Case studies

Badminton England

In 2024 we became Badminton England’s Legal Partner. Through this partnership we deliver legal services and strategic support to Badminton England, its member clubs and its coaching network. Hear what Ben Nicolson, Commercial Director, had to say about working with Gateley. 

Manchester City Football Club 

Manchester City Football Club is a longstanding key client of the firm and we have a permanent secondment at the club. 

We assisted the club in relation to the development of its world leading youth academy, which is one of the few stadium adjacent academies which incorporates everything from cutting edge training and coaching facilities through to state-of-the-art office space and accommodation. 

We also acted for the club's parent company, City Football Group (CFG) on its strategic 50:50 joint venture with Goals Soccer Centres Plc, the AIM-listed operator of outdoor soccer centres, with 48 sites, including two in California. The establishment of the joint venture involved the acquisition of all of Goals' North American operations (including both existing and pipeline sites) by the joint venture company and CFG providing multi-million dollar funding to assist the joint venture company with a programme of new site openings in the US and Canada. 

Supporters Direct

Supporters Direct is a unique set-up providing help to supporters’ trusts and supporter-run football clubs. It is the first organisation of its kind and has experienced significant growth over the past five years. 

To assist the organisation and its member clubs/ trusts, we developed an enhanced legal helpline offering a direct telephone number/ email address to our specialist sports team. 

Further, the topic of social media and the law around defamation was highly relevant to Supporters Direct, as supporters often use social media to express their views. We presented to Supporters Direct at their annual conference, providing advice on how to avoid and deal with defamatory statements and how to provide ongoing support to members.