Sports Law

A newly-announced blanket ban on transgender women participating in Irish rugby may amount to unlawful discrimination, legal rights organisation FLAC has warned. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) yesterday published an updated gender participation policy which states that players "are only permi

A lawsuit involving a group of rugby players diagnosed with early-onset dementia is likely to go ahead. UK firm Rylands Law is to issue proceedings in England and Wales on behalf of a group of professional and semi-professional players against World Rugby as well as the Rugby Football Union and the

William Fry partners Derek Hegarty and Craig Sowman examine an English case concerning the rules on civil liability in negligence for serious injuries relating to professional footballers. Fulham Football Club successfully appealed an earlier ruling that found the club vicariously liable for a tackl

FIFA has launched a new online platform through which proceedings before the FIFA Football Tribunal and FIFA judicial bodies will be conducted. The FIFA Legal Portal, which went live on Sunday, enables football stakeholders – such as clubs, players, associations, intermediaries, law firms with

Sports lawyers Louise Reilly and Susan Ahern have been nominated for appointment as directors on the board of Cycling Ireland. Ms Reilly is a barrister and a leading anti-doping expert, while Ms Ahern is the former head of legal and compliance at World Rugby.

Football fans who racially abuse players will be banned from attending matches for up to a decade under new laws in England and Wales. Home secretary Priti Patel is introducing legislation to widen the ambit of football banning orders – which can be imposed on people convicted of violence, dis

A fund set up by the legal community to assist the resettlement of Afghan women judges and their families in Ireland has passed the €50,000 fundraising milestone following a donation from the Sports Law Bar Association (SLBA). The association donated €1,334.40, the entire proceeds of its r

Belfast solicitor Brian Speers has been appointed as chair of the new Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) ethics commission. Following on from the adoption of a comprehensive code of ethics and conduct, the ethics commission is a completely independent body tasked with maintaining the highest standa

William Fry lawyers Patrick Murphy and Laura Flanagan talk about spectator litigation in sport where spectators are struck by golf balls, rugby balls or ice hockey pucks while attending sporting events. While litigation taken by spectators is relatively rare in Ireland, it has arisen in golf, i

Sports insurers across Ireland could face significant legal challenges depending on the outcome of landmark litigation in the UK courts, insurance risk and commercial law firm BLM has warned. More than 70 former rugby players are suing the sport's governing bodies for allegedly failing to protect th

Sports lawyer Patrick Conliffe has been appointed to lead the new Dublin office of sports management company Quantum Sport. Mr Conliffe is a dual-qualified Irish and English solicitor and a registered intermediary with the FA. He takes on the new role while continuing to practise as a solicitor with

More than 70 former rugby players including former England and Wales internationals are planning to launch group litigation over the long-term effects of concussions they suffered during their sports careers. The litigants are said to include retired players suffering from symptoms including memory

Irish barrister Susan Ahern has been appointed as the first independent judicial chair of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF). Ms Ahern, who has over 20 years' experience in sports law, will assist in the development and ongoing management of the independent judicial processes requi

Sport Ireland chief executive John Treacy is set to address lawyers at the Sports Law Bar Association's (SLBA) winter webinar next week. Mr Treacy is the keynote speaker at the free event, which will focus on innovation in anti-doping and is open to SLBA members and external sporting organisations.

Leo Moore, partner at William Fry, examines a recent High Court decision and the potential implications for IP rights in sport. A live blocking injunction involves Internet Service Providers (ISPs) identifying and blocking illegal streams for the period of a Premier League football match. The list o