LLM in Sports Law
The Master's in Sports Law at Escuela Universitaria del Real Madrid Universidad Europea is an intensive 9-month program designed for law graduates seeking to specialise in the legal aspects of the sports industry. Throughout the program, you will gain in-depth knowledge in key areas such as sports taxation, dispute resolution, and commercial regulation.
This Master's in Sports Law offers exclusive, hands-on experiences such as the Moot Court—one of the most widely used practices in U.S. law schools—where you will simulate a legal proceeding before an actual panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
What will you learn in this Master's?
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the legal ecosystem of sport, including governance, anti-doping, and player rights, with a global and multidisciplinary perspective.
- Learn directly from top professionals in the sector through real legal cases, masterclasses, and internships with leading institutions and clubs, including Real Madrid C.F.
Live the Real Madrid Experience. During the program, you will have the opportunity to choose an international trip designed to visit the main governing and regulatory bodies of international sport.
See the Spanish version: Máster Universitario en Derecho Deportivo
Private degree issued by Universidad Europea de Madrid
Classes in English | Alcobendas | Start: 20 oct. 2025 | Faculty of Medicine, Health and Sport | Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea |
Simulate, solve, and learn by tackling real cases
Moot Court
This is one of the most widely used practices among U.S. law schools, where you will participate in a competition alongside your fellow master’s students that simulates a sports arbitration court, closely modeled after the procedures of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)—the highest sports arbitration body in the world.
The judges of the tribunal are actual CAS arbitrators or highly experienced lawyers who have handled numerous proceedings before FIFA and CAS. They are specialists in Sports Law with both deep theoretical knowledge and extensive practical expertise.
Complementary Academic Activities
You will have the opportunity to visit both private and public sports institutions such as the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD), national sports federations, Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, among others.
You will also attend congresses, seminars, and legal forums, including events organized by the Spanish Sports Law Association and the Madrid Bar Association, among others.
Testimonials
Boton Pinter
Lawyer at Sportia Law
The International Sports Law Master’s by Universidad Europea Real Madrid is the perfect first step in your career as a professional in the world of sports. Whether you wish to pursue governance at a federation, legal work in a law firm or at a sports club, or to become an agent, this course covers it all. The programme is structured as a series of modules starting from the foundations of the sports ecosystem all the way to the intricate details of contractual stability in football law.
Elektra Tounta
Regulatory Compliance Legal Counsel at FIFA - Alumni Master in Sports Law 20-21 Edition
The International Sports Law Master’s by Real Madrid Graduate School at Universidad Europea is the best program for anyone who wants to pursue a career in the sports world. The lecturers are among the best professionals in the world of sports representing a big variety of sports like football, F1, basketball, triathlon, horse ridding and many more. In my opinion what makes the program special are definitely the moot courts that are organised every year. It was one of the best academic experiences I ever had as we pled in front of some of the best and most important CAS arbitrators and sports lawyers.
Study Plan
Study plan structure
Modules | ECTS |
Module I - Organizations of the sports | 6 |
Module II - Lex Sportiva. Keys of sports law | 6 |
Module III - Governance, Integrity and Doping | 6 |
Module IV - Understanding the sports industry | 6 |
Module V - Football Law I | 6 |
Module VI - Football Law II | 6 |
Module VII - Sport arbitration & alternative dispute resolution | 6 |
Module VIII - The future of sport - Legal tech - AI in sports | 6 |
Module IX - Practice as sports lawyer-Moot Court | 6 |
Module X - Master Thesis | 6 |
What you’ll learn semester by semester
Semester I
Prepare to advise and represent clubs, federations, athletes, and major organizations with an international and strategic vision. You will learn to interpret and apply the regulations that govern the sports business in a highly competitive and global sector.
Understand the legal framework of sports, from institutional organization to international commercial and regulatory laws.
Master sports contracts and rights, including image rights, representation, sponsorship, and broadcasting agreements.
Analyze taxation and labor relations in sports, developing legal strategies that optimize the management of organizations and professionals.
Learn to prevent and resolve conflicts through arbitration, mediation, and proceedings before sports tribunals.
Semester II
Transform your learning into real-world experience through hands-on projects, simulations, and internships in leading organizations, working closely with specialized lawyers and top executives in the industry.
Participate in real cases and arbitration simulations with experts from CAS and other international sports institutions.
Gain professional experience through internships at prestigious law firms, federations, clubs, and within the Real Madrid ecosystem.
Train with an elite faculty made up of legal experts, executives, and sports professionals with international experience.
Complete your Master’s Final Project, demonstrating your ability to lead legal management in the world of sports.
Collaborating entities
During the program, you will be in constant contact with the sports industry and the most prominent law firms, both nationally and internationally.
More information
Methodology
The International Master in Sports Law, LLM at Universidad Europea – Real Madrid Graduate School is aimed at students looking to boost their legal career in the sports sector.
Developed by a committee of experienced legal experts, the programme allows students to slowly immerse themselves in the sports world before moving towards a detailed study surrounding sports law.
All of our lecturers and professors are involved in international sports law activities, offering our students a true vision of professional practice as international lawyers, sport arbitrators, football club managers and leaders.
Students will have the opportunity to learn and practise first-hand how to carry out a procedure before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber and the subsequent appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Assisted and advised by international lawyers, they will experience such proceedings and have the chance to defend their cases before a panel composed by real arbitrators in a courtroom.
Our hands-on learning methodology allows students to learn in practise-based environment from day one. Candidates study leading cases on sports law, take part in moot courts, and get involved in forums and discussions with fellow students and professors, creating strong professional links along the way.
The programme also offers the chance to visit some of the world’s leading sports organisations and bodies, such as FIFA, UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Students will have a chance to complete internships in the legal department at Real Madrid F.C.—the club offers a limited number of placements—or in international law firms, institutions and international federations. Among these are: Ruiz-Huerta & Crespo, Laffer, Sportia Law and the International Triathlon Union.
Faculty
Carolina López Chaves
Head of Area and Director of the Master’s Degree in Sports Law. Professor of Sports Law at Universidad Europea de Madrid. Member of the Sports Council of the Community of Madrid.
Dr. Miguel García Caba
Lawyer specialized in Administrative Law, Sports Law, Governance, Sustainability, and Artificial Intelligence, with over twenty-five years of experience as a practicing member of the Madrid Bar Association. Member of the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body, corresponding academic at the Royal Academy of Jurisprudence and Legislation of Spain in Section 22 (“Sports Law”), and member of the Legal and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the Spanish Olympic Committee. He has been recognized as one of the top 10 in-house lawyers in the sports sector in Spain by the prestigious legal portal Iberian Lawyer.
Our faculty
- Miguel García Caba
Head of Legal Department, Spanish Football Federation. - Elena Naranjo
Lawyer, Head of Legal Department at Real Madrid C.F. - José Manuel Maza
Lawyer, Head of Legal Department at Real Madrid C.F. - Juan de Dios Crespo Pérez
Founder and Partner, Ruiz Huerta y Crespo. - Paolo Torchetti
Lawyer, Ruiz Huerta y Crespo. - Juan Crespo Ruiz
Lawyer, Ruiz Huerta y Crespo. - Alfonso León
Lawyer, Ruiz Huerta y Crespo. - Maite Nadal Charco
Lawyer and Partner, Laffer Abogados. - José Lasa Azpeitia
Lawyer and Partner, Laffer Abogados. - Claude Ramoni
Lawyer and Partner, Libra Law. - Marc Cavaliero
Partner and founder of, Kleiner&Cavaliero - Jan Kleiner
Partner and founder of , Kleiner&Cavaliero Partner Bar&Karrer. - Lucas Ferrer
Partner, Pinto Ruiz del Valle. - Jordi López Batet
Partner, Pinto Ruiz del Valle CAS Arbitrator. - Antonio Fernández Arimany
General Secretary , International Triathlon Union.
ICAS MEMBER. - Francisco Lima
Senior Legal Counsel, Fédération Equestre Internationale. - Benjamin Cohen, Gianluca Siracusano, Cristina Pers
International Testing Agency. - Marcos Motta.
Founder and partner of Bichara&Motta. - Roy Veermer
Head of Legal Department FIFPro. - Antonio de Quesada
Legal Counsel, Court of Arbitration for Sport. - Efraim Barak
Arbitrator Court of Arbitration for Sport. - Petra Pocrnic
Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport. - Alejandra Salmerón.
FIA legal department. - Alberto Colombo
Head of EUROPEAN LEAGUES ASSOCIATION. - Oriol Abad
Head of legal department DORNA. - Kepa Larumbe
Partner and head of legal department Sports Law & e-sports BDO.
CAS Arbitrator. - Carlos Schneider, Sarah Solemale and Jacques Blondin.
FIFA. - James Carr
Head of Administration & Projects ASOIF
Admissions
Start your future at Universidad Europea
You can become a student at Universidad Europea in three easy steps.
1
Admission exams
Start your admission process by calling +34 911128850 or request information and our advisors will contact you.
2
Place reservation
Once you have been admitted, secure your place by paying the reservation fee.
3
Enrollment
Submit the required documents to formalise your enrollment.
Scholarships and financial aid
We want to help you. If you want to study at the Universidad Europea, you will have at your disposal a wide selection of own and official scholarships.
Credit recognition and transfers
You don’t have to stick with something you don’t like. That’s why we’ve designed specific plans for credit recognition and transfers.
Request your online credit recognition review, transfer your academic file and start studying at Universidad Europea.
Profile for prospective students and how to access this degree
The International Master in Sports Law, LLM, is an excellent opportunity for graduates with a background in law, seeking a solid specialization in a postgraduate degree with a high potential of employability, and for lawyers wishing to expand their professional horizons.
Admissions requirements
A good command of English and a degree in law are required. Candidates will have to pass an interview intended to assess their profile and acceptance in the program.
Admissions process
Documentation
To begin your admission process, the first thing to do is book your appointment online or by calling +34 91 112 88 50.
- Selectividad card showing eligibility status
- Two photocopies of your ID
- Academic record file transfer
- Proof of payment of the Admission fee before or on the date of appointment
What does the admissions test consist of?
- Skills and abilities test
- General knowledge test
- Language assessment test
- Personal interview
- When will you know you’ve been accepted?
You’ll find out the result of the admissions test via an admissions letter that you’ll receive by email. If you have any doubts or queries, you can contact our Admissions Department for New Students at escuelauniversitariarealmadrid@universidadeuropea.es .
Reserve your place
Along with the admissions letter, you will receive an envelope with information about official registration. It is recommended that in order to reserve your place, you should respond within 7 days of receiving the letter.
Registration
All students joining the Universidad Europea for the first time, wanting to study a degree, must open a file with the university, prior to registration. The Department of Admission for New Students will provide the candidate with all the documentation and forms to complete their registration.
Credit recognition and centre transfers
You don’t have to carry on doing something you don’t want to. For this reason, we have designed a specific university transfer plan to avoid repeating selected modules. If you want to know your personalised plan, as quickly and easily as possible, send us an email to convalidaciones@universidadeuropea.es along with the following documentation:
- Personal academic certificate from your original degree.
- Study plan signed by the Secretariat from the centre of origin.
- The academic programme from the subjects studied and/or enrolled in during the original degree.
- Officially translated degree certificate (only in the case of foreign graduates)
If you request recognition for professional experience, you will be required to provide:
- National Insurance record
- Curriculum vitae.
- Company certificate (only if it is necessary to provide proof of tasks carried out in the company, or if students have international professional experience and cannot provide a national insurance record).
For any questions, you can contact our advisors by calling +34 91 112 88 50.
Credit transfer and recognition rules
Frequently Asked Questions
Why study a Masters Degree in Sports Law?
Studying a Master’s in Sports Law opens doors to an exciting and varied career in the ever-changing sports industry. As interest and participation across all sport increases year on year, the need for sports lawyers to ensure laws are complied with is ever more necessary.
No matter what area of law you are keen to work in, you will find a career in sports law. If you love contract law, why not lead negotiations between sports organisations and sponsors - a multi million euros industry these days. How about employment law? Then get involved in the world’s biggest transfers. Are you interested in criminal law? Organisations such as WADA or FIFA will always need specialists for anti-doping cases, for example.
Real Madrid Graduate School - Universidad Europea offers the best training to specialise in sports law. Our master’s programmee will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed no matter what branch of law you want to go into.
What is sports law?
Sports law refers to the area of law that has an impact on the sports industry - both on the playing side and business side. It refers to anything from rules and regulations at the Olympic Games and leading competitions such as La Liga and the World Cup, but also covers issues in amateur sport as well. Sports law covers a wide range of specialisms such as contract law (for sponsorships etc), employment law (relating to a club or federation’s contracts, player contracts), EU law (freedom of movement), criminal law (anti-doping and on-field altercations).
What does a sports lawyer do?
A sports lawyer is a lawyer who specialises within the sports industry - representing professional players and athletes, clubs, businesses, federations and other organisations. The sector is wide ranging and covers all sorts of law, which means working in this field is varied and exciting as no two days are the same.
Typical tasks a sports lawyer does include negotiating a players contracts with clubs and/or sponsors, dealing with federations and organising bodies over any disputes, representing their clients in criminal cases that could arise such as doping offenses.
At Real Madrid Graduate School - Universidad Europea, you will have the chance to learn from some of the leading sports lawyers in Spain and across the world, ask them how they have forged their careers in their area of expertise, and decide what path you want to go down once you have finished the masters.