On 11 April, ICEL at the School of Law was delighted to host a seminar on Dispute Resolution in Sport: Keeping the Courts out of Sport. Gareth Farrelly, a former Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers and Everton player with a number of caps for Ireland, spoke about Dispute Resolution in Professional Football. Gareth is a lawyer with Bermans’ Solicitors and specialises in litigation and dispute resolution. He is a member of the English Football Association’s Judicial Panel. Pat Barriscale, BL, Arbitrator in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Judicial Chairman/Appeal Chairman with World Rugby discussed World Rugby’s Regulation 17. Andrew McCormick partner in Brandts-Giessen McCormick Lawyers, Christchurch, New Zealand, gave a paper titled: ‘The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand-A Practitioner’s Perspective’. Andrew advises sporting bodies and represents a number of national and international-level athletes in disciplinary, anti-doping, selection and other sports-related cases before the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand and sports’ judiciary panels. Andrew spoke via video link from New Zealand.

The three papers invoked a number of interesting questions from the practitioners in attendance. It was chaired by Professor Paul McCutcheon.

ICEL would like to thank the three speakers: Gareth, Pat and Andrew. Thank you to Josephine Conway for organising the venue and catering and to Beth Duane who took care of registrations and CPD certs. Thank you to Professor Raymond Friel, the Director of ICEL, who sponsored the event in the A & L Goodbody Appellate Court in the Glucksman Library.

Pictured: Gareth Farrelly, Prof. Paul McCutcheon and Pat Barriscale.