Sport investment likely has a bright future. Such is the key message to emerge from our second DLA Piper Global Sport Forum, hosted last week at the iconic Roland Garros Stadium ahead of the French Open tennis tournament. 

120 industry leaders in sport and media traveled from the US and Europe for a variety of fireside chats and panels throughout the morning. Guest speakers included Stéphane Morel (Deputy CEO, Fédération Française de Tennis), Jozy Altidore (US Football Player and Investor), Greg Carey (Managing Director, Chairman of Public Finance and Global Co-Head of Sports Franchise, Goldman Sachs), and Sarah Jallot (Investor and Head of People Performance, Teampact Ventures). Guests were welcomed with a warm opening from DLA Piper Global Co-Chair of the Media, Sport & Entertainment sector, Frank Valentin. 

Co-moderated by French Sports Presenter and Journalist Anne-Laure Bonnet, the panel sessions covered pressing trends in the sport sector, including investing in sport and the commercialization of sport and media. The speakers explored topics surrounding financial fair play, multiclub ownership, enhancement of stadiums, and media and broadcasting rights. A key theme to emerge from these sessions was the predicted continuation of investment into sports and emerging talent. 

Following the discussions, we hosted a lunch at the exclusive Presidential Le Carré, during and after which attendees enjoyed watching professional athletes, including Rafael Nadal, train for the tournament. 

Many thanks to our guest speakers and distinguished panelists, including Lyle Ayes (Founder and CEO, Verance Capital), Elis Jones (MD and Head of Sports Advisory and European Gaming Sector Coverage, Goldman Sachs), Harry Moyal (Deputy General Manager, Olympique Lyonnais), David Lampitt (CEO, Tennis Data Innovations), Erlinda Tabla (GVP Warner Bros Discovery – Head of Legal, WBD Sports Europe), Ghassan Attié (Senior Manager - Strategy and Investments, beIN Media Group), Chris Gerstle (Director, Strategy and Development, European Leagues), and Pierre Pasqual (Partner, Centerview Partners), and our DLA Piper speakers and delegates including Peter White (Partner, Global Co-Chair Media, Sport & Entertainment, New York), Tom Ara  (Partner, Global Co-Chair Media, Sport & Entertainment, Los Angeles),  Nick Fitzpatrick (Partner, London), Paul Gray (Partner, London), Richard Rubano (Partner, New York) and Alex Steinburg (Partner, New York).  

We would like to thank all participants for joining us at the 2024 DLA Piper Global Sport Forum. Find out more about this event here, and stay tuned for our summary note on this year’s discussions.