Sports Law Attorney
Sports law is not a separate body of law, but rather an interplay of various factors
There is no specific sports code. The legal framework for sports is derived from several areas simultaneously—and from your association’s rules and regulations.
If you receive a contract from the club, that falls under labor and contract law. If your picture appears on a jersey, in a campaign, or in the sponsor’s newsletter, that falls under personality rights and copyright law. If your name is to be used as a trademark, that falls under trademark law. And if the association suspends you, its own legal framework takes precedence.
It is precisely this mix that explains why sports law cases so often go wrong: they are viewed from only one perspective. We come from the fields of copyright, media, and trademark law, so we first look at where the money lies in sports—rights, images, names, and marketing.
!
Anyone who signs a contract before having it reviewed will no longer be in a position to negotiate later on. They will simply have to ask.
Who will decide your case?
In sports, there are three approaches, and they are not mutually exclusive. The first question in every mandate is therefore: Where does this actually belong?
State Court
Typical Topics
Contracts, Salary, Bonuses, Damages, Image and Name Rights
Basis
Law – BGB, ArbGG, KUG, MarkenG
Who decides?
Professional judge at a local, state, or labor court
Lawyer needed
Mandatory starting at the Regional Court; strongly recommended prior to that
What Happens Next
Appeals and Appeals on Review in the Ordinary Court System
Association and Club Court
Typical Topics
Suspensions, Game Scores, Rule Violations, Licensing Issues
Basis
Bylaws and Rules of Procedure of the Association
Who decides?
Sports officials, mostly volunteers
Lawyer required
Not mandatory, but often crucial in practice
What Happens Next
Internal body of the association; thereafter, only limited oversight by state courts
International Arbitration Tribunal
Typical Topics
Doping, international transfers, and international federation decisions
Basis
Arbitration agreement, usually set forth in the association's bylaws
Who decides?
Appointed arbitrators, often a three-member panel
Lawyer required
Essentially indispensable; proceedings are usually in English or French
What comes next
Challenges may be filed only within narrow limits before the state court at the place of arbitration
!
Sporting jurisdiction does not mean legal jurisdiction: A sports association court can suspend you—but it cannot award you any money.
The standard on which marketing depends
No image of you may be distributed without your consent. This is the leverage athletes use to control their marketing—and the area where clubs and sponsors most often get it wrong.
§
Portraits may be distributed or publicly displayed only with the consent of the person depicted. In cases of doubt, consent is deemed to have been given if the person depicted received compensation for allowing the portrait to be taken.
In plain language
Your image belongs to you. A club cannot feature you in its advertising simply because you play for it—it needs your consent. And if you were paid for a photo shoot, your consent is presumed to have been given in case of doubt. That’s why good athlete contracts specify exactly what the images may be used for, for how long, and on which platforms. Poor contracts contain a single sentence that covers everything.
Who We Work For
Three cases, three completely different situations—and in almost every case, the same cause: a contract that no one had reviewed beforehand.
Athletes
Contract offers from clubs, buyout and transfer clauses, continued pay in the event of injury, and non-playing clauses. Plus agent contracts and everything related to your own marketing—image, name, brand, and social media.
Clubs and Associations
Drafting player and coach contracts, clarifying rights of use for photo and video material, protecting the club's logo and name, and handling press inquiries and online criticism.
Sponsors and Marketers
Sponsorship and equipment supply agreements, advertising contracts with athletes, disclosure of partnerships on social media, merchandising, and licenses related to the team and event.
The sports we work in
The rules may differ, but the legal issues are the same. Wherever money is made in sports, it ultimately comes down to contracts, rights, and marketing.
Soccer
Player contracts, buyout
clauses, agent
commissions,
association proceedings
Basketball
Contracts in Germany and abroad,
relocation to the U.S.,
funding agreements
Handball
Contract Extension,
Continued Pay During Injury,
Loan
Tennis
Individual athletes not affiliated with a club:
Equipment providers,
management,
prize money
Ice Hockey
Short contract terms,
import quotas,
changes under time pressure
Boxing and Martial Arts
Promoter contracts,
fight purses,
TV and streaming rights
Motorsports
Sponsorship,
cockpit contracts,
naming and image rights for the team
Electronic sports
Player Contracts,
Streaming,
Advertising Disclosure,
Minors on the Team
Get Started Now
Is your sport not listed?
The contract works the same way anyway.
Whether it's volleyball, golf, winter sports, or track and field—good contracts fall short in the same ways across the board. Send us your documents, and we'll discuss them.
From Real-World Experience
We have inside knowledge of sports arbitration
Patrick Rehkatsch has served as a volunteer youth sports referee for the Middle Rhine Soccer Association in the Rhein-Erft district since 2015, most recently as vice chair of the Junior Disciplinary Committee. In other words, he has spent years on the other side of the table, helping to make decisions.
This experience is more valuable in sports law cases than it sounds. It reveals what an adjudicating body really looks for, what presentation of the facts is persuasive, and at what point a case is won or lost—usually much earlier than the parties involved realize.
Added to this is his experience from numerous successfully conducted court cases regarding the compensation of player agents, at the intersection of sports law, contract law, and labor law.
!
In sports arbitration, it is rarely the more honest argument that prevails, but rather the one with better evidence.
Contact
How to Reach Us
Choose the option that works best for you—we'll get back to you quickly.
Schedule an appointment
Right in our calendar – choose your preferred date
What'sApp
Quick Questions, Quick Answers
Phone
Available directly Mon–Fri
Write to us about what's on your mind
Here's how we handle your case
Four steps, and at each step, you'll know exactly where we are in the process.
Review documents
Contracts, letters from the association, correspondence. Even the messages that were sent only via WhatsApp—that’s where the crucial commitments are found.
Assess from a legal perspective
We'll sort out which clauses are valid, which are open to challenge, and where the case actually belongs.
Negotiate or Attack
In most cases, more can be achieved out of court than through litigation. We’ll be upfront with you about when that’s no longer the case.
Enforce
Before the Association Court, the Labor Court, or the Regional Court—nationwide, including in expedited proceedings.
During a no-obligation initial consultation, we’ll determine whether we can take on your case and what the consultation will cost.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Law
Sports law is an interdisciplinary field without its own code of laws. It comprises contract law and labor law, club and corporate law, personality rights, copyright, and trademark law, competition law, and, in part, criminal and administrative law. In addition, there are the rules and regulations of the respective association, which apply directly to its members.
Our focus lies at the intersection of sports, media, brands, and marketing.
Yes. Let’s take a look at the clauses that cause problems in practice: contract term and renewal, termination and transfer clauses, bonus provisions, continued pay in the event of injury, non-playing clauses, and, above all, the granting of rights to one’s image, name, and social media presence.
Reviewing contracts and documents is part of our paid consulting service, starting at €500 plus VAT.
Consultations start at €250 plus VAT. If the consultation includes reviewing contracts, lengthy documents, or multiple videos, the fee is €500 plus VAT.
The no-obligation initial consultation is free of charge but does not constitute legal advice. During this consultation, we’ll determine whether we can take on your case and discuss the cost of the consultation.
Only to the extent that you have consented. Membership or a player contract alone does not constitute consent to any form of advertising. What matters is what the contract states regarding usage: for what purpose, through which channels, for how long, and whether the rights revert upon termination of the contract.
If such a provision is missing or is too broad, the use of your image can often be challenged.
An exit clause allows the contract to be terminated early under specified conditions—usually in exchange for payment of a certain amount or within a narrow time frame. It is only valid if the conditions, deadline, and amount are clearly defined.
Disputes almost always arise over the details: Who pays, by when, and what happens if the deadline is narrowly missed.
Yes. Especially in youth and amateur sports, contracts are often signed without being reviewed, even though they involve long-term commitments and the transfer of extensive rights. In the case of minors, parents must also give their consent.
That depends on the subject of the dispute. Sports-related sanctions, such as suspensions or game results, are initially handled by the association’s judicial system. Monetary claims, contractual disputes, and violations of image or name rights are handled by state courts.
Often, both processes proceed in parallel. Which step is taken first often determines the outcome.
Yes. We operate nationwide from our offices in Cologne and Berlin and represent clients in courts throughout Germany. Meetings can be held by phone or video call upon request. We also conduct proceedings and draft contracts in English, French, and Spanish.
Attorney Patrick Rehkatsch
Your Contact for Sports Law
Specialist attorney in copyright and media law; has been advising athletes, sports clubs, and marketing agencies since 2003. Former volunteer youth sports referee for the Mittelrhein Soccer Association, Rhein-Erft district.
Patrick Rehkatsch himself was a successful youth basketball player (German national team) and table tennis player (Berlin champion in the school championships).
“In sports, people talk about performance but remain silent about contracts. That’s exactly where the problems arise.”
