Bitesize Updates
‘Arena Agreement’: San Siro Sale
30/09/25
After a heated overnight meeting, the Milan City Council narrowly voted to proceed with the sale of the iconic San Siro stadium (and its land) to the AC Milan and Inter Milan football clubs. The total purchase price of €197m¹ will end the roughly €3.5m in annual rent that each club pays to the city for use of the stadium,² with the two teams expected to continue using the venue for the near future.
The 99-year-old stadium has been deemed unfit to host Euro 2032 fixtures in Italy,³ and the two football clubs are expected to demolish and rebuild the famous stadium on the existing site in time for the major international tournament.⁴
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ttps://football-italia.net/official-milan-council-san-siro-milan-inter/ (accessed 30/09/25)
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https://onefootball.com/en/news/revealed-inter-milan-ac-milan-payments-to-city-of-milan-for-rental-of-san-siro-40103760 (accessed 30/09/25)
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https://footballgroundguide.com/news/san-siro-update-inter-milan-president-warning.html (accessed 30/09/25)
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https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/milan-city-council-officially-approve-sale-of-san-siro-to-inter-ac-milan-paving-way-for-new-stadium (accessed 30/09/25)
'Ticket Trap': BBC Reveals Premier League Ticket Black Market
19/09/25
A BBC Sport investigation has revealed a thriving black market for Premier League tickets, with thousands being resold at inflated prices through unauthorised channels.¹ Under section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994,² the unauthorised resale of football tickets is a criminal offence. The BBC Sport exposé highlights the enforcement challenges surrounding policing secondary ticketing, with more work needed to prevent black-market sellers profiting from a business that drives up ticket costs for fans.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cwy9dlqxx2ro (accessed 19/09/2025)
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https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/section/166 (accessed 19/09/2025)
'Referee Rights': Tougher Penalties Under Italy’s Amended Criminal Code
An amendment to Article 583 of Italy’s Criminal Code will give referees the same legal protections from violence and abuse as other public officials.¹ Prompted by a rise in abuse throughout the Italian football pyramid,² the amendment (drafted after months of consultation with the Italian Referees Association) aims to deter offenders, with offences such as pushing, hitting, or threatening now carrying significantly tougher penalties, including potential custodial sentences.³
25/06/25
'Dockside Deal': Everton awards naming rights to Liverpool law firm as £750m stadium nears completion
23/05/25
Everton Football Club have announced a long-term agreement with law firm Hill Dickinson for the naming rights to their soon-to-open £750m stadium.¹ The full-service law firm (known for its speciality in maritime law)² is ‘Liverpool’s largest global law firm’, and boasts twelve offices across six countries,³ pulling in a combined £57m in profit last year.⁴ Its 400-lawyer strong Liverpool office⁵ is located less than two miles from Everton’s new stadium (set to open for the start of the 2025-2026 Premier League season). The exact details of the naming rights deal are not publicly available, but sports market intelligence specialist Sportcal reports the deal to be worth £6m a year (excluding add-ons).⁶
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https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c9dq5d41p33o (accessed 23/05/25)
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https://www.hilldickinson.com/sectors/marine (accessed 23/05/25)
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https://www.legalcheek.com/firm/hill-dickinson/ (accessed 23/05/25)
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https://www.sportcal.com/betting/deal-focus-everton-nets-hill-dickinson-as-stadium-naming-rights-partner/?cf-view&cf-closed (accessed 23/05/25)
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https://www.legalcheek.com/firm/hill-dickinson/ (accessed 23/05/25)
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https://www.sportcal.com/betting/deal-focus-everton-nets-hill-dickinson-as-stadium-naming-rights-partner/?cf-view&cf-closed (accessed 23/05/25)
‘Scrumming Together’: WER and USA Rugby formalise partnership ahead of historic season
08/05/2025
In advance of its inaugural season, the Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) competition has signed a sanctioning agreement with USA Rugby in a deal that the latter’s CEO describes as establishing a ‘multi-level collaboration’.¹ The WEL is the U.S.’ first professional women’s rugby league, with six teams from across the country competing from March to June.
The sanctioning agreement document has not been made available to the public, but deals such as these by national governing bodies typically: recognise the legitimacy of the new league; ensure the rules, standards and guidelines of the new league comply with governing body standards; confirm that league participants retain eligibility for national team selection; and provide pathways for collaboration and support between the two parties in areas such as scheduling, development pathways, and resource/funding sharing.
‘Crowd Pleaser’: Think Beyond report shows economic impact of marquee London sporting events.
08/05/2025
In partnership with the Mayor of London, a newly released Think Beyond report has determined that the six most prominent 2024 major sporting events in the nation’s capital have generated an estimated £230m of ‘direct economic impact’. It highlights the extraordinary spectator spending associated with London NFL and MLB games across the past two decades (estimated at over £600m), and outlines the Mayor’s plans for future sporting ambitions and major event hosting bids in the short and long term. The report leads the Mayor to claim that ‘London is the sporting capital of the world’.
The full report can be accessed here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-04/Major_Sports_Events_Impact_for_London_2024_Report-28April25_0.pdf