Unit rationale, description and aim

Sports Law concerns legal issues arising out of sporting activity. The increased professionalism, internationalisation, and commercialisation of sport has resulted in the law and sport intersecting in complex ways. This has increased the need for lawyers to advise on legal matters pertaining to contracts, civil liability, criminal law, discrimination, competition and consumer law in relation to sport. Sports Law will, therefore, build on the knowledge and skills developed in Priestley units and provides the opportunity for students to further develop and apply their legal understanding, research and advocacy skills in a specialised area of law.

Students will be introduced to selected issues relating to the development of sports law within domestic and international jurisdictions. The historical, ethical and legal perspectives that have influenced the development of sports law will be examined through the use of key cases and events. The domestic anti-doping authority, Sport Integrity Australia and the global anti-doping apparatus established by the World Anti-Doping Code will be used as reference point for discussion about issues pertaining to doping and sanctions. Violence, risk and negligence will be discussed through recent case law. The unit will also cover women's sport, gender issues and the experiences of First Nations peoples in sport.

Through these issues, students will develop:

  • advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in the field of Sports Law
  •  advanced, cognitive, technical and communication skills and the ability to apply these to complex Sports law problems
  •  advanced research, writing and advocacy skills


2027 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

LAWS104 Foundations of Law and Legal Research

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Understand the role of law and other forms of regu...

Learning Outcome 01

Understand the role of law and other forms of regulation on the management of sport.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC5

Identify Sports Law issues and apply Sports Law to...

Learning Outcome 02

Identify Sports Law issues and apply Sports Law to factual scenarios
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC8, GC9

Critically reflect on the law and regulation of sp...

Learning Outcome 03

Critically reflect on the law and regulation of sport.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC9

Demonstrate oral and written communication skills....

Learning Outcome 04

Demonstrate oral and written communication skills.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC11, GC12

Content

Topics will include: 

  1. Sport, its origins and history 
  2. Domestic organisational structure and disciplinary tribunals  
  3. The international jurisdiction  
  4. Doping in sport - domestic and international regulation  
  5. Sporting contracts and athlete selection 
  6. Restraint of trade and competition 
  7. Violence and sport 
  8. Torts and sport  
  9. Gender and sport
  10. Indigenous peoples and sport
  11. Misconduct, punishment and termination  

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment strategy is designed to develop understanding, and build skills in critical analysis, advocacy and communication. Students will be assessed on: their understanding of Sports Law and their capacity to apply it to practical situations; their ability to communicate their understanding in oral and written form; their ability to critically reflect on sports law; and their capacity to engage in autonomous and group learning.

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each of the learning outcomes listed.

Overview of assessments

Students will present a prepared disciplinary tri...

Students will present a prepared disciplinary tribunal hearing, or negotiation that deals with elements of Sports Law. Students will be assessed on their understanding of Sports Law, capacity to communicate their understanding, quality of presentation, and ability to answer questions.

Weighting

50

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC5, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Students will analyse a Sports Law case or issue....

Students will analyse a Sports Law case or issue. They will be assessed on their research skills, critical understanding of the law and relevant policy issues, and understanding of academic conventions.

Weighting

50

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC3, GC5, GC7, GC9, GC11

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Mode: Lectures, tutorials, electronic consultation, library tasks and presentations or Online lectures and activities.  

Duration: 3 hours per week over 12 weeks or equivalent.  Students are expected to spend 150 hours in total for this unit. 

This level four elective unit allows students to demonstrate knowledge, skills and understanding in a specialist area of law applying Priestley knowledge to a specialised area of law and demonstrating advanced advocacy skills.  

Our teaching strategy is to encourage interactive activities, that allow students to creatively engage with unit content and to develop knowledge, skills and understanding through practical exercises and critical analysis of law and policy.

The unit is designed to be delivered in intensive, weekly or online. We have taken a blended learning approach to provide accessibility and flexibility to our students and a student focused approach that increases depth of learning and engagement through actively utilising LEO.   

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Thorpe et al, Sports law (Oxford University Press, 4th ed, 2022) https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/ce3iud/alma991013204749902352

Andy Gibson, Sports Law in Australia (2020). https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/ce3iud/alma991013107483102352

Mark James and Guy Osborne, 'Defining the Olympic Legal Framework and the IOC's Lawmaking Capability' (2025) 25The International Sports Law Journal 130.

Amanda Alexander, 'Flying Free? Risk and Regulation in Recreational Flying Trapeze' (2024) 50 Australian Feminist Law Journal 207.

Ian Freckelton, 'Concussion and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Deaths' (2023) 30 Journal of Law and Medicine 7.

Ulrich Haas and Deborah Healey, Doping in Sport and the Law (Hart Publishing, 2016) https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/ce3iud/alma991012692284002352.

Deborah Healey, 'Governance in Sport: Outside the Box?' (2012) 23 The Economic and Labour Relations Review 39.

Simon Philpott, 'Planet of the Australians: Indigenous Athletes and Australian Football's Sports Diplomacy' (2017) 38 Third World Quarterly 862.

Richard Light et al, 'The Long Road from Local Communities to Professional Sport and the Culture of the Global Sport Industry for Indigenous Australians' (2021) 24 Sport in Society 760.

Lena Holzer, 'International Sports Federations as de facto Lawmakers: Queer-feminist Explorations of the Gendered Power of Sports Law (2024) 37 Leiden Journal of International Law 891.

Lloyd Freeburn, 'Of Ball Tampering and Governance: Cricket Australia and the Legitimacy of a Sport's National Governing Body' (2017) Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Journal 171.

Sarah Carrick, 'A Two-Pronged Approach: Utilising Sports Governing Bodies' Statutes and Equal Treatment Legislation to Achieve Equality of Treatment in Women's Football' (2024) 24 The International Sports Law Journal i247.

Michel Krech, 'Gender Equality in World Athletics: Transnational Norm Development by Private International Organizations' (2025) 119 The American Journal of International Law 1.

Emily Pica et al, 'Abuse in Sports: The Influence of Victim Gender, Defendant Gender, and Type of Abuse' (2025) 40 Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology 281.

Gardiner et al, Sports Law (Taylor and Francis, 4th ed, 2012): https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/lib/acu/reader.action?docID=957130



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