Wiggin LLP has had a year of significant growth in the sport sector, notably through the addition of a seven-strong football-focused team from Walker Morris LLP, led by the experienced David Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe’s experience stretches from M&A transactions to complex litigation, and he has brought a high-profile client list with him, including various Premier League clubs. This spree of hires has significantly broadened the firm’s capabilities in football-related dispute resolution, governance, and finance. Beyond Hinchcliffe’s club-side practice, Sarah MacDonald has been active in the sponsorship space, regularly working with brands in marketing and distributing content across a variety of platforms, with clients including bet365 and Vodafone. Ross Sylvester has strong commercial acumen and co-leads the team alongside Hinchcliffe.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Ross Sylvester is fantastic, highly responsive, pragmatic and the type of lawyer you want on your team.'
Key clients
- AFC Bournemouth
- AP Saints Netball Club
- Arsenal FC
- bet365
- Burton Albion FC
- Burnley FC
- Croydon FC
- Crystal Palace FC
- DAZN
- E1 Series
- FIFA
- Formula E
Work highlights
Advising FIFA’s Commercial Legal Team as part of the relocation of FIFA’s legal team from Zurich to Miami, providing seamless outsourced solutions for this global relocation, and handling all FIFA+ matters (production, distribution, ad sales, and regulatory) and content syndication during the transition (May-October 2024).
Advising bet365 on its high-value sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League, announced in October 2024.
Advising many of the UK football sector, including over half of the English Premier League clubs and over 35 clubs/owners across the English football pyramid.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
David Hinchliffe; Ross Sylvester
Other key lawyers
Sarah MacDonald; Sarah Drake; Christian Slinger; India Swall; Tim Howden