Skip Navigation

A team of Edge Hill students has successfully reached the final round of The Sports Arbitration Moot competition which will take place in Madrid. Sixteen teams coming from four continents will compete for the winning trophy.

As preparation for the competition, students were observed in a mock moot by Nicholas Stewart KC. Nicholas is a leading commercial and sports lawyer with wide experience as counsel, arbitrator and mediator both in England and internationally.

Nicholas Stewart KC sat at desk in moot room

These are tough competitions, the standards are impressively high, so to get through to this stage the students should be really proud of themselves. These competitions are good practise and great for your CV. Preparation is key, students must focus on the points they must get across in the time they have.

Nicholas Stewart KC

The competition, which is sponsored by FIFA, introduces sports arbitration to the next generation of arbitration practitioners. Students will be able to practise advocacy skills in the field of sports arbitration. This year 42 teams from around the world entered the competition. After the oral rounds, the Edge Hill Moot Team ranked third and will now head to Madrid to compete in the finals.

Sayeeda Khanom law student stood up during moot session

I’ve never studied sports law before and this competition has given me a perspective on wider areas of law. It has helped with my studies and given me more insight into the options that I want to pursue in the future. The practise with Nicholas has been the most difficult round we have faced so far but has been so helpful for us to grow.

Sayeeda Khanom
BA (Hons) Criminology and Law
Matthew Sunderland law student stood up during moot session

We are very proud to have reached the final. We’ve worked so hard and spent many hours in the library preparing. The practise session with Nicholas has been really useful. I’ve learnt a lot and he gave me some great advice on how I can improve. I have written everything down he told me, ready for the final.

Matthew Sunderland
LLB (Hons) Law

The students have worked hard to produce the briefs and to argue through three rounds of moots against world class opponents. The finals will see them competing against teams from renowned institutions including the Sorbonne, Luiss, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and Tilburg.

Senior Lecturer in Law, Dr Leanne O’Leary organised the practise moot with Nicholas Stewart KC and explained why entering mooting competitions are a great opportunity for students.

Dr Leanne O'Leary

We enter these competitions as it provides our students with the opportunity to develop important legal skills. For this particular competition students need to research a particular jurisdiction, draft a brief, work as a team and engage in oral advocacy, which are the key skills for a lawyer. It’s a great opportunity for students to showcase their skills to potential employers and impress the judges.

Dr Leanne O’Leary
Senior Lecturer in Law

Nicholas provided insightful feedback to students individually, sharing his experience on style, presentation, timings and structure. Students asked Nicholas how to overcome any difficult questions they may be faced with from the judges in Madrid.

Charntae Bennett law student stood up during moot session

To be able to get instant feedback from Nicholas who is an expert in this area was a brilliant opportunity. I really liked engaging with him and asking questions that we won’t be able to ask the judges in Madrid. Whilst in Madrid, I’m looking forward to learning from other students from different countries.

Charntaé Bennett
LLB (Hons) Law
Caitlin Stranks law student stood up during moot session

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people as part of this competition. I’m excited about the new experiences it will bring. Being able to build my confidence and present in front of people supports my career ambition of becoming a lecturer.”

Caitlin Stranks
Postgraduate Law Research Student

You can find out more about the competition on the Sports Arbitration Moot website.

April 24, 2023