{
  "id": 11594150,
  "title": "You’re sued and you know you are: New law puts onus on clubs to prevent player abuse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/youre-sued-and-you-know-you-are-new-law-puts-onus-on-clubs-to-prevent",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-03T04:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/youre-sued-and-you-know-you-are-new-law-puts-onus-on-clubs-to-prevent-player-abuse/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "From October 2026, new legal provisions will require professional sports teams, governing bodies, stadiums and event operators to take \"all reasonable steps\" to prevent player abuse, according to new employment law reforms. The changes, stemming from the Employment Rights Act 2025, could result in sports organisations facing legal action if players, staff or employees are harassed by third parties like supporters, spectators or online audiences. The reforms impact clubs, governing bodies, event operators and sporting venues, as well as the wider workforce supporting professional sport, including stewards, hospitality workers and others. Examples of abusive behaviour against players already exist, such as racist abuse directed at England footballers Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho following Euro 2020, and the abuse faced by Lionesses defender Jess Carter during Women’s Euro 2025. Rugby union's RFU has also seen a significant number of matches officials experiencing abuse, with almost half (49 percent) reporting such incidents. Cricket has faced similar challenges, with the Cricket Regulator receiving over 200 reports of abusive messages in a single year, with female cricketers being particularly targeted. The new provisions extend beyond elite athletes to cover the broader workforce supporting professional sport. To protect players, sports organisations should consider harassment prevention measures at board level, fostering a culture that promotes anti-discrimination and diversity. This includes conducting risk assessments to identify potential harassment hotspots, reviewing ticketing terms and codes of conduct, strengthening reporting procedures, training stewards and security staff, and monitoring online content. Clubs should also remember that harassment risks extend beyond the stadium, encompassing media appearances, community engagement activities and other public-facing duties. Organisations will need to demonstrate both their response to harassment incidents and the proactive measures they've put in place to prevent such behavior from occurring.",
  "summary": "Professional sports teams, governing bodies and operators of stadiums and events could all face legal action if players receive abuse due to changes in the law this month, writes Charlotte Smith. Sports organisations have historically treated abusive behaviour directed at players, coaches and officials largely as a welfare, reputational and regulatory issue. However, from 1 [...]",
  "key_points": [
    "New law mandates clubs to prevent player abuse from Oct 2026",
    "Sports organizations face legal action for harassment incidents",
    "Measures include risk assessments, training, and monitoring online content"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The new law shifts the burden onto sports organisations to proactively prevent player abuse, exposing them to potential legal action if they fail to take reasonable steps to protect players and staff.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}