Football is very big business nowadays and it’s hard not to encounter legal and personal issues with the level of money associated in all aspects of the game. Our Associate Partner Mark Skinner was a guest on BBC Radio Manchester’s Monday Football Hour on Monday 8 May alongside presenter Jimmy Wagg and barrister Paul Gilroy QC, giving an overview of some of the issues that he sees on a daily basis in his role as a personal insolvency specialist within the football industry.
Mark was speaking on the show in relation to his insolvency work for the Professional Footballers Association (PFA). As a legal debt advisor to the PFA, amongst other organisations, Mark works alongside footballers, ex players and other sportspeople, advising them on solutions to their debt and insolvency problems.
He discussed a number of debt and insolvency related issues within the football industry, with gambling addictions, poor financial advice, and a culture of spending to fit a ‘footballer’ type lifestyle all contributing to debt problems faced by a number of PFA members. The sudden loss of income at the end of contracts and personal circumstances such as divorce can also be contributing factors to the financial difficulties faced by footballers nowadays.
Debt wasn’t the only thing discussed, and the programme covered a number of pertinent legal and business issues concerning football nowadays. You can listen to the full programme here.