‘this Wasn’t About Money, This Was A Life At Stake’: The World Of A Sports Lawyer

Simon Leaf was sitting successful nan doctor’s agency adjacent to a footballer receiving news that would alteration nan player’s life. The footballer knew thing wasn’t rather correct and aesculapian tests had been ordered. This was not agelong aft Fabrice Muamba had been saved by nan velocity of paramedics aft having a cardiac apprehension connected nan pitch astatine White Hart Lane, Leaf recalls, truthful tensions were heightened.

As nan player’s lawyer, Leaf was asked to be erstwhile nan worst was confirmed and nan advisor revealed nan subordinate had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – nan aforesaid information arsenic Muamba, wherever nan bosom muscles thicken and humor is pumped little efficiently.

“To get nan results pinch him, to talk him done his options, to effort to guideline him done that process was a genuinely humbling experience,” Leaf says. “Advising connected if they were to proceed to return that risk, what that looks for illustration successful position of nan support disposable to him from clubs and his world team. Making judge each those procedures are followed to guarantee his information tin beryllium preserved arsenic acold arsenic possible.

“In nan activity we do mostly nan champion aliases worst that tin hap is personification makes immoderate money and personification loses immoderate money. This is somebody’s life and his family’s livelihood astatine stake. You’re progressive successful helping to make nan astir difficult decisions. It’s very different from your mean time job.”

That, it transpires arsenic Leaf peels backmost nan curtain connected his job, is an understatement. From moving pinch Saudi royalty to nan parents of academy players, he discloses what it is for illustration to beryllium a sports lawyer.

The 39-year-old points retired that sports rule wasn’t a awesome section erstwhile he started. Now, peculiarly successful football, ineligible disputes supply fans pinch nan play they crave betwixt matches.

It is woven truthful intricately into nan game’s cloth that Manchester City fans erstwhile unfurled a “Pannick connected nan streets of London” banner successful support of Lord Pannick, nan lawyer defending nan nine against nan Premier League’s 130-plus charges, and supporters person asked Nick De Marco, whose clients see Newcastle United and Leicester City, for selfies.

Manchester City fans pinch a banner referring to nan lawyer defending nan nine against Premier League charges. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Leaf recounts all-nighters. “That whitethorn beryllium trying to get a woody done successful a ample boardroom but often it’s not arsenic glamorous arsenic that. Typically, it’s late-night Zoom calls, passing drafts betwixt lawyers. It tin get heated from clip to time.”

It is not, however, each astir mega-money deals (one he worked connected was worthy much than £1bn). Leaf’s pro bono activity includes advising academy teenagers asked to motion semipermanent contracts. League rules let pre-scholarship contracts to beryllium offered to 13-year-olds. Players are not permitted to beryllium represented by agents astatine that age.

“There are a batch of bully group successful sport, but location are a batch of sharks looking to return advantage of families who often aren’t knowledgeable arsenic to really nan manufacture works,” Leaf says. “At that stage, nan clubs clasp each nan power. You’ll get a business wherever clubs are getting parents and young boys to motion documents that perpetrate them to nan nine for nan adjacent 3 aliases 4 years, sometimes moreover longer, without immoderate ineligible advice.”

His erstwhile patient launched a helpline for women successful shot who knowledgeable favoritism to activity free advice. “Unfortunately, a week wouldn’t spell by wherever we wouldn’t get a telephone for help,” Leaf says. “This was group from crossed nan footballing world, from nan boardroom to nan footwear room.”

Leaf “fell into rule by accident”. He was a promising referee while studying business guidance astatine nan University of Cambridge. “I was earmarked alongside nan likes of Michael Oliver coming done nan ranks. Most group were retired partying each nighttime and I was getting fresh for Eastbourne away.”

Securing sponsorship from BLP for a rule conversion people enabled him to proceed refereeing. But erstwhile a knee wounded ended that career, different began successful sports law.

As a trainee, he worked connected existent property for nan Football Association’s St George’s Park build, intelligence spot for London 2012 and immoderate of nan first “receivables financing” deals astatine shot clubs. If a nine sells a subordinate for £10m but is paid nan money complete 3 years, a lender gives nan nine £9m upfront and receives nan afloat magnitude complete 3 years. It is really galore deals are financed.

Leaf became caput of athletics astatine Mishcon de Reya, earlier precocious mounting up Three Points Law pinch Tom Murray, focusing connected nan intersection of athletics and technology. “Almost each woody we do now has a tech aliases intelligence spot aliases information perspective to it. Be it a subordinate transportation aliases nan large sponsorship and broadcasting deals.”

Marcus Rashford and 1 of nan exertion companies that support video adjunct referees are clients. The bulk of nan activity for that tech patient was preparing bids and negotiating contracts but it besides involves analysing ineligible risks. In 2020 Hawk-Eye grounded to grant Sheffield United a extremity against Aston Villa aft nan shot crossed nan line. The constituent kept Villa successful nan Premier League. “That’s precisely nan benignant of issues we’re looking astatine erstwhile we’re acting for these vendors. Where does nan liability sit? Can immoderate of these risks beryllium insured against?”

Players are progressively utilizing information successful statement negotiations. “Athletes are actively looking astatine monetising their ain data,” Leaf says. “We counsel different sports connected whether you tin commercialise unrecorded heart-rate data. Seeing if there’s a measurement to bring that to nan spectator truthful you tin genuinely spot nan unit these athletes are under.”