introduction

The sports law team at Mills & Reeve is pleased to welcome you to an exciting new project.

What goes on during transfer negotiations? What do agents really do? What does a player contract look like? What does a transfer agreement look like? What are release, buy-back, and sell-on clauses and how do they work? What are performance bonuses and how are they calculated? Who decides which players get work permits? Is third party ownership still a thing? How are shirt deals negotiated between sponsors and clubs and what are the terms of those deals? How does a player from one country end up representing another country in international football?

We hope to shine light on all of these issues, and many more, in an engaging and accessible way.

In order to do this, we thought it would be fun to chronicle the careers of two fictional footballers, starting with the young Brazilian striker, Reevaldo.

All of the content you'll see on this site has been written by members of the sports law team at Mills & Reeve. We have acted for football clients on landmark cases and record-breaking transfers. Our client list includes Premier League and European clubs, agents, players' unions, sponsors, and many of the best footballers on the planet.

We welcome comments, questions, feedback and enquiries, so don't hesitate to get in touch.

We hope you enjoy following Reevaldo's journey!