Mishcon de Reya Partner Simon Leaf and Managing Associate Tom Murray have co-authored a piece in City AM predicting the major sports tech and sports law trends for 2023.
Their predictions focus primarily on emerging technologies and the use of data, the growth of sports internationally - with particular reference to the growing influence of investors and nation-states in the Middle East - and the likelihood of greater regulation in football.
Simon and Tom wrote: “[We] predict that the Middle East will continue to be a central focus for the sports world in 2023 and beyond – with at least one of either Manchester United or Liverpool receiving investment from the region.
At the end of 2021, we noted that sports regulators around the world were gearing up for increased regulation; a call which proved to be correct. This looks set to continue in 2023 – particularly in the world of football, with plans to move ahead with a new independent regulator.
The pervasiveness of data capture in sport is clear. During the 2022 football World Cup, for example, we have seen an unprecedented level of tracking. We predict that this will continue to pose novel legal questions about the ability to commercially exploit and access such data, which will keep sports lawyers busy in 2023 and beyond.”
Simon and Tom also recapped their 2022 predictions, which were also featured in City AM.
Read the 2023 predictions in full.