John is a partner in the Sports Business Group and Head of the Charity Law Group. With a strong commercial background, he specialises in both charity matters (including formations, mergers, governance and regulation) and the sports sector acting regularly on behalf of regulatory bodies, professional clubs and athletes including the preparation of commercial contracts, setting up charitable organisations, joint ventures, image rights structures and advising on corporate governance issues.

John has acted for over 80 professional clubs in football, rugby union, rugby league, basketball, cricket and ice hockey. He advises the Premier League, Football League Trust and their member clubs on community projects and has acted for the Rugby Football League and British Basketball League. He also acts for Premier League footballers, international rugby players and professional boxers.

• Advising Premier League players and FIFA licensed agents on the implementation of the FA Agents Regulations 2007
• Advising several leading Premier League players on the terms of their engagement of FIFA licensed football agents, boot and glove endorsement contracts and their commercial arrangements with individual sponsors outside football
• Advising a Premier League footballer on the formation of a registered charity through which he will promote community participation in sport and education to under-privileged children in the UK and overseas
• Advising a professional boxer on a promotion deal with Sports Network
• Advising a county cricket club on the merger of three affiliated charitable organisations
• Advising several UK domicile and non-UK domicile Premier League players and their agents on:-
  • The formation of image rights companies and negotiating the licence of those rights to their respective Clubs and third parties for commercial exploitation
  • Boot, glove and shin-guard endorsement contracts with top sportswear manufacturers
  • The commercial exploitation of the player's image rights outside football including media appearances and product endorsement such as fashion clothing lines

• The Great North Air Ambulance Service, a regional charity which facilitates the operation of three air ambulance helicopters across the North of England
• Falcons Community Foundation, Newcastle Falcons RFC’s affiliated sports and education charity
• The McCrory Foundation, established by former World Cruiserweight Champion, Glenn McCrory to provide sporting opportunities to disadvantaged children and young people
• The Jason Roberts Foundation, established by Blackburn Rovers FC and Grenadian international footballer, Jason Roberts, to develop sport and education both in the UK and Caribbean
• QPR in the Community Trust, Queens Park Rangers FC’s affiliated sports and education charity

He is invited regularly to speak at Premier League conferences and contributes to industry publications on legal issues in the sports sector, including When Saturday Comes.