Ogier Leman were the successful legal provider in a recent Irish Sports Council tender to insert Just Sport Ireland arbitration provisions into the governing documents of 20 National Governing Bodies (NGBs).  The logic behind the initiative is to avoid costly High Court litigation in the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved within the NGB. The aim is to amend each NGB’s rules which will provide that any disputes must be dealt with by Just Sport Ireland (JSI) and their rules.

JSI is an independent dispute resolution service for Irish Sport offering both a Mediation and Arbitration facility to any member of an NGB that seeks to challenge the legality of any decision made or procedure used at committee level at the NGB.

By making these amendments all NGBs which receive Irish Sports Council funding will now have activated JSI arbitration clauses in their rules so that sports disputes remain away from the High Court.

This is a more cost-effective and time-efficient solution to dispute resolution than pursuing protracted and extremely expensive court action. NGBs are required to operate on a tight budget and this initiative which Ogier Leman are implementing will ensure that NGBs’ finances are not exhausted on lawyers costs.

For more information contact Morgan Crowe.

Disclaimer

This publication is for guidance purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice. No liability is accepted by Ogier Leman for any action taken or not taken in reliance on the information set out in this publication. Professional or legal advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from any action as a result of the contents of this publication. Any and all information is subject to change.