Complex Finances, Image Rights and Protecting Your Wealth

A sporting income is complex, and concentrated into a short career. Your advice should reflect that.

The finances of a professional sportsperson rarely look like anyone else’s. Alongside salary there may be signing-on fees, bonuses, sponsorship and endorsement income, image rights, companies, property here and abroad, and pensions, much of it earned in a career that may last only a handful of peak years.

We advise on the financial side of divorce for sportspeople, protecting your wealth and making sure the full, and often complex, picture is properly understood, valued and dealt with. We work closely with your existing advisers throughout.

Income and assets that need special understanding

A footballer or other sportsperson’s finances often include elements that require particular care, such as image rights, frequently held through a company, sponsorship and endorsement arrangements, performance and loyalty bonuses, and agent-related structures, as well as more familiar assets like property and investments.

Valuing and disclosing all of this accurately is essential to a fair outcome. We make sure nothing is overlooked, working with accountants and specialists to build a complete and reliable picture.

A short career and a changing income

Unlike most careers, a sporting one has a short earning window, and income can change sharply with form, injury, transfers and, eventually, retirement. The law takes account of earning capacity and future needs, and the timing and structure of a settlement can matter greatly.

We advise on how these features affect a financial settlement, so the outcome reflects the reality that today’s income may not last, and that the years after sport must also be provided for.

How the court approaches finances on divorce

In broad terms, the court aims for a fair outcome, sharing the assets built up during the marriage and meeting each person’s needs. Wealth brought into the marriage, or acquired outside it, may sometimes be treated differently, and the particular features of a sporting career all form part of the picture.

Every case turns on its own facts. We explain, in plain terms, how the law is likely to apply to your situation, and we work to protect your position.

Working with your financial team

Your finances are probably already managed by people you trust. We coordinate closely with your accountant, financial advisers, wealth managers and agent, so the divorce is handled with your whole financial position in view, and so any settlement works in practice as well as on paper.

Where tax, corporate or image rights advice is needed, we bring the right specialists together, and we can draw on our own Legacy and Property teams where trusts, estate planning or property are involved.

Frequently asked questions

How are image rights dealt with in a divorce?

Image rights, often held through a company, form part of the overall financial picture and need careful valuation and disclosure. How they are treated depends on the circumstances, including when and how they were built up. We work with specialists to value them properly and advise on how they are likely to be dealt with.

Will my short career be taken into account?

It can be. The law considers earning capacity and future needs, and the reality that a sporting income is concentrated into a few years, and may fall away after retirement, is an important part of the picture. We advise on how this affects the timing and structure of a fair settlement.

Can you work with my accountant and financial advisers?

Yes. We coordinate closely with the advisers you already trust, so your finances are dealt with accurately and as a whole. Where further specialist input is needed, on tax or image rights for example, we bring it together so nothing is handled in isolation.