Business law
Athlete sponsorship and endorsement agreements
A sponsorship should be clear about what each party gives and what happens when plans change. Makin Advisory can help athletes and sponsors review deliverables, image rights, payment and the risks that affect the campaign.
Is this the help you need?
For athletes, content creators and businesses entering or updating athlete sponsorship and endorsement arrangements.
How Makin Advisory can assist
Draft or review appearances, content deliverables and approval processes.
Define image and content permissions by channel, territory and period of use.
Review competing-category exclusivity and existing team or sponsor commitments.
Address injury, cancellation, substitute deliverables and payment consequences.
Negotiate balanced reputation, termination and post-campaign use provisions.
What a review involves
Provide the draft agreement, campaign brief, deliverable schedule and any existing sponsorship or team obligations. Explain who owns the photos or video and whether paid advertising is planned. We can identify conflicting promises, clarify the rights being granted and help turn commercial expectations into terms each party can administer.
Review your sponsorship agreement
Decisions worth getting right
A social post, an appearance and permission to reuse an image are different rights. A campaign price should reflect both the work and the permitted use. A broad reference to marketing may not explain whether a sponsor can run paid advertisements or keep using the content after expiry.
Injury should not be treated automatically as misconduct. Consider which work remains possible, substitute appearances and the value of completed content. Reputation clauses also need a fair process: distinguish a substantiated serious event from an untested allegation, and consider sponsor conduct as well as athlete conduct.
Frequently asked questions
Can a sponsor use my image after the agreement ends?
That depends on the permission agreed. Distinguish archived posts from ongoing paid advertising and new campaigns. Specify expiry, removal and any limited continuing use rather than leaving the position unclear.
How broad should exclusivity be?
Define the competing products or services, relevant territory and period. Consider existing sponsors, compulsory uniforms and incidental exposure. Broad exclusivity can restrict future opportunities and should be assessed against the value offered.
What happens if an athlete is injured?
The agreement should address reduced availability, substitute work and payment for completed or reserved work. There is no single commercial solution; the allocation should fit the campaign rather than allow automatic cancellation of every obligation.
Do gifted products need disclosure?
A promotional relationship is not limited to cash payments. Consider how the post appears to its audience and the applicable advertising and platform requirements. Claims must remain truthful.
Should a reputation clause allow immediate termination?
Not for every criticism or allegation. The clause should identify the events of concern, evidence and available responses. Serious events may justify different treatment, but vague powers can create avoidable disputes.
What affects the cost of this work?
Fees depend on the agreed scope, complexity and document volume. Enquire with the documents available and your deadline so we can discuss the work required and its cost before you decide to proceed.
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Makin Advisory serves Gold Coast and Brisbane clients remotely and in person by appointment. Tell us what you need help with and any relevant deadline; prefer no sensitive documents at first enquiry.
Tell us what you need help with
Tell us briefly what you need help with and any relevant deadline. Please do not include sensitive documents in your initial enquiry.