genuine market leader. He is both smart and focused with an ability to find solutions which add value. He has a broad understanding of the whole sports market which is second to none in the industry.’

Legal 500 2020 - Sport - Testimonial

‘Matthew Pryke is one of the leading experts in advising new and short format sports.’

Legal 500 2020 - Sport - Testimonial

The team is ‘noted for its ever-growing strength in alternative and short-format sports’ and for being ‘regularly active in football, motorsports, and cricket.’

Legal 500 2019

‘”Matthew is the very best in the business. He is very smart with incredibly shrewd judgment and has great focus to get the job done.”

Director, Tie Break Tens Director

In the Legal 500 2017, the Hamlins sports team is described as having ‘experience across a wide range of sports, including e-sports and short-format sports, as well as more conventional sports such as football, cricket and motorsport. Non-contentious commercial expert Matthew Pryke, who heads the practice, provided strategic advice to the ECB regarding the impending insolvency of Durham County Cricket Club.’

Legal 500 2017

“I am a sports agent and represent very high-profile sports players.  I was extremely shocked to learn I was a victim of phone-hacking but it is now clear the newspapers targeted me because of my job and close relationship with the sports players I represented. Articles which were published containing either commercial or personal client information inevitably increased pressure on my relationships with the talent I represented. Hamlins forensic and highly skilled team quickly identified the extent of both the hacking I was subjected to and details of the how this impacted negatively on key and long-standing clients relationships.   With Hamlins’ professional guidance, I was able to achieve an outcome against 2 newspaper groups which far exceeded my expectations.”

Client recommendation

Our Experience

    • The English Cricket Board – Provided strategic advice regarding the ongoing public crisis encountered by Durham County Cricket Club, in which the Durham CCC was potentially going to go insolvent. See the SkySports and BBC coverage.
    • Tie Break Tens – Acting as lead legal adviser on the structuring, protection and growth of an exciting new tennis format and series. Acted for the redraft of all Player Option Agreements and negotiation of agreements with key tennis players including Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Maria Sharapova.
    • Shoreseeker Challenge – Acting as sole legal adviser to the global ocean rowing boat challenge, providing advice on IP structuring, risk management, race regulations, insurance and the launch and growth of the series.
    • Youth Sport Trust – Acting for various sponsorship and partner programmes in particular advising YST on their partnerships relating to IP protection and structuring of commercial rights to ensure YST’s brand image and copywriting content was protected.
    • Youth Sport Direct – Providing legal support and advice, including advising on legal compliance and input upon commercial arrangements.
    • British Wheelchair Basketball – Providing a redraft of their Codes of Conduct and disciplinary procedures, enhancing the control and management of the sport.
    • UK Sport and the British Judo Association – Reviewing the circumstances in which the BJA lost the right to stage the European Judo Union’s European Judo Championships in 2015. See the Inside the Games and Sports Management coverage.
    • Large sporting governing body – Advising a large sporting governing body when faced with a well-known team breaching key regulations and subsequently defending the claim. Provided drafts of pleadings, strategy advice and day to day management of the claim.
    • F1 Team – Representing an F1 Team on a number of commercial and litigation matters including provision of advice in connection with a guarantee, provision of advice in connection with sponsorship and driver arrangements, gaming advice and various other matters.
    • Phone hacking and reputation management – Acting for various sports people and individuals associated with the sports industry.
    • Fine & Country Limited – Providing ongoing advice to the owners of the UK’s largest polo event in connection with the organisation and exploitation of the event.
    • Portsmouth FC – Negotiation of a sponsorship and commercial partnership agreement.
    • International Cricket Council and the All England Tennis Club – Acting for ticketing suppliers in disputes to identify ticket seller information.
    • Lotus F1 – Assisting Lotus F1 and its drivers with regulatory requirements for India Grand Prix.
    • PlayFootball – Acting in relation to commercial and intellectual property matters including a merchandising and online store contract with Adidas.
    • Ipswich Town FC – Advising on a claim against Suffolk Police for overpayment of police charge for policing matches. The outcome could ultimately impact the manner in which all football games are policed in the UK moving forward. See the BBC and ITV coverage”.
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INSIGHTS

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