Legal Updates

SPORTING SUCCESS

11/11/2011

We recently welcomed sports internationals to a seminar hosted by our Sports Law Unit. Former rugby and cricket internationals joined with sports administrators and local businessmen to hear World Cup-winning England Women’s cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent and MCC player Bernie De Souza share some of their experiences and to talk about performance management.

The event was chaired by Richard Moon, a former England, Barbarians, Harlequins and Cambridge University scrum-half who heads up our sports law unit and among the guests were former England rugby international Peter Rossborough, sports agent Tim Buttimore, chief executive of the National Pony Society Peter Durrant, coaches from Worcester Warriors rugby club, former county cricketer and professional rugby player Charlie Mulraine, and former kickboxing world champion silver medalist John Shiels.

Kevin Mitchell, a partner in our Sports Law Unit explained: “In approaching the subject of performance management from different angles, both of the speakers shared their experiences and examined the similarities of achieving success in the worlds of sport and business. It was fascinating to listen to them both.”

Bernie De Souza, who is a successful sports coach and performance consultant who has worked with organisations as diverse as the SAS and the England Women’s cricket team and was credited with giving the victorious West Indies and Pakistan cricket teams their winning mindset, spoke about how individuals and companies could improve their performance and realise their potential.

England cricketer, Ebony Rainford-Brent, told the audience how she overcame several obstacles (including a broken back) to achieve both academic and sporting success and to become part of the all-conquering England team.

One of Ebony’s England colleagues also joined us for the evening and chatted to guests. Isa Guha, who was a significant part of the Ashes winning team and who has been ranked as the best bowler in the world by the ICC, supported her colleague.

Photo: Kevin Mitchell, Ebony Rainford-Brent and Bernie De Souza