PLAY ON PODCAST - THE WOMEN’S RUGBY ASSOCIATION
In this episode, we discuss the newly-launched Women’s Rugby Association (WRA) – an independent players’ union for Allianz Premier 15s players – the formation of which Morgan Sports Law advised on.
Ben joined Morgan Sports Law in 2020, after graduating from the University of Cambridge with a First Class law degree.
He acts on a wide range of sports-related disputes, including anti-doping, disciplinary, regulatory, employment, commercial, reputational and personal injury matters.
Ben’s work spans multiple sports, but he has a particular focus on rugby union, as the leader of the firm’s dedicated rugby practice.
An avid rugby fan, Ben’s passion for the sport fuels his commitment to protecting athletes' rights and ensuring fair competition across all levels of rugby.
Ben is the founder of Rugby and the Law and his expert insights on the sport have been published in major newspapers, and on BBC radio and television. He also hosts an annual conference, The Rugby Roundtable, offering thought leadership on evolving issues in the rugby industry.
Ben regularly acts as an advocate before sports tribunals, including the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and is also fluent in Spanish.
Rugby:
- Acting for professional rugby players in complex anti-doping proceedings and substantial employment-related claims.
- Representing players from clubs including Saracens, Sale Sharks, Bordeaux and Black Lion in RFU, EPCR and Rugby Europe disciplinary proceedings.
- Securing the removal of damaging news articles by media outlets on behalf of an international rugby player.
- Advising on Doncaster Knights’ successful competition law challenge to the RFU’s Minimum Standards Criteria for promotion to the Gallagher Premiership.
- Successfully acting for an international rugby coach in a contractual dispute with a former agent, resulting in the claim against the coach being dropped.
- Advising on the formation of The Women’s Rugby Association, the first UK trade union dedicated to women’s sport, and its collective bargaining activities.
- Obtaining the maximum compensation available for former Wasps Women players in employment tribunal proceedings.
- Advising a national rugby federation in connection with Rugby World Cup 2023.
Football:
- Recovering substantial unpaid sums for a Premier League player in arbitration proceedings against his former club.
- Successfully challenging the Romanian Football Federation’s regulations for youth players, under EU competition and free movement law.
- Representing Premier League and Champions League clubs, and related individuals, in regulatory investigations.
- Bringing the first-ever personal injury claim before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
- Acting for women’s international football players in a significant claim for unpaid bonuses.
- Defending an international football player in a transfer dispute with his former club, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
- Advising a Premier League club on anti-doping matters.
Other sports:
- Successfully defending tennis players, cyclists, boxers and other athletes in anti-doping and misconduct proceedings.
- Obtaining provisional measures from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to lift the provisional suspensions of equestrian athletes prior to the Olympic Games.
- Winning selection appeals for a cyclist and an athlete ahead of World Championships and Olympic Games.
- Acting on commercial disputes relating to the sale and treatment of horses, internationally.
- Representing a tennis coach in an anti-corruption matter, including the provision of substantial assistance to the ITIA.
- Advising on challenges to decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport before the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
Publications
- England Rugby’s Overseas Player Rules – A Restraint of Trade? Rugby and the Law (24 April 2024)
- Spain’s Rugby World Cup 2023 Disqualification - Resolving Player Ineligibility Issues Ahead Of Time. LawInSport (26 August 2022)
- Premiership Rugby’s Response to COVID-19: A Competition Law Analysis. Entertainment and Sports Law Journal 20(1) (2022)
- Concussion Litigation in Rugby. Rugby and the Law (20 February 2020)
- Challenging the call: Should sports governing bodies be subject to judicial review? Int Sports Law J 20, 18–35 (2020)
- How Rugby Union Is Responding To Covid-19: A Legal Update. LawInSport (21 September 2020)
- A detailed review of disciplinary proceedings at Rugby World Cup 2019. LawInSport (16 April 2020)
More From ben
PLAY ON PODCAST – CONCUSSION AND SPORT
In this episode we collate highlights from our 2021 virtual conference, ‘Head in the Game – Concussion in Sport’.
BEN CISNEROS TO LECTURE AT SWANSEA UNIVERSITY
Morgan Sports Law’s Ben Cisneros is a guest lecturer on the Sports Management Masters degree course at Swansea University, on Friday 11 March.