Launching a new league or team in the sports industry is a complex matter, and requires trusted counselors and partners to navigate through the various legal issues that arise. Our firm’s platform, depth of experience, and holistic view of the sports industry offers clients practical, efficient advice for new sports organizations.
Emerging teams and leagues turn to our global Sports Industry team as trusted advisors as they break into the market and establish themselves. Our lawyers have extensive experience and draw upon the multidisciplinary strength of our firm’s platform to guide new sports teams and leagues through all phases of growth in this rapidly expanding industry, from the initial stages of entity formation to assisting with the development of growth and expansion plans once the venture has been established. We have experience in organizing and structuring entities in both the single-entity and franchisee models and regularly counsel clients on the pros and cons of each approach.
Raising capital is one of the most important–and necessary–goals of a new team or league, and our lawyers can help with financing, capital offerings, shareholders agreements, convertible notes, and debt offerings. Another priority for newly established teams and leagues is reviewing real estate and facility ownership needs. Our lawyers harness a vast knowledge of opportunity zones and other tax incentives to help clients secure the best option financially for their facility or stadium.
We help emerging teams and leagues draft and negotiate a broad range of contractual agreements, including player and coach contracts, sponsorship and naming rights agreements, suite licenses, venue use agreements, apparel contracts, broadcast and media rights deals, and other strategic collaboration agreements.
We also help emerging leagues or teams with intellectual property, data privacy, immigration, and labor and employment matters–all critical issues that face new organizations.
On 2 April 2025, President Trump announced a series of “reciprocal” tariffs on US imports from all countries. The tariffs apply at different rates by country, starting at a baseline of 10% and reaching as high as 50%.
The Hon. Jim Chalmers MP, Federal Treasurer and the Hon. Clare O'Neil MP, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness issued a joint media release on 16 February 2025 titled "Albanese Government clamping down on foreign purchase of established homes and land banking".
Starting on 30 June 2024, with the application of the first of two introduction phases of the Regulation on Markets in Crypto-assets across all member states of the European Union, the EU has introduced for the first time a harmonized regulatory framework as well as accompanying passporting rights for service providers of the crypto-asset market, affecting both traditional institutions of the financial sector and new players emerging in the crypto-ecosystem.
We welcome your email, but please understand that if you are not already a client of K&L Gates LLP, we cannot represent you until we confirm that doing so would not create a conflict of interest and is otherwise consistent with the policies of our firm. Accordingly, please do not include any confidential information until we verify that the firm is in a position to represent you and our engagement is confirmed in a letter. Prior to that time, there is no assurance that information you send us will be maintained as confidential. Thank you for your consideration.
