Football Law Conference 2023

Manchester, 21-22 May 2023 - The first day involved a great evening of networking and opportunities for developing meaningful relationships with professionals from across the industry. 

This was followed by a day full of fantastic interactive panel discussions from world leading experts on the current trends, developments and legal issues facing the football industry.

Panels & Speakers

From discussions on the new FIFA Agents Regulations to dealing with bad behaviour in football, the expert speakers shared their knowledge and valuabale insights from on the key developments, current trends and legal issues facing the football industry.

Panel 1 - Commercial developments - fan engagement, sponsorship and media rights

• Ciaran Fitzgerald-Morgan, Senior Legal Counsel - Media Rights, TEAM Marketing
• Aaron Dixon, Legal Counsel, Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
• David Trasler, Head of Commercial Legal, FIFA
• Emily Soilleux, Associate, Northridge

Panel 2 - Women’s football - Managing the challenges that come with growth

• Deirdre McCarthy, Senior Associate, Centrefield Law
• Harriet Leach, Legal Director, Onside Law
• Natasha Dowie, Professional football player, Liverpool FC
• Jake Cohen, Sports Lawyer

Panel 3 - What can football learn from other industries and sports in their approach to risk management?

• Phil Draper, Compliance Manager and Legal Counsel, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team & Former Legal Counsel, Football Association of Wales
• Sean Cottrell, CEO & Co-Founder, LawInSport

Panel 4 - Key cases and regulatory update

• Marco Antonio Amezcua Rubio, Senior Legal Counsel Football Regulatory, FIFA
• Mark Hovell, Partner & Head of Sports, Mills & Reeve

Panel 5 - Player agents and tax - avoiding pitfalls and sharing best practice

• Kelly Skeggs, COO & General Counsel, Omnisports
• Mario Tenore, Associate Partner, Pirola Pennuto Zei & Associati
• Daniel Geey, Partner, Sheridans
• Rhys Linnell, Director ‑ Tax, Sports & Entertainment, Saffery Champness LLP
• Sofia Thomas, Co-Founder & Partner, Juno Sports Tax
• Ian Laing, Counsel, Lombardi Associates

Panel 6 - Coaches’ and players’ contracts - key developments and issues

• Carol Couse, Partner, Mills & Reeve
• Kelly Skeggs, COO & General Counsel, Omnisports
• Patrick Schmidiger, Senior Legal Counsel, FIFA - Coaches
• John Mehrzad KC, Head of Sports Law Group, Littleton Chambers
• James King, General Counsel at Professional Footballers' Association

Panel 7 - Investment and Multi-Club Ownership - the future of football? 

• Theo Ajadi, Manager - Sports M&A Advisory and Transaction Support, Deloitte
• Andrea Bozza, Avvocato, Deloitte Tax & Legal
• George Pennington, Senior Lawyer at Legends, and former Head of Legal at Watford FC

Panel 8 - Dealing with bad behaviour in football - on and off the pitch

• Andrew Mercer, General Counsel & Director of Legal Affairs, The Asian Football Confederation
• Prof. Geoff Pearson, Professor of Law, University of Manchester Law School
• Ifeanyi Odogwu, Barrister, Matrix Chambers

Panel 9 - Financial Regulation and Independent Regulator

• Kieran Maguire, Football Finance Lecturer, University of Liverpool
• Adam Crockett, Head of Football Regulation Policy, Department of Culture, Media & Sport
• Chris Anderson, experienced Football Lawyer and GC, and Former Head of the Football Governance Review
• Kendrah Potts, Barrister, 4 New Square Chambers