ADR can be used for a wide range of sport-related disputes and issues, including player contracts and transfers, disciplinary and regulatory matters, anti-doping cases, sponsorship and image rights disputes, and selection and eligibility appeals. ADR is frequently used across many areas of sport, including football, rugby, athletics, cricket, equine, boxing, and tennis, as well as with various regulatory bodies such as the Football Association, English Football League, Rugby Football Union, British Boxing Board of Control, British Showjumping, and UK Anti-Doping.
Sport is competitive both on and off the field. A disagreement over a contract, transfer, or selection decision can quickly escalate, played out publicly.
For athletes, sports clubs, and governing bodies, disputes can carry immediate financial, reputational, and performance consequences. Court proceedings are rarely practical in the fast-moving world of sport.
They are slow, expensive, and prone to attracting media attention. In most cases, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provides a faster, confidential and more cost-effective route to resolution.
Mediation and arbitration are the most common ADR methods in sport, offering tailored processes that reflect the time-sensitive and reputational pressures of sports competition.
Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) can also help by providing an independent view on the strengths of each side’s case before formal action.
In their day-to-day litigation practices, barristers in the Trinity ADR team advise and represent players, clubs, sponsors, agents, managers, unions, governing bodies, commercial partners and sporting event organisers, across all levels of sport, from grassroots to elite, international competition.
The team’s experience includes regulatory and disciplinary proceedings, contractual and image rights disputes, sponsorship and funding issues, and selection and eligibility cases.
Some disputes require urgent decisions, for example, disciplinary hearings or eligibility appeals during a competition. Others involve longer-term negotiations around sponsorship, image rights, or governance. Whatever the issue, Trinity ADR is able to offer various options to resolve disputes, avoiding the drawbacks and risks of going to Court, in turn helping all parties involved reach fair, practical outcomes that protect careers, reputations, and the integrity of sport.
The types of sports we can help with include football, rugby, equine, athletics, cricket, boxing, tennis and a range of sporting tribunals governed and regulated by national governing bodies, such as the Football Association, English Football League, Rugby Football Union, British Boxing Board of Control, British Showjumping and UK Anti-Doping.
Sports Disputes - FAQs
What types of sports disputes is ADR suitable for?
What are the advantages of ADR over Court for sports disputes?
Sport moves quickly. Court proceedings are slow, costly, and public. ADR offers private, faster, and more flexible solutions that protect careers, commercial interests, and reputations, while keeping athletes and teams focused on performance.
What kinds of ADR are used in the sports sector?
Mediation and arbitration are the most common types of ADR. Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) is also used to clarify the strengths of each position before a dispute escalates.
How do I find out more about the ADR process?
Get in touch with the Trinity ADR team for a confidential, no-obligation discussion about the dispute to be resolved, and we’ll explore the most suitable options.
Trinity ADR
Get in touch for a free, no-obligation consultation to explore your options and determine whether ADR is appropriate for resolving your dispute, with the option to meet remotely via video conference.