Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £10,620 for the course
International/EU: £10,995 for the course -
How long will I study?
2 Years
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Where will I study?
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When do I start?
January 2026
Course summary
- Engage in online taught learning from anywhere, with continuous training and practice.
- Learn from top sports law experts and practitioners.
- Gain expertise in sports law procedures at tribunals like CAS, FIFA’s Football Tribunal, and National Anti-Doping Panels.
- Improve your employability through placements, internships and real-world sporting disputes.
The course will help you gain clinical expertise in the resolution of sport-related disputes – arming you with the knowledge and confidence to effectively advise and represent clients. You’ll gain expertise in pre-trial behaviour, negotiation, arbitration, and advocacy, engaging with real-life cases in a range of practice areas.
Graduate view
'I learnt from highly experienced law practitioners on this course, and received exceptional support. I am now studying a legal practice course in pursuit of a career as a sports lawyer.'
Hannah Pike, LLM International Sports Law in Practice, 2018 graduate
How you learn
This course gives you the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to effectively advise and represent clients in complex sport-related disputes. You’ll gain expertise in the practice and procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), FIFA's Football Tribunal, the National Anti-Doping Panel in the UK and other disciplinary courts and tribunals.
You’ll experience a high quality, supportive and intensive learning environment. The overall approach emphasises knowledge and understanding in policy, procedure and practice in sports law, while enhancing your intellectual and employability skills to postgraduate level.
You learn through:
- Lectures
- Guided reading
- Seminars
- Peer support and reflection
- Workshops
- Student presentations
- Independent learning
- Reflection and evaluation
Course topics
You’ll explore core topics including commercial regulation and contractual obligations in sport, sport finance, and international sport marketing and sponsorship. You’ll also gain experience while completing a business consultancy project (via business consultancy or dissertation).
In addition to these core topics, you’ll have the opportunity to shape your learning journey by selecting elective topics – from anti-doping law to football law. This tailored approach means you can focus on specific areas within the sports industry that match your career objectives and personal interests.
You’ll benefit from small group teaching and one-to-one support, developing peer-supported investigative and analytical approaches to the issues you explore. In groups you’ll produce research reports and draft legal documents for the preparation of litigation.
The course also provides opportunities for formative assessment and feedback – a key method for the clinical nature of the course, providing the vocational and employability skills you’ll need in the industry.
Course support
You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through several key areas. These include:
- Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development.
- Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments.
- Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities.
Applied learning
The course places a special emphasis on the development of professional and transferable key skills, preparing you for future employment.
Networking opportunities
The course is designed in a manner which creates unique and unparalleled expertise in the practice of sports law. The eminent sports lawyers teaching on the course – and the strong professional links of the course with major stakeholders in the field – create unique employment opportunities for the students (for example, placements in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games).
Work placements
With several placement opportunities, students can transfer their knowledge, skills and expertise immediately into a professional setting.
These may include internships and shadowing opportunities (at home and abroad, including the UK, USA, South Africa, Switzerland, Germany, Greece and in countries that organise the Olympic Games) with anti-doping agencies, sport governing bodies, agents’ firms, football clubs, basketball clubs, and others.
Previous students have secured placements with prestigious organisations such as the Olympics Pro Bono Legal Team, Law Offices of Howard Jacobs and ProSport International.
The course offers:
- Development of both work-based and work-related learning modules in conjunction with industry partners.
- The development of simulation modules that draw out high level employability skills within a safe environment.
- The use of employability mentors for graduate students.
The utilisation of a wider range of staff who can embed employability skills into the curriculum.
More specifically, the underpinning rationale for this course is to prepare students for work in the field of sports law and associated careers. The purpose of this focus is to help students to develop transferable attributes that aid their career development in other arenas. The applied and clinical nature of this course means that students will be working with practitioners from the field of sports law throughout their period of study. This includes
- Teaching input from sports law practitioners.
- Monitoring and review of case studies.
- Active engagement with live and simulated cases.
- Placement, internship, shadowing, and networking opportunities.
Course leaders and tutors
Dr Gregory Ioannidis
Course LeaderI am a sports lawyer with expertise in anti-doping litigation. I joined Sheffield Hallam University in 2014 as a senior lecturer in law.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
This module will examine a variety of real-life sport situations that require you to appreciate the business, legal and ethical dilemmas facing those that participate in and manage sport enterprises, in a clinical setting. You will explore, offer analysis, and discuss possible resolutions to specific dilemmas. In so doing, students will gain increased knowledge and a deeper understanding of the role and influence of those involved in the sport experience on the business and legal aspects as they apply to amateur and professional sports.
You’ll study topics such as:
- The Bosman Case and the European Commission’s Policy for Sport
- Competition Law & Self-Regulation
- Sport Agents & Regulation: A Comparative Approach
- Broadcasting Rights
- Risk Management
- Employment & Labour Issues in Sport
The aim of this module is to enable you to analyse and evaluate the characteristics of professional sport using a finance based conceptual framework. On completion of the module, you will be able to understand how finance and governance affects the professional sporting landscape and you will develop a critical understanding of financial decision making tools and techniques in professional sport.
You’ll study topics such as:
- Structure and scope of professional sport leagues
- Governance of professional sport
- Ownership structures
- Broadcasting rights
- Revenue generation and diversification
- Legislation and regulation
- Performance appraisal in professional team sport
- Financial analysis in professional team sport
- Sport data analytics
Final year
Compulsory modules
The module aims to provide students with a range of transferable skills for legal research, analysis of a range of methodological approaches, and to provide guidance on good and ethical practice for project management in postgraduate legal scholarship. A key feature of the module will be in the developing the students’ ability to reflect on problems in business and develop methods to solve these problems, with emphasis on dispute resolution, negotiation, and client care principles.
You’ll study topics such as:
- Postgraduate study: goals, methods, management, and research tools
- Analysis of law: analysis and criticism
- Evaluating legal research: assessing, writing and presenting research findings
- Develop a specific methodology for the creation of successful management practice, including a strategy for risk management, human resources development and client care framework
- Apply sponsorship theory in practice
- Explain how sport sponsorship proposals are designed and evaluated
- Enable students to design a sport sponsorship proposal
- Enable students to design a sport marketing plan
- Discuss the principles of international sport marketing and branding theory
- Critically analyse the international sport market and its characteristics
- Explain how international sport marketing strategy should be developed
- Apply consumer behaviour research in the international sport market
You’ll study topics such as:
- The Sport Product
- Branding the Sport Product
- Analysis of the Sport Product / Branding
- Intro to Sponsorship
- Sponsorship Exercises
- Sponsorship Objectives
- Sponsorship Strategy / Case Study Analysis
- Sponsorship Benefits and The Sponsorship Proposal
- Sponsorship Exercises
- Strategic Marketing Analysis
- Marketing Exercises
- Sponsorship Evaluation
Elective modules
The module has as an aim to help you understand and unlock complex anti-doping disputes. The students will learn the important elements of assistance, advice and representation in sporting relationships. They will gain expertise in unlocking and resolving anti-doping disputes, as well as gaining an understanding of the regulation of sporting activities and relationships. The ultimate aim is for you to be able to present a case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
You’ll study topics such as:
- Self-regulation and organisational structure
- WADA and drug-testing policy, roles and responsibilities
- Results management, policing and enforcing, human rights
- CAS, dispute resolution, disciplinary proceedings and litigation
- Jurisprudence and case studies
- Advice, representation and VIVA
The module has as an aim to help you understand and unlock complex football law disputes. You will learn the important elements of assistance, advice and representation in sporting relationships. They will gain expertise in unlocking and resolving football law disputes, as well as gaining an understanding of the regulation of sporting activities and relationships. The ultimate aim is for you to be able to present a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
You’ll study topics such as:
- Self-regulation and organisational structure
- EC, Bosman, regulation and contractual rights
- Third party ownership
- Financial Fair Play regulations
- Football transfers, regulations and jurisprudence, regulation of intermediaries
- CAS, FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, dispute resolution, disciplinary proceedings and litigation.
- Jurisprudence and case studies
- Advice, representation and VIVA
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Anti-doping law
- Football law
- Sport governance
- Sport administration
- Sport agency and consultancy (in marketing and practice in law)
- Sports law
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- Barnsley FC
- Celtic FC
- Manchester City FC
- Nottingham Forest FC
- The Football Association
- Prosport International (South Africa)
- The FA (Football Association)
- UK Anti-Doping
- UK Golf
- The Olympic Games
- Harry Drury Solicitors (UK),
- Highbridge Law Firm (Denmark)
- Sports Law Expert (UK and USA)
Equipment and facilities
This course is delivered exclusively online.
We use dedicated online platforms designed for effective teaching, along with a plethora of electronic library resources, live and recorded sessions, and weekly one-to-one training sessions with the tutors.
Where will I study?
You study this course online from any location
Entry requirements
All students
A 2:2 degree or above in Law, Business, Sports Science or a related degree.
Relevant work experience will be considered.
You also need to provide two satisfactory references.
If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS 6.5 score with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in all other skill areas or equivalent.
If you do not have such academic qualifications we may consider your application individually, based on your personal, professional and work experience, and other formal qualifications. You may also be able to claim credit points which can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting distance learning study in 2025/26 is £10,620 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time. Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2025/26 is £5,310 per year.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting distance learning study in 2025/26 is £10,995 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time. Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting part-time study in 2025/26 is £5,500 per year.
Scholarships and financial support
Find information on scholarships, bursaries and postgraduate student loans.
International scholarships up to £3000 ›
Alumni scholarships up to £2000 ›
Postgraduate loans for UK students ›
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Law and Justice (PDF, 141.3KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
