Salary and payment
The salary amount, currency, payment date, and payment method should be unambiguous. Vague provisions — "salary to be agreed" or "payment at the club's discretion" — create disputes. We ensure salary provisions are precise.
Sports Contracts — Drafting and Review
Licensed lawyers at AMBY Legal draft, review and negotiate sports contracts for athletes, clubs, coaches and agents — ensuring enforceability, protecting rights and preventing disputes before they arise.
Our clients
Sports Contracts
Most sports disputes start with a badly drafted contract. A salary clause that does not specify the currency. A bonus provision with no clear trigger. An image rights agreement that does not define what rights are being licensed. A termination clause that gives the club unlimited discretion. These are not hypothetical problems — they are the recurring patterns that generate the claims and disputes we see regularly.
A well-drafted sports contract does not just record the deal. It anticipates the points of friction, closes the gaps that generate arguments, and creates a clear framework for what happens when things go wrong. Getting the contract right at the start costs a fraction of what it costs to litigate afterwards.
AMBY Legal drafts, reviews and negotiates sports contracts across all professional sports — for athletes, clubs, coaches, agents and commercial partners.
Types of Sports Contracts We Handle
Player employment contracts: The core document in any professional athlete’s career. A player contract needs to clearly specify salary, payment schedule and currency, bonus structure and triggers, duration and renewal options, termination rights and consequences, image rights provisions, housing and relocation arrangements, and the applicable law and dispute resolution forum.
Club-to-club transfer agreements: Transfer agreements between clubs govern the transfer fee, payment schedule, instalment dates, sell-on clauses, conditional payments, and representations about the player’s status. These agreements are the source of many of the transfer disputes we handle. We draft transfer agreements that are clear and enforceable, and we review incoming agreements to identify risk before the club commits.
Loan agreements: Player loan agreements have their own specific requirements — the duration of the loan, the parent club’s rights during the loan period, the loan fee if any, the player’s salary during the loan, the conditions for recall, and what happens if the player is injured. We draft and review loan agreements for lending and receiving clubs.
Coaching and technical staff contracts: Coaches, assistant coaches, fitness staff and other technical personnel need contracts that clearly define their role, remuneration, performance targets, and termination rights. Coaching contracts raise specific issues around notice periods, garden leave provisions, and post-employment restrictions. We draft and review contracts for coaches and technical staff at all levels.
Agent and intermediary agreements: Representation agreements between athletes and agents, and intermediary agreements between agents and clubs, require careful drafting — particularly following the introduction of the FIFA Football Agent Regulations in 2023. Fee structures, exclusivity provisions, duration, termination rights and compliance with federation regulations all need to be addressed.
Image rights agreements: Many professional athletes have a separate image rights arrangement alongside their employment contract. The image rights agreement licenses the athlete’s name, likeness and associated intellectual property to the club or a commercial partner.
Sponsorship agreements: Individual athlete sponsorship deals — with equipment suppliers, apparel brands, commercial partners — require careful drafting. The scope of the athlete’s obligations, exclusivity provisions, the right to use the athlete’s image, the payment structure, and exit rights are all points of negotiation. We draft and review sponsorship agreements for individual athletes and clubs.
Academy and youth development agreements: Agreements with young players — scholarship agreements, academy contracts, development agreements — must comply with the applicable federation regulations on the registration and treatment of young players. We draft academy agreements that protect the club’s investment in player development while complying with the regulatory framework.
Key Provisions in Sports Contracts
Bonus structure
Performance bonuses should have clear triggers — appearances, goals, assists, team results, individual awards — specified amounts, and clear payment timelines. Ambiguous bonus clauses are a common source of disputes.
Duration and renewal
The contract term, renewal options, and the conditions for exercising renewal rights need to be clearly defined. Option clauses — particularly unilateral options exercisable by the club — require careful drafting to ensure they are enforceable.
Termination
Termination provisions should specify the grounds on which each party can terminate, the notice required, and the financial consequences. Poorly drafted termination clauses are among the most litigated provisions in sports contracts.
Applicable law and dispute resolution
The law governing the contract and the forum for resolving disputes should be clearly specified. For international contracts, the choice of law and dispute resolution forum is particularly important — it determines where a dispute will be heard and which rules will apply.
Post-employment restrictions
Non-compete clauses, non-solicitation provisions and confidentiality obligations are increasingly common in sports contracts, particularly for coaches and technical staff with access to sensitive information. These provisions need to be reasonable in scope and duration to be enforceable.
Contract Negotiation
Drafting and reviewing a contract is only part of the service. We also negotiate on behalf of clients — engaging with the club, agent or commercial partner to achieve better terms before signature.
Negotiation in sports contracts requires understanding the market — what terms are standard, what is negotiable, and what is genuinely non-negotiable. It also requires understanding the regulatory framework — some provisions are mandated by federation rules and cannot be varied. We bring both to the negotiation.
For athletes in a weaker negotiating position — younger players, athletes moving to a new league, clients dealing with a significantly larger counterparty — we develop a negotiation strategy that achieves the best available result without damaging the relationship.
Our Services
Contract drafting
We draft sports contracts from scratch — player agreements, coaching contracts, transfer agreements, agent agreements, image rights licences and sponsorship deals — tailored to the specific sport, the parties and the applicable regulatory framework.
Contract review
We review contracts proposed by the other party — identifying risk provisions, explaining the implications, and recommending specific amendments before signature.
Contract negotiation
We negotiate on behalf of athletes, clubs, coaches and agents — engaging with the counterparty to achieve better terms before commitment.
Federation compliance check
We check contracts for compliance with the applicable federation regulations — FIFA, IIHF, FIBA and national bodies — to ensure enforceability.
Image rights structuring
We advise on the optimal structure for image rights arrangements — whether as part of the employment contract or as a separate agreement — and draft the relevant documents.
Template contracts
We develop template contract frameworks for clubs and academies — standardising the key provisions while allowing flexibility for individual negotiations.
Why Clients choose us
Multi-sport coverage
We draft and review contracts across football, ice hockey, basketball, volleyball and other professional sports — under the applicable federation regulations for each.
Dispute prevention focus
We draft contracts with disputes in mind — anticipating the points of friction and closing the gaps before they generate claims.
Federation expertise
We know the regulatory requirements of FIFA, IIHF, FIBA and other governing bodies and check every contract for compliance.
Belarus expertise
We understand the specific requirements of Belarusian employment law as it applies to sports contracts — relevant for athletes employed by Belarusian clubs and for Belarusian athletes employed abroad.
Remote service
We draft, review and negotiate contracts remotely. Clients anywhere in the world can instruct us by email and video call.
FAQ
Does a verbal agreement count as a contract in professional sport?
In most jurisdictions and under most federation rules, employment contracts in professional sport must be in writing to be valid and enforceable. A verbal agreement creates a precarious position — it may be recognised in some circumstances but is extremely difficult to enforce. We strongly recommend that all terms are documented in writing before the athlete begins performing under the agreement.
Can a club change the terms of a contract after it is signed?
No — a signed contract can only be varied by mutual agreement in writing. A club that unilaterally reduces salary, changes the role, or alters other terms without the athlete’s agreement is in breach of contract. We advise athletes in this situation on their options — including termination with just cause if the breach is sufficiently serious.
What law governs a sports contract between a Belarusian club and a foreign player?
It depends on what the contract specifies. If the contract does not specify applicable law, Belarusian employment law will typically govern. However, for international contracts, it is preferable to specify the applicable law expressly — either the law of the club’s country or a neutral law. For federation dispute resolution purposes, the applicable federation regulations apply regardless of the chosen law.
What is the difference between an employment contract and a service contract in sport?
An employment contract treats the athlete as an employee — with associated rights including minimum wage, notice periods, and employment law protections. A service contract treats the athlete as an independent contractor — with different tax and legal implications. The correct characterisation depends on the nature of the relationship. Most professional player contracts are employment contracts; some coaching and technical arrangements are structured as service contracts. We advise on the correct structure for each situation.
How should image rights be structured in a player contract?
There are two main approaches: including image rights as a clause within the employment contract, or creating a separate image rights agreement between the athlete and the club. A separate agreement gives more flexibility — it can be structured differently for tax purposes, can have a different duration, and can be assigned or licensed independently. We advise on the optimal structure for each client’s circumstances.
What should an agent agreement include?
The key provisions are: the scope of representation — which sports, which territories, which types of deals; the fee structure — percentage of salary, flat fees, or a combination; exclusivity — whether the agent has exclusive representation rights; duration and termination rights; compliance with the applicable federation regulations on agent activity. Under the FIFA Football Agent Regulations introduced in 2023, agent agreements in football must comply with specific requirements including fee caps and registration obligations. We draft agent agreements that comply with the current regulatory framework.