Sports Transactions and Acquisitions

We advise clients on mergers and acquisitions (whether as buyer or seller), including cross-border, private equity and venture capital transactions and in connection with this, we have handled the purchase and sale of a considerable number of football and other sports clubs. Find out more about our Corporate team, and our capability, here.

We have extensive experience in drafting, negotiating and agreeing the transaction documents involved in the sale and purchase of football and sports clubs, including:

• Share purchase agreements which document the acquisition of football and other sports clubs. This includes negotiating warranty and indemnity protection for the buyer or seller as the case may be and any other bespoke protections or provisions which are transaction specific.
• Disclosure letters detailing exceptions to the warranties in the share purchase agreement.
• All other ancillary documents which may be required.

As a single-site, full-service firm, we can conduct comprehensive due diligence for a prospective buyer on all key parts of running a club, including playing and coaching staff contracts, sponsorship and other commercial agreements, club IP, stadium ownership, and restrictions on land redevelopment.

We advise football clubs and sports clubs on general corporate governance matters (such as directors’ duties, articles of association and shareholders’ agreements) together with internal group reorganisations and simplifications.

Recent work examples include:

• Advising a buyer on the acquisition of a Premier League football club.
• Acting for a Championship club on the reorganisation of their group structure.
• Advising sellers on the disposal of a Premier League football club.

Find out more about how we support sports organisations, and our wider Sports Law team, by visiting our dedicated page here.