Club licence lawyer
No licence, no competition
The licence decides whether your club may line up next season. In Belgian professional football the licence commission assesses the file of every club: the finances, the infrastructure, the youth academy and the administration. A refusal does not only hit the first team. It hits the budget, the squad, the sponsors and the volunteers who had already planned the season.
Everest Sports Law builds licence files, defends them before the licence commission and runs the appeal before the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport (BAS). We also advise clubs under the UEFA club licensing system, with its rules on financial sustainability, and clubs in other federations where a recognition or a permit is needed to take part in the competition.
What a club licence lawyer does for your club
From the first stocktaking in autumn to the appeal hearing.
Building the licence file
An application is a file of evidence with fixed deadlines: annual accounts, a cash flow forecast, proof that salaries and social security contributions are paid, contracts and certificates. We build it with your accountant and your board, and we watch the filing date.
The financial conditions
The financial test looks at continuity: can you finish the season and meet your obligations. Overdue salaries, unpaid social security or tax, and negative equity all weigh heavily. We name the problem early, so there is still time to solve it.
Infrastructure, youth and governance
Beyond the figures come conditions on the stadium and safety, on the youth academy and qualified staff, and on the structure of the company or the non-profit. We test your statutes, your contracts and your organisation against the rules of the governing body.
Proceedings before the licence commission
The commission puts questions, calls for documents and holds a hearing. What you file and say there decides the outcome. We write the submissions, prepare your directors for the hearing, and argue the case.
Appeal after a refusal or a withdrawal
A refusal is not the end. The appeal goes to the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport, which reconsiders the case within a short time limit. The withdrawal of a licence during the season can be challenged as well. We file the request and defend the club at the hearing.
UEFA and European competition
A club that qualifies for European football also needs a UEFA licence and falls under the rules on financial sustainability. That assessment runs first through the national association and then through UEFA, with appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Preparing the next season
A licence file is won in the months before the deadline, not in the week after a refusal. We hold your accounts, your contracts and your infrastructure against the criteria while there is still time to correct them. Where a shortfall cannot be avoided, we prepare the explanation and the supporting evidence that the commission expects to see. A file that answers the criteria point by point leaves far less room for a refusal on formal grounds.
How a file runs
Who decides
First the licence commission of your governing body. Then the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport in Brussels, which sits as an arbitral tribunal and reconsiders the merits. For European licences the competent UEFA body decides, with appeal to the CAS in Lausanne.
Which deadlines
The licensing calendar is fixed long in advance: a filing date, a decision some weeks later, and an appeal period counted in days. Those dates do not move because your file is not ready. Start preparing in autumn, not in spring.
What you do first
Gather the annual accounts, the interim figures, the overview of debts to players, social security and tax, and the correspondence with the governing body. Tell us as well what is not yet in order. A problem we know in advance is one we can still frame.
Frequently asked questions
When does our licence file have to be ready?
The licensing calendar is fixed long in advance: a filing date, a decision some weeks later, and an appeal period counted in days. Those dates do not move because your file is not ready. Start preparing in autumn, not in spring.
What does a licence file usually fail on?
Rarely on sporting performance. Usually on a missing certificate, an outstanding debt or a late filing. Unpaid salaries, unpaid social security or tax and negative equity weigh heavily. A late or incomplete file is as a rule not allowed to be completed afterwards.
Our licence has been refused. What now?
A refusal is not the end. The appeal goes to the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport, which reconsiders the merits within a short time limit. Ask at once for the reasoned decision and the full file, because the appeal is judged on the situation as it stands at that moment.
Can a licence be withdrawn during the season?
Yes, and that decision can be challenged too. The route is the same as after a refusal: the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport in Brussels sits as an arbitral tribunal and reconsiders the merits.
What do we need in addition for European football?
A UEFA licence, on top of the national one. The club then also falls under the rules on financial sustainability. That assessment runs first through the national association and then through UEFA, with appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Sports we handle this domain in
Football ↗
Everest Sports Law is your football lawyer in Belgium for clubs
Cycling ↗
Everest Sports Law is your cycling lawyer in Belgium for riders
Athletics ↗
Everest Sports Law is your athletics lawyer in Belgium for selection, doping
Golf ↗
A golf lawyer in Belgium for players, clubs and organisers: management contracts
Fitness, Bodybuilding & Powerlifting ↗
Charged after a doping control at a fitness centre? Our doping lawyer
Basketball ↗
A basketball lawyer in Belgium for players, clubs, agents and federations: contracts