2016 has been a busy year so far for the Sports & Events Management practice at Al Tamimi & Company. The team has been kept busy with a steady flow of new instructions on some interesting projects and continuing requirements for our growing list of regular clients. Below are some examples of recent projects:
• 2016 Formula 1TM Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Advising Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management LLC on an ongoing basis to provide legal support for the delivery of the 2016 F1 season-ending race event in Abu Dhabi. For more information click here.
• Ras Al Khaimah European Challenge Tour
Retained by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority to advise on commercial and licensing matters relating to the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah European Challenge Tour event taking place at Al Hamra Golf Club in October 2016. Click here for further information.
• Saudi Arabian General Authority of Sports
Retained by the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Sports to undertake a review of the club regulations which have included reviewing and drafting regulations.
• Professional Football Clubs & Agents
We have advised a growing number of professional football clubs, players and agents in connection with matters ranging from compliance to disciplinary proceedings and player contracts across the GCC.
• Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority
Advising Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority on legal aspects in relation to the development and operation of a Via Ferrata on Jebel Jais Mountain, to be opened in November 2016.
• Abu Dhabi Tour 2016/2017
Retained by RCS Sports & Events DMCC to advise on all aspects of the Abu Dhabi Tour (recently granted UCI status for 2017) providing legal support to organise and deliver the event, as well as sponsorship and broadcast arrangements. For more information click here.
• Les Mills International Limited
Acting for a leading global provider of fitness programs and services to support Middle East development plans.
• UAE based F4 Series
Retained by Rasgaira Motorsports to advise a team for the exciting new F4 series taking place from October with races at the Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit. For more information click here.
Pro Bono Work:
• Bandar Al Hamidani (Senior Associate in our Riyadh office) appointed Deputy Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
• Kais Zayadin (Senior Associate in the Jordan office) has continued his work as Head of Disciplinary Committee at Jordanian Football Association working on a number of matters.
• Steve Bainbridge, Bushra Abu Tayeh and Christiane Najm have been involved in advising The Mawada Project, a kids and youth community-service learning initiative based in Sharjah. The initiative is led by Noha Mahdi, the winner of the Innovate for Society Competition 2015, organised by Al Bayt Mitwahid and supported by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For more information about the initiative, click here.
Articles & Information:
• Sports Law Review – Al Tamimi & Company's Sports Law & Events Management practice is pleased to confirm we will be contributing the UAE chapter to the Sports Law Review for a second year. The second edition is scheduled to be published in early 2017, with contributions from Ivor McGettigan and Laila El Shentanawi as well as Steve Bainbridge.
• The FIFA Regulations on working with Intermediaries – Bandar Al Hamidani drafted the KSA chapter based on the 2015 regulations which was published in May 2016.
• St John’s University School of Law – Steve Bainbridge has been invited for the second consecutive year to be part the visiting Faculty of the LL.M in International Sports Law Practice, lecturing at their NYC Campus on “Governance Issues in Sports" and "Conducting Legal Audits of Sports Entities" in October 2016.
• Cambridge Forums – Steve Bainbridge is a member of the Steering Committee for the forthcoming International Forum on Sports Law, an invitation only conference for sports lawyers in private practice, in early December at Pennyhill Park, UK.
• LawInSport.com – Earlier this year Steve Bainbridge was appointed to the LawInSport Editorial Board – read more
• Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) – Al Tamimi & Company presented a joint conference with Baer & Karrer for the SAFF in April 2016, covering a variety of legal topics of direct interest to the KSA football market, special thanks to Michele Bernasconi.
• Raj Pahuja a key member of the Sports & Events Management practice, based in our Bahrain Office, attended the Leaders in Sports conference which took place in London between 4 and 7 October and will also be attending the British Association for Sport and Law (BASL) conference on 13 October 2016.
• MICE Conference – 21 September 2016, H Hotel, Dubai – Steve Bainbridge appeared as part of a panel on optimising legal relationships to seamlessly provide successful events for public and private entities across the GCC.
• Al Tamimi's Sports & Events Management practice developed and presented an introduction to Sports Law in the UAE seminar as approved by Dubai Legal Affairs Department for Continuing Legal Professional Development (CLPD) credit.
If you would like further information on anything contained in this newsletter or you would like to discuss a sports related query please feel free to contact me
Steve Bainbridge
Regional Head of Sports Law & Events Management
s.bainbridge@tamimi.com
+971 (0) 2 813 0444