Legal Counsel

WSL Football; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

WSL Football is seeking a dedicated Legal Counsel to help shape the legal foundations of women's football in England. This pivotal role involves drafting and negotiating a range of commercial agreements, providing legal advice to stakeholders, and supporting regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate will have a legal qualification, strong judgment, and the ability to manage relationships across the organization. The position requires a positive mindset and an eagerness to contribute to the evolving landscape of women's football.

Qualifications

• Experience in private practice and/or in-house environments is essential.
• Strong experience in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Ability to manage a varied workload independently and prioritize effectively.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Provide legal support on governance and regulatory matters.
• Build relationships with stakeholders across commercial and football teams.

Skills

Commercial judgment

Stakeholder management

Legal drafting

Negotiation skills

Prioritization

Education

Qualification as a solicitor/lawyer

Job description

Welcome to a new era of women’s professional football in England.

WSL Football was created to transform the women’s game and, by transforming football, transform society. As the independent organisation responsible for the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Super League 2, we are building the most distinctive, competitive and entertaining women’s football ecosystem in the world.

This is a pivotal moment in our journey.

From record attendances and global audiences to world-class talent and cultural influence, women’s football is entering a new phase of growth. Driven by our positioning statement, New Wave Football, we are bringing new energy, new ideas and new ways of engaging fans, partners, clubs and communities.

As part of this next chapter, we are now looking to appoint our first dedicated Legal Counsel.

This is a rare opportunity for a commercially minded and hands‑on lawyer to help shape the legal foundations of one of the most exciting and fast‑evolving organisations in global sport. You will work closely with senior leaders across the business, building trusted relationships, supporting strategic growth and helping establish scalable legal frameworks during a transformational stage of the organisation’s evolution.

We are looking for someone who thrives in agile environments, enjoys building from the ground up and wants to play an active role in shaping the future of women’s football.

The Opportunity

As Legal Counsel, you will provide commercially focused legal support across a broad range of business areas including commercial partnerships, media, governance, operations, innovation and club engagement.

This is a highly visible role that requires someone comfortable balancing day‑to‑day legal execution with longer‑term thinking as the organisation continues to grow.

Alongside supporting internal stakeholders, you will also spend time building relationships across the game, including regular engagement with clubs and external partners across the country.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate and advise on a wide range of commercial agreements including sponsorship, partnership, media, licensing, supplier and technology agreements
• Provide commercially pragmatic and solutions‑focused legal advice to stakeholders across the organisation
• Support digital transformation initiatives including software, SaaS, data processing and data licensing arrangements

Legal Operations & Execution

• Take ownership of day‑to‑day legal matters, ensuring an efficient and responsive legal service across the business
• Manage NDAs, template development, competition terms and conditions, and bespoke talent and player‑related agreements
• Help establish scalable legal processes, improve workflows and contribute to the development of legal operations as the organisation grows
• Support the implementation of legal technology and continuous improvement initiatives

Regulatory & Governance Support

• Provide support and guidance on relevant football regulatory frameworks including FA, UEFA, FIFA and league regulations
• Assist with governance matters, board documentation and regulatory communications
• Support the interpretation and practical application of rules and compliance frameworks

Stakeholder & Club Engagement

• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders across commercial, football, operations and medical teams
• Work collaboratively with clubs and external partners across the women’s game
• Travel nationally as required to support relationship building and ongoing engagement across the league ecosystem

External Counsel Management

• Support the management of external legal advisers on specialist or high‑risk matters
• Ensure external advice is delivered efficiently and integrated effectively into business decision‑making

About You

You will combine strong legal and commercial judgement with a collaborative, adaptable and relationship‑led approach.

This role will suit someone who enjoys being close to the business, operating with autonomy and helping organisations scale. You will be comfortable navigating ambiguity, balancing multiple priorities and building strong relationships across a broad stakeholder landscape.

Character and mindset will be just as important as technical capability. We are looking for someone who is proactive, pragmatic, emotionally intelligent and energised by the opportunity to build something meaningful within an ambitious and purpose‑driven organisation.

You will likely bring:

• Qualification as a solicitor/lawyer with experience gained in private practice and/or in‑house environments
• Strong experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements
• The ability to manage a varied workload independently and prioritise effectively
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship‑building skills
• A pragmatic, commercially aware and solutions‑focused mindset
• Confidence operating in environments where priorities evolve quickly and no two days are the same

Experience within sport, media or entertainment would be advantageous, but is not essential.

Working at WSL Football

This role is based at WSL Football’s offices in Farringdon, London. Given the collaborative and evolving nature of the organisation, a strong in‑person office presence will be important, particularly in the early stages as relationships, processes and ways of working continue to develop.

The role will also involve travel across the UK to build relationships with clubs and stakeholders throughout the women’s game.