Sports

Sports

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One of the very few law firms to operate a sports practice on a global scale, our Sports group has knowledge and experience that spans the entire sports industry.

We have acted across a wide variety of sports and for some of the world's most famous sports teams, as well as leading financial institutions and some of the wealthiest people in relation to sports teams and franchises, working across all major leagues including in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.

Our capabilities extend to all aspects of professional sport, including: buying and selling professional sport teams; team, arena, stadium and league-wide financings; media right deals; sponsorship deals; arena and stadium development; establishing sports leagues; and major litigation.

Whatever your needs, our sports team is best placed to advise you on all your sporting challenges, including:

Mergers and acquisitions
Debt financing
Equity financing
Arena and stadium development and finance
League approval
Ownership and tax structures
Sponsorships, media and naming rights
Revenue securitization
Bankruptcy and restructuring
Player contracts
Major sporting events
Regulatory and competition law
Dispute resolution

Experience

Senior-secured lenders to professional sports leagues, clubs and arenas: Counsel to various lenders acting as lead arranger and syndications agent and administrative agent on credit facilities for professional sports leagues, teams and arenas, including the Montreal Canadiens and the Bell Centre; the Edmonton Oilers; the Ottawa Senators and Canadian Tire Centre; the National Basketball Association; the Sacramento Kings; the Florida Panthers; and the Phoenix Coyotes.
Construction financing/planning for professional sports arenas and stadiums: Counsel to various governments, teams and underwriters in connection with bands issued to finance sports arenas and stadiums, and other construction financing, including the Barclays Center (New York Islanders and Brooklyn Nets); Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees); Golden 1 Center (Sacramento Kings); MetLife Stadium (New York Giants and New York Jets); Stamford Bridge (Chelsea FC); Elland Road (Leeds FC); and the 02 Arena in London.
Purchasers/sellers of professional sports clubs, arenas and stadiums: Counsel to purchaser on the acquisition of major league and minor league teams and venues as varied as the St. Louis Blues and the Scottrade Center; the Ottawa Senators and Canadian Tire Centre; the Denver Nuggets; the Colorado Avalanche and the Pepsi Center; the Atlanta Falcons; the Bakersfield Condors; the Edmonton Oil Kings; and including UK football clubs Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Watford United, as well as the Group Lotus and Spyker cars Formula One teams.
Bid groups for professional sports clubs, arenas and stadiums: Counsel to bid groups across all sports and all leagues, including partnership formation, arranging equity and debt financing, bid for the club, and securing league approval, including bids for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dodger Stadium, St. Louis Blues and Scottrade Center, various UK football clubs, Olympique de Marseille, Tampa Lightening, Atlanta Thrashers, and the NHL Expansion Club for Las Vegas.
Developers of new arenas and stadiums: Counsel to owners and developers in various cities and across all major leagues for the development of new facilities, including for the Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Suns, Edmonton Oilers, Tulsa Drivers, Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta United; and including construction financing for the Sacramento Kings, Edmonton Oilers, New York Jets and the New York Yankees; and including advising the UK government on the construction of the new Wembley Stadium.
Sponsorships, media and naming rights: Counsel to rights-holders, content distributors and sponsors, including the English Premier League, the England and Wales Cricket Board, UEFA and the Racecourse Association, World Championship Sports Network, Poker Central, Qatar Sports Investments, Aeroflot, Etihad, Budweiser, Texaco, Amaco, Red Bull and Group Lotus, and including teams as diverse as the St. Louis Rams, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Ottawa Senators.
Major sporting events: Counsel on bids for and staging of major sporting events, including the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and the 2028 Euros.
Organizing sports leagues: Counsel to organizers of new sports leagues, including the English Premier League, a proposed new hockey league for Europe, a proposed new basketball league for the US, and to the Saudi Government on the privatization of their football league.
Dispute resolution: Counsel on major, high-profile litigation acting for owners, clubs and leagues, including for Sheffield United on the Carlos Tevez case; Group Lotus in its dispute with the 1Malaysia Group concerning the rights to use the "Lotus" mark in Formula One; as well as for many clubs, players and agents before disciplinary and arbitral tribunals; and including acting for Major League Baseball on performance rights issues relating to baseball players' rights of publicity, culminating in the landmark decision by the 7th Circuit US Court of Appeals in Baltimore Orioles et al v. Major League Baseball Players Association.

Insights

The Fitness Franchise Boom: Why Now is the time to expand

April 14, 2025

Global: This opening article offers a high-level look at the booming fitness franchise landscape and introduces the critical issues that future pieces in this series will examine in detail.

Kentucky Law Expands Name, Image and Likeness Rights

April 11, 2025

United States: In an effort to attract and retain talent and improve athletics in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear signed Kentucky Senate Bill 3 (“SB 3”) to expand name, image and likeness (“NIL”) rights ahead of the House v. NCAA settlement.

Centralising media rights by sports governing bodies: lessons from the skiing case

October 25, 2024

United Kingdom: In a world where sports broadcasting is big business, international sports federations are increasingly looking to centralise the sale of media rights.

View all insights for Sports

News and Events

Recent Press Releases

Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disability (ASAPD) appoints Dentons as legal partner

May 30, 2024

Australia: National sporting organisation, the Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disability (ASAPD), has announced its strategic partnership in Australia with the world’s largest global law firm, Dentons.

Dentons represents Pavel Tykač’s Fulleren in obtaining competition clearance for the acquisition of SK Slavia Praha football club

February 5, 2024

On February 5, 2024 the Czech Republic’s Office for the Protection of Competition (Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže) cleared unconditionally Fulleren’s acquisition of a 99,98% share in the football club SK Slavia Praha and a 100% share in Eden Arena from CITIC Europe Holdings. Fulleren is a company controlled by Czech entrepreneur Pavel Tykač

Dentons advises on UK and Ireland's successful bid to host UEFA EURO 2028

October 17, 2023

Leading global law firm Dentons has announced that it advised the Central Bid Team at The Football Association on the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host UEFA EURO 2028.

View all press releases for Sports

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Sports

Sports

Experience

Insights

The Fitness Franchise Boom: Why Now is the time to expand

Kentucky Law Expands Name, Image and Likeness Rights

Centralising media rights by sports governing bodies: lessons from the skiing case

News and Events

Recent Press Releases

Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disability (ASAPD) appoints Dentons as legal partner

Dentons represents Pavel Tykač’s Fulleren in obtaining competition clearance for the acquisition of SK Slavia Praha football club

Dentons advises on UK and Ireland's successful bid to host UEFA EURO 2028

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