Sports Law

Association and company law, good governance

Advising associations, clubs, and leagues on the drafting and enforcement of statutes and other regulations has always been a special focus of our work. For many years we have been considered as one of the most renowned law firms in this field, not only in Germany but also internationally. We would be happy to revise your rules and regulations and help you to become optimally positioned when it comes to good governance.

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Our team has extensive cross-sport experience in developing understandable, sustainable, and legally sound regulations. For decades, we have been advising several international and national sports federations in drafting, adapting, and reformulating the rules for their sports, including rules of the game, disciplinary rules, anti-doping regulations, and ethics regulations. When consulting on regulations, our clients also benefit from our expertise in European and antitrust law.

Moreover, we offer general corporate law advice, for example in the negotiation and establishment of joint ventures in the sports sector or the preparation of shareholder resolutions.

There is one thing that is particularly important to us in our advice on association and company law in sport: We do not restrict our activities to the question of what is legally permissible, but also actively consider which approach best corresponds to the principles of good governance. This can be done either as part of an already pending revision of regulations or in the course of a separate good governance review. In this context, we not only take into account general recommendations on good corporate governance, but also, in particular, the standards developed by the sport industry itself in recent years.

Last but not least, good governance includes an emphasis on sustainability. This topic has long since reached sport, especially in the form of the “Sport for Climate Action Framework”. Organisers of major sporting events in particular are faced with the question of how any negative effects on the environment can be minimised. Just as we have decided to work sustainably ourselves, we are happy to provide you with legal support in achieving this goal. If desired, we are also happy to put you in touch with specialists in non-legal areas of sustainability.

Notable cases

  • Association law advice to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), in particular on their statutes and regulations, also in the context of good governance (e.g. ethics regulations, integrity policy, safeguarding policy)
  • Association law advice to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) regarding amendments to multiple regulations in volleyball and beach volleyball
  • Association law advice to the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) regarding amendments to their statutes
  • Corporate law advice to and representation of a multinational in the context of a joint venture in the sports industry
  • Corporate law advice to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in relation to a joint venture with the National Basketball Association (NBA)
  • Corporate law advice to an international talent agency with respect to the founding of a German subsidiary
  • Good governance review for the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO)
  • Good governance review for a large national sports federation
  • (Dr Heiner Kahlert) Member of the Governance Reform Group of the International Boxing Federation AIBA