International corporate law firm gunnercooke is launching a dedicated sports division, gunnercookeSport, led by former Millwall Football Club CEO and English Football League Director, Steve Kavanagh.
gunnercookeSport will offer a comprehensive suite of services to sports clubs and athletes at all stages of their careers. This includes legal counsel, operational expertise, and sports management. The team boasts vast experience working with professional sporting bodies such as FIFA, the NFL, and organizations from tennis, cricket, rugby, sailing, boxing, and athletics.
The division’s services will encompass various areas, including contract negotiations, sponsorship and image rights, regulatory compliance, employment matters, business reviews, interim support, personal finance and taxation, transfer and loan agreements, facility management, and mergers & acquisitions.
Steve has 25 years’ C-Suite experience in football, having served as CEO and Finance Director across all levels of professional league football in England, including the Premier League. His extensive experience includes roles as a member of the FA Council, The Professional Game Board (PGB), The Professional Game Forum (PGF), and Vice Chairman of The FA Cup Committee. He has worked for clubs including Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Southend United.
Steve has also served on the EFL Board, represented Championship clubs during the Fan-Led Review, and played a key role in the creation of football’s first independent regulator. He has also managed high-profile disputes including property negotiations, player contracts and commercial litigation. He is now an expert member for Sport Resolutions.
Steve will spearhead the firm’s consolidated launch into the sports industry, compiling its existing expertise across practice areas including competition law, employment, corporate, new world technologies such as blockchain and crypto, and real estate. The team includes lawyers, consultants, accountants, and business coaches who can offer support to professional clubs, athletes, and support businesses throughout the full lifecycle of their careers.
Steve commented: “I’m really excited to be joining gunnercooke for this unique opportunity. The team have experience working with some of the biggest sports clubs and organisations and I’m looking forward to bringing them together to create a specialist full-service offering that is completely unique to the market.”
Darryl Cooke, Founder of gunnercooke, added: “With the regulatory environment evolving, there is more pressure on clubs, players and the sports community to do the right thing. They need advice and guidance from trusted advisors, and we have developed gunnercookeSport to meet this need. Steve is the perfect candidate to lead the department, having a wide breadth of experience in sports business management, meaning he truly understands the industry’s needs. I believe he will help bring a uniqueness to gunnercooke and our sports work and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
gunnercooke is a full-service law firm operating as a fee share model, with 15 offices across Europe and the US. The team comprises 600 lawyers acting for over 40,000 clients.