King’s Speech: sport recognised as growth driver

Trevor Watkins, Scott Oxley and Dom White of Pinsent Masons were commenting after the Bill was trailed in the King’s Speech on Wednesday. It is expected to be introduced into the UK parliament in the coming months.

According to a background briefing paper (129-page / 2MB PDF) published alongside the speech, the bill is designed to establish “a common legislative framework that can be applied to major sporting events in the UK”. The government said having such a framework in place will ensure the UK “can meet commitments to international sporting event owners confidently, without the delay or uncertainty caused by having to legislate for each one”.

“The importance of major sporting events to a country is manifold,” said Trevor Watkins of Pinsent Masons, former AFC Bournemouth chairman and sports law specialist.

“We have witnessed this first-hand having worked on multiple events over the years, the sense of pride, community, encouragement of participation and the economic benefits are significant – for example those from of London 2012 are still seen to this day. Notwithstanding this, the rules and regulations of a country will potentially cut across the hosting of such events, creating obstacles that need to be overcome, for example on taxation of participants, the ease of visas and the ability to construct and deliver the facilities that are now expected. The government taking measures to smooth that pathway can in my view only be a good thing,” he added.

“The impact of the development will be significant to the UK in a global economy where the business of sport and entertainment as one of the world’s largest sectors is a significant catalyst for investment and as a result drives significant competition for securing the rights to host leading events,” Watkins said.

Under the government’s plans, each future sporting event will be subject to its own specific measures, as is the case currently, but ministers will be empowered by the proposed new law to apply provisions they consider appropriate via secondary legislation – providing ministers with more flexibility and reducing the time it takes to introduce such measures into law.

The bill will further create a UK-wide offence for the resale of tickets for major sporting events, and seek to combat ambush marketing by introducing a UK-wide prohibition on unauthorised association with a sporting event and measures to restrict advertising and trading around event locations. Legislation made for major events hosted in the UK in recent times, including the London 2012 Olympics, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and in Birmingham in 2022, all included such measures.

Transport planning will also be addressed in the new bill.

The government said the bill will be used to support the delivery of the 2028 UEFA Men’s European Football Championships (EURO 2028) and could, among other events, subsequently support the hosting of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2035 if the UK is chosen as host for the tournament.

Commercial law expert Scott Oxley of Pinsent Masons said: “Alongside the clear focus on hosting major events, the King’s Speech also reflects the increasing importance of sport as an investment and commercial asset class. Major events are no longer just moments of national pride – they are platforms for long-term revenue generation, global brand exposure and inward investment.”

“Ensuring the UK remains competitive in that space will require more than ambition; it will depend on creating a regulatory and commercial environment that gives investors, rights holders and organisers certainty. That means addressing practical barriers around delivery, but also supporting the commercial frameworks – from ticketing to infrastructure – that underpin successful events. If done well, this presents a significant opportunity for the UK to reinforce its position as a leading global sports market,” he said.

Dom White, a data protection lawyer at Pinsent Masons, said a more structured and trusted ticketing ecosystem, envisaged under the bill, would provide “greater confidence for rights holders and organisers, and improved protection for fans against fraud and inflated prices”. He said it would enable increased adoption of digital and ID-linked ticketing models too, which would allow for “more seamless event access, better crowd management, and enhanced fan experience”.

Greater use of ticketing data to support event delivery, security and personalisation would also offer opportunities for innovation across fan engagement and event operations, providing event organisers manage associated compliance issues, according to White.

“From a data protection perspective, this shift will require careful consideration of proportionality, transparency and data sharing arrangements,” White said. “Direct marketing risks will also need to be navigated, given communications linked to ticketing often move beyond service messages into marketing, together with those associated with any profiling of fans. However, with the right safeguards, including data protection impact assessments in place, where appropriate, this new tech- and data-led approach to enabling fan access to stadia can underpin a more secure and efficient model for major events.”

“Culturally, while access may become more structured through official channels, this supports fairness and integrity in ticket distribution, aligning with the broader objective of making major events accessible and well-managed for genuine fans,” he added.