ARNECKE SIBETH DABELSTEIN advises EuroLeague Players Association on the conclusion of the first EuroLeague Framework Agreement

After a multi-year coordination process, the Basketball EuroLeague and the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) announced the conclusion of the EuroLeague Framework Agreement (EFA) this week, which will in future bind the relationships between the EuroLeague, clubs and players regulates.

The agreement, the first of its kind in pan-European basketball and team sports, introduces a number of novel player rights in the EuroLeague.

These include, for example, a minimum remuneration for players and clear parameters with regard to the adjustment of player salaries in force majeure situations - for example in the case of Covid-19-related audience bans. A mechanism for claiming outstanding player salaries and improved health standards, such as a protocol on behavior in the event of a concussion, are also part of the new agreement.

In addition to the implementation in the EuroLeague association rules, a binding standard player contract was created that will be used in the EuroLeague from the 2021-2022 season.

Both the players and the participating clubs of the EuroLeague have approved the new employment conditions. Both sides expect that this historic step will fuel the growth of the EuroLeague and strengthen the role of the players as key players and business partners of the EuroLeague.



Negotiations on the agreement began shortly after the ELPA was founded in 2018 and focused on ensuring both sides a predictable and stable relationship for the future.

The commercial law firm ARNECKE SIBETH DABELSTEIN has been advising ELPA on legal and strategic issues since its inception with the cross-legal practice group ASD Sports, led by the Frankfurt sports law expert Alexander Engelhard and the Berlin labor lawyer Hans Georg Helwig.

About ARNECKE SIBETH DABELSTEIN

As a commercial law firm with more than 160 lawyers, notaries and tax consultants, ASD offers legal advice at all relevant business locations in a 90-year tradition.

ASD is one of the top legal advice addresses in Germany with offices in Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Leer and Dresden and is a recognized market leader in the real estate, transportation & logistics and maritime industries. The law firm also provides advice in the energy, insurance, sports, media & entertainment sectors.

ASD's legal areas include labor law, corporate, finance, M&A, IP, IT, commercial, public law and antitrust law. The law firm also has a tax team and a notary's office.

About EuroLeague Players Association

The EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) is an independent professional association founded in 2018 of professional basketball players who are under contract with one of the clubs participating in the EuroLeague, the most important club competition in European basketball. The task and goal of the ELPA are, among other things, participation in determining the conditions of employment within the EuroLeague as well as the representation of its members in relation to the Euroleague and the individual clubs participating in the EuroLeague, including such illustrious names as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce Istanbul or Maccabi Tel Aviv.