Sports League Setup, Structuring and Risk Management India

We have contributed to the setup of, and worked with, more than 20 leagues at international, national and state level, in several cases building them start to finish, not just advising from the outside. That track record is what separates us from a firm doing this for the first time: we already know which federation approvals genuinely take months and which can be fast-tracked, which franchise clause a sponsor will push back on the week before launch, and where past leagues have quietly failed.

It also means we know where the real risk sits. In sport, that risk is concentrated into a few hours at a venue and a few clauses in the contracts sitting behind it, so structuring a league properly means planning for both the current deal and the day it goes wrong.

Legal drafting is only half the job. The other half is judgment earned by having done this before, and we bring both.

• Ownership and governance structuring, including entity choice and the league operating model
• Grant of rights from the federation, and sanction where required
• Competition regulations, disciplinary codes, integrity and anti-corruption rules
• Franchise agreements, bid documents and franchise fee structures
• Player draft / auction, retention, salary cap and registration rules
• Media, sponsorship, venue, ticketing and merchandising agreements
• Creation and registration of the league's intellectual property
• Event risk review, permissions, licensing and statutory clearances
• Insurance placement support, policy review and claims
• Liability allocation, indemnities and limitation of liability across the contract chain
• Spectator safety, crowd management and venue liability
• Athlete safety, concussion and medical protocols
• Safeguarding, prevention of sexual harassment compliance and child protection frameworks
• Force majeure, cancellation and abandonment planning
• On ground support through the season, and defence of any resulting litigation