Gareth Farrelly qualified as a solicitor in 2018 following a successful career as a Premier League and international footballer. He was a participant in the UEFA Masters for international Players Programme. He has accrued a wealth of experience in a wide range of white-collar crime matters, including SFO investigations and corporate compliance. Gareth has also developed significant expertise in sports law, building on his extensive practical experience in the sporting industry, and he has been involved in numerous transfers and disputes concerning current and former players, including a leading Court of Arbitration for Sport case which resulted in changes being made to the rules. Gareth was appointed as a Court of Arbitration for Sport Arbitrator in 2019. He is also a member of the Premier League Judicial Panel. In addition, he is a member of the Football Association’s Judicial Panel and sits on both the Chairman’s Panel and the Football Panel. He is a member of Sports Resolutions’ independent Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators.

In this work as a fellow at the Global Sports Initiative, Gareth will focus on sports and politics, particularly the politics of European football.