There’s no business like the leisure business.

When you’re a club, sports or leisure organisation, you face special challenges.

Your trading conditions are unique, and so is your relationship with your customers. You must deal with all manner of legal rights and obligations, often specific to your industry, and always changing.

These range from club, licensing and tax regulations to players’ contracts, media and advertising issues. You need expert legal advisors with specific, practical experience in your industry.

Turner Freeman works with some of Australia’s leading clubs, sports and leisure operators. We’re problem solvers—protecting your rights and crafting creative solutions.

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Client Testimonials »
Case Studies »

Registered Clubs: rules, rules, rules

Registered clubs face diverse legal challenges. Your day-to-day issues alone can range from gaming and licensing to public liability, naming rights, property, tax and employment.

You may need to draft rules and by-laws for club and member conduct. There may be complex contracts for key revenue earners, such as deals with food and drink suppliers. You may have other crucial milestones, such as property developments or intricate amalgamations.

Turner Freeman’s lawyers are the experts when it comes to guiding clubs—large and small—through the legal maze, and setting you up for success.

We can help you produce carefully considered contracts, which can save you time, money and stress in the long run.

Whether your relationships with your customers, administrators, suppliers and regulators are complicated or straight-forward, disputes can arise. Turner Freeman has a solid track record in resolving them before they get to court, or if necessary, representing you in court proceedings to win you the best possible outcome.

Sports Clubs: in to win
Modern sports clubs play for high stakes. You could deal with big money, intense public scrutiny and passionate players and fans. Whatever sport you’re in, you have to keep a lot of balls in the air.

Clubs face critical sponsorship, advertising, e-commerce and internet challenges. You will also handle player and staff contracts or other employment and industrial relations matters. Venue and event management and developing facilities and services present another raft of issues. You must also meet your regulatory and tax obligations, and look after your fans and the public.

When we select our team we look for more than just expertise in sports law. Our lawyers have sound business acumen, and will work to give you practical, winning solutions to every issue you face.

Corporate Governance and Competition Law: playing it straight
Ignorance is no excuse when you’re the secretary of an organisation, a committee member, a shareholder or a director of a public company. The law requires you to be aware of changes in legislation and in your responsibilities. But keeping up with them can be a full-time job.

We can give you expert, up-to-date advice tailored to your organisation’s unique needs and obligations in areas including:

Corporate governance
Marketing practices
Risk management
Mergers and acquisitions
Capital or group restructuring
Financial transactions
Employment
Anti-discrimination
Environment

We also offer guidance and practical solutions for competition policy initiatives, franchising and trade practices compliance. We use our experience to aggressively defend your rights against unlawful or damaging activity by your competitors.

Venues: home and away
If you operate a venue, it may be your prime assert, and your biggest risk.

You must have all the necessary licenses, insurance policies and business registrations, and protect your organisation from liability. You may need to negotiate for new premises or amalgamate with other clubs or venues.

You may stand to gain a great deal by making your venue available to other sporting or entertainment organisations. But you must know how to retain control, and how to make best use of your own staff and suppliers to maximise your profits. If you plan to use another venue, you will want to get the best deal possible.

Turner Freeman has advised on all kinds of venues, from small club premises to huge concerts and international sporting events, including the Olympics.

Liquor: getting it right
Liquor licensing regulations differ depending on your business and from state to state. If you or your staff get it wrong, you face big fines, and even closure. But interpretation, compliance and enforcement can be tricky.

Turner Freeman has successfully represented our clients in licence applications, amendments and Licensing Court proceedings arising out of the Liquor Act.

Gaming: a safe bet
Gaming is a vital revenue stream for many clubs. But the issues are sensitive, the legislation complex and the penalties for infringement severe.

We’re experienced in all facets of gaming, from licence applications, club by-laws and poker machine operation to debt collection and gaming tax.

Advertising and signage: seen and heard
Advertising is critical to the survival of many clubs and leisure organisations.

Whether you deal with it in-house, or work with outside agencies, Turner Freeman has the experience you need to handle copyright law, dispute resolution and the drafting of contracts.

Sponsorship and Merchandising: brand power
Clubs, their personalities and their merchandise are valuable assets.

But unlocking that value is rarely simple. While marketing and sponsorship deals can generate big money, they are also a legal minefield.

We give some of Australia’s best known clubs and organisations practical guidance on brand protection strategies, copyright, trademarks, patents, advertising and unfair competition regulations.

Intellectual Property: make your mark
When your business is booming you need to take steps to protect it.

Our expert advice on intellectual property will give you confidence in brand protection, copyright, trademark, patent, advertising and unfair competition issues. We will help to secure and defend your rights to your intellectual assets. We can further assist you in the development of intellectual property rights for new media technologies.

Athlete and celebrity representation: star performance
Professional sportspeople and entertainers face unique pressures. Managing them is a special challenge.

Our Clubs, Sports and Leisure team represent athletes and celebrities. We’re also experienced in negotiating with them and their agents on behalf of sports and entertainment organisations.

We’ve advised on player and entertainer contracts, sponsorship and endorsement agreements, and other issues such as defamation that have the potential to severely affect their earning potential.

We have further advised clients in matters relating to the Department of Sport and Recreation and Institute of Sport and other disciplinary bodies.

Television and Media: in the frame
Television is one of the sports and entertainment industry’s most powerful partners.

But television and other broadcasting rights agreements can be difficult to negotiate.

Turner Freeman has broad experience handling media agreements between some of Australia’s largest sports clubs and national television and radio stations.

Information Technology: switched on
New technologies connect your organisation, its members, its personalities and its partners in exciting new ways. But they present more than purely technical challenges - they also generate a host of new legal issues.

As the sports and leisure business becomes more reliant on these new forums and channels your legal rights and obligations can be impacted dramatically.

Our team will give you smart advice on technology - from transactions, software licensing and disputes resolution to online rights and computer use policies.

Litigation and Court Proceedings: settling differences
Litigation and disputes can and have put clubs and organisations out of business, so it makes sense to retain a well-regarded law firm that will give you insightful and reliable advice. Turner Freeman has a proven record of successful litigation and dispute resolution over 50 years. Our lawyers have advised clubs, sportsmen, and leisure organisations on preventing, avoiding, and defending themselves in legal proceedings.

See our Clubs and Licensing Court Cases

Contracts: put it in writing
A considered and well-written contract can save you time, stress and money by avoiding future disputes and litigation. Our clubs, sports and leisure legal team has years of experience in producing contracts for players, employees, venue usage and suppliers as well as media and sponsorship agreements. We will help you produce clear, workable contracts.

If you experience a dispute regarding a contract, our highly proficient litigation lawyers will work with you towards a favourable outcome to minimise the negative impact on your business.

Our clients

Turner Freeman’s clubs, sports and leisure team represents:

Registered clubs
Sporting clubs and organisations
Venue operators
Financial institutions
Insurance companies
Athletes, celebrities and other private clients
Administrators and liquidators
Statutory authorities
Property developers
Hotels
Restaurants
Universities

Clubs, sports and entertainment client testimonials

Dooley’s Lidcombe Catholic Club

“[Turner Freeman] appreciates the challenges that our industry currently faces. [Their] communication and accessibility was great…I was always kept properly informed…They delivered results that [exceeded] our expectations.”

Greg Kearins, General Manager, Dooley’s Lidcombe Catholic Club Ltd

Paltronics Australasia

Turner Freeman are energetic in their protection of us. In my opinion they are aggressive and honest in that protection. Our company is involved in the casino and gambling environment, which is highly regulated, so precise legal advice is not only required but essential for survival. They developed a good relationship not only with me but the senior managers, which contributed to us getting invaluable and timely advice.

Mr Stephen Cowan, Managing Director, Paltronics Australasia Pty Ltd

Click here for clubs, sports and entertainment case studies

Personal service you deserve: a refreshing change

We recognise that your business and situation is like no other, so before we even attempt a solution we thoroughly investigate every element with you.

You will also have direct access to our partners, who will treat you as if you were our only client.

More than that, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how we take every aspect of your business—current and planned—into account when presenting advice to you. Because we want you as a long-term customer, we’re committed to tailoring legal solutions to you so your business grows and prospers.

Unlike other law firms, our half-century of business experience helps us understand your needs and give you proactive advice that works, particularly in relation to clubs, sports and leisure. And with a comprehensive range of other practice areas we can handle all your legal needs under one roof.

Further information

If you’d like more information on clubs, sports and leisure law, contact Turner Freeman or try the following organisations:

For general information about clubs, sports and leisure matters

Australasian Legal Information Institute
www.austlii.edu.au
Australian Law Online
www.law.gov.au

For information about sports law matters

Australia and New Zealand Sports Law Association Inc. (ANZSLA)
www.anzsla.com.au
Tel. 03 9813 8509

For more information about sports, recreation and tourism

Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation
www.tourism.nsw.gov.au