Sport is big business, and the legal issues that arise within it have become correspondingly complex. Player contracts, image rights, sponsorship arrangements, broadcast deals, governing body disputes, and disciplinary proceedings each carry significant commercial and reputational stakes, and rarely arrive in isolation.
Koffels advises athletes, clubs, agents, and sporting organisations across a wide range of sports law matters. Our principal, Ross Koffel, serves as Honorary Solicitor to the Porsche Club NSW, the Lamborghini Club NSW, and the Show Jumping Club NSW, and is a club representative to Motor Sport Australia. That hands-on involvement in sporting governance informs how we advise clients, whether the issue is a contract under negotiation or a tribunal proceeding already underway.
As members of IR Global and Lawyers Associated Worldwide, we can draw on specialist colleagues in other jurisdictions when a matter crosses borders, as it increasingly does.
As members of IR Global and Lawyers Associated Worldwide, we are connected with our colleagues across the world dealing in the issues of both Sports People and Sporting Organisations. Be it an issue locally or overseas, we can provide immediate assistance wherever and whenever required.
Koffels Solicitors & Barristers are a full service firm, with the capability to provide holistic support regardless of the concerns of our clients.
Commercial and contractual matters
The commercial layer of modern sport, covering playing contracts, representation agreements, sponsorship and naming rights deals, image and personality rights, and broadcast arrangements, demands careful drafting and an understanding of both Australian law and the governing body frameworks that sit alongside it. We advise on the structuring and negotiation of these arrangements, and on restraint-of-trade and competition law issues that arise when they are disputed. Recent developments in Australian sport – including the NRL’s response to the proposed R360 competition and the contract and competition law questions it raised – illustrate how quickly the commercial and regulatory dimensions of sport can intersect.
Governance and disciplinary proceedings
Governing bodies in Australian sport have broad powers to investigate, sanction, and ban participants. Whether you are an athlete, agent, or organisation facing a disciplinary process, or a governing body seeking to enforce its rules, we can advise on the procedural requirements and represent you in proceedings. This includes matters involving banned substances and anti-doping regulations, where the interaction between the World Anti-Doping Code, the Sport Integrity Australia framework, and individual contracts requires careful navigation.
Duty of care and injury liability
The duty of care obligations of clubs, codes, and event organisers have come under increasing judicial scrutiny in Australia, particularly in the context of contact sport injuries and concussion. Organisations carrying exposure in this area benefit from early legal advice on risk frameworks, insurance arrangements, and incident management protocols.
Disputes and litigation
Where sports law matters reach the stage of formal dispute, we can advise on the available forums, including courts, commercial arbitration, and specialist sporting tribunals, and represent clients through to resolution.
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Ross Koffel’s honorary roles within Porsche Club NSW, Lamborghini Club NSW, Motor Sport Australia, and Show Jumping Club NSW reflect a long-standing personal and professional connection to sport. He has acted across a wide range of sporting matters and regularly advises on the legal issues that arise at the intersection of sport, commerce, and governance.
A well-drafted player contract should address image rights separately from the playing contract itself. Key provisions include the scope of the club’s licence to use the athlete’s name, likeness, and image (and in what media or contexts), the duration of that licence, whether it survives the end of the playing contract, and how commercial income derived from the athlete’s image is shared. Without clear drafting, disputes over image rights are common, particularly when an athlete’s profile grows significantly during the term of the contract. Koffels advises athletes and clubs on image rights structuring and negotiation.
Governing bodies have attempted to use bans and sanctions to prevent players and agents from engaging with unsanctioned competitions, as seen with the NRL’s announced 10-year ban in response to the proposed R360 competition. Whether such restrictions are enforceable depends on Australian restraint of trade law, which requires any restriction to be no more than reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate interest and not contrary to the public interest. A disproportionate restriction is likely to be unenforceable. Competition law, including the prohibition on arrangements that substantially lessen competition under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, may also be relevant. Each situation requires specific legal advice.
Clubs and event organisers owe a duty of care to participants and, in some circumstances, spectators. A serious injury can give rise to a civil negligence claim if the organisation failed to take reasonable precautions, including providing appropriate equipment, enforcing safety protocols, or following established return-to-play guidelines. Concussion-related claims are an area of growing legal activity in Australia. In practice, organisations should ensure that their risk management frameworks, insurance coverage, and incident response procedures are reviewed before an injury occurs, not after. Koffels advises sporting organisations on duty-of-care exposure and incident management.
Sporting tribunal proceedings are governed by the rules of the relevant governing body rather than by court procedure, but they still carry significant consequences for athletes and agents, including suspensions, fines, and bans. The procedural protections available, such as the right to reasons, the right to legal representation, and appeal rights, vary between codes and governing bodies. Anti-doping proceedings, for example, operate under a strict-liability framework that places the burden on the athlete to explain the presence of a prohibited substance, regardless of intent. Legal advice before a hearing, rather than after, materially affects outcomes.
Yes. Sports law matters in Australia routinely cross state borders and, in the case of international competitions, athletes, and broadcast arrangements, cross jurisdictions entirely. Koffels is a member of IR Global and Lawyers Associated Worldwide, which allows us to draw on specialist colleagues in other jurisdictions when a matter requires it. Our principal, Ross Koffel, has acted in sporting matters across a broad range of codes and has a long-standing connection to motor sport and equestrian sport governance at the national level.