On 9th March, Advocate General (AG) Szpunar delivered his CJEU Opinion calling into question the compatibility of aspects of UEFA’s homegrown player (“HGP”) rule with Article 45 TFEU. The Opinion emanated from a dispute between SA Royal Antwerp FC and the Belgian Football Association regarding the implementation of UEFA’s rules on squad composition, the former arguing that the HGPR contravenes EU free movement principles.

On 17 February 2023, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed a futuristic broadcasting option for viewers of the league’s matches on its League Pass app which could yet have significant implications for the way live sport broadcasts are viewed in future.

In the week that the government published the White Paper (GWP) on its plan to introduce an independent regulator for professional clubs in the English football pyramid, this edition of The BackPage Weekly focuses on one element of the GWP - the club financial sustainability proposals and considers the significance of such a framework for the top five tiers of English football.

In its infancy, AI was viewed as a tool to assist in simple data analytics and calculation. However, such a narrow outlook of its potential is now very antiquated. As our understanding of AI’s capacities has increased, so has the drive to push the limits of its potential; challenging it to provide new solutions and opportunities across a huge range of industries.

The rise of episodic behind-the-scenes sports documentaries continues apace in 2023, with breakthrough series in tennis (Break Point), golf (Full Swing – released this week), rugby (Six Nations) and cycling (Tour de France) all hitting our screens this year. The eagerly anticipated fifth season of Formula 1’s hit series, Drive to Survive, is also due to premiere on Netflix later this month, illustrating the potential longevity of a successful docuseries. We’ve also seen a host of hugely successful behind-the-scenes athlete documentaries, featuring the lives and careers of the likes of cricket’s Ben Stokes (Phoenix from the Ashes) and Brazilian legend Ronaldo (The Phenomenon).

The NFL Super Bowl has become widely recognised as the world’s largest single annual sporting event with a global viewing audience of well over 200 million people. Its impact now transcends the spectacle of the sporting event beyond the gridiron itself, with its Half Time Show becoming a firm fixture in the wider entertainment and music calendars.

The January transfer window closed on Tuesday with Premier League clubs spending a record breaking £815m. The most notable contributor has been Chelsea who spent £288m (more than La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 combined).