How Professional Football Clubs Are Incorporated & Governed In France

In recent times, French soccer clubs seem to have attracted investment attention and are regarded as having a lot of economic potential. With the recent takeovers of the soccer clubs of Angers and Lyon by American investments funds, more than half of the 40 professional soccer clubs in League 1 and League 2 are now run by foreign investors1.

In order to understand how investors can penetrate the French market and manage a professional club in France, a few rules should be outlined. This article examines the main regulations relating to the incorporation and governance of professional football clubs in France, looking at

• How sports is organized in France

• Sports commercial companies

• The sports specificity of SASPs

  • Incorporation

  • The agreement with the sport’s association

  • Sale of shares