How can the legal community help professionalise sport in Ireland?

LawInSport organised a networking drinks evening and roundtable on ‘How can the legal community help professionalise sport in Ireland?’ on 26 April 2024 which was hosted by 12 King’s Bench Walk Chambers. The discussion at the roundtable was held under Chatham Rule.

The group discussed how the sports industry in Ireland can develop to create more commercial and sustainable models utilising the expertise and knowledge of the legal community to reduce risk profiles of sports organisations, athletes and coaches.

80% of the people at the roundtable gave free legal advice to assist sports organisations in Ireland and only 50% of that group received remuneration for work for sports clients. This highlighted the valuable contribution of the legal community to the sport in Ireland already.

Some of the main issues that were highlighted are identified in this summary without being attributed to any particular attendee.

Table of Contents

• Player Rights and Education
• Payment for Services & Dispute Resolution
• Horizon Scanning & Issues Spotting
• Fair Value from Helping the Sports Sector
• What outcome would they like to come from this?