About
Darren has decades of experience in sports law and sports regulation leadership roles, both in house and in private practice. He is a consultant to the firm and is Co-Founder of Sport 360.
Darren is admitted to practise in England and Wales.
Darren is admitted to practise in England and Wales.
Experience
- Partner and Head of Governance at a leading sports law firm acting for a range of clients including international federations, football clubs and major events.
- Author of the entirely new global regulatory framework for Rugby Union when the game became professional.
- Represented the International Tennis Federation in high profile High Court, Court of Appeal and Court of Arbitration for Sport proceedings to variously defend the principle of strict liability in anti-doping codes and the appropriate application of European law to sports regulation.
- First Director of Legal and Legislative Affairs at the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) and Rugby World Cup, including overseeing the legal aspects of commercial and anti-infringement programmes for the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups and sevens events in Argentina, Hong Kong and Dubai.
- Represented Rugby World Cup in the New Zealand Select Committee process that saw the Major Event Management Act introduced in to New Zealand law to provide special protection for the commercial and ticketing programme for the 2011 Tournament.
- Director of Football Governance and Regulation at the FA responsible for managing a team of 75 sports personnel and leading in areas such as discipline, anti-doping, integrity, financial regulation, legal, refereeing, competitions, professional game services, player status issues and on field and off field regulatory matters.
- Chief Regulatory Officer of the Football Regulatory Authority.
- Director of The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd the company that oversees elite professional refereeing.
- Chair of the Expert Group on Good Governance established by the European Commission responsible for identifying the 10 Principles of Good Governance for Sports Bodies.
- Member of the Sports Betting Integrity Panel 2009/10.
- Co-chair of the UK Sports Betting Integrity Forum and former member of the Sports Betting Group.
- Established the FA Integrity unit and overseen various integrity investigations, promoting closer liaison with the Gambling Commission and law enforcement bodies.
- Editor of Sports Law Journal Sports Law Administration and practice for 20 years.
