The sporting world reacts to Brexit

But what impact will this have on sport? Will it damage the sponsorship that clubs have in place? How will the potential end of freedom of movement between the UK and the rest of the EU affect sports teams and clubs? Is the uncertainty the worst possible thing for teams?

The IOC’s Marisol Casado, President of the International Triathlon Union, admits that while it won’t affect Triathlon, it could have some repercussions for other International Federations.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect she said: “Although the United Kingdom voted not to remain in the European Union, this will not affect the status of the British Triathlon Federation or their relation to the European Triathlon Union.”

“While some International Federations may have teams and leagues with extra-communitarian athletes and rules regarding the limits of those numbers of players which could be affected by the ‘brexit’, this is not the case of the International Triathlon Union.”

Many sporting organisations, clubs and federations have opted with caution in their response to the ‘Brexit’. 

With deals to be discussed and the future of Britain’s role in Europe up for debate, waiting for the outcome of said discussions seems to be in their best interest.

A spokesman from Arsenal said: “We have studied the potential implications of Brexit on our club and our league. The detail needs to be worked through but we are confident that our underlying growth will remain strong.”

The Premier League followed the same tone with their response; speaking to Keir Radnedge a spokesman said:

“The Premier League is a hugely successful sporting competition that has strong domestic and global appeal. This will continue to be the case regardless of the referendum result.

“Given the uncertain nature of what the political and regulatory landscape might be following the ‘Leave’ vote, there is little point second guessing the implications until there is greater clarity.

“Clearly, we will continue to work with Government and other bodies whatever the outcome of any process.”

What of the International community? A comment from a spokesman at the European Tour, suggests they are confident that it won’t have too much of an impact in terms of events but were evaluating potential ramifications.

“Like all global companies whose main headquarters are in the UK, we are now in the process of assessing the implications for our business following the result of the referendum vote on June 23.”

“In terms of tournaments appearing on The European Tour International Schedule, including those in the United Kingdom, we do not believe that the result will have any impact. The United Kingdom remains a geographical part of Europe, even though it will no longer be part of the political or economic structure of the European Union.”

The vote led to an interesting discussion on the iSportconnect website with many key points made. 

Sponsorship expert Nigel Currie believes there will be minimal impact on sport.

He said: “Sport is so powerful and it can basically do what it wants to so I can see that continuing. The UK just has so many sports events that we have the leverage to get around any problems. We have that two-year negotiation period and over that period I’m sure and problems will be identified and sorted before anything comes into place.”

Professor Simon Chadwick is an expert in the field, he believes that the global nature of sport means there are issues to be addressed.

He said: “The onus is on both the government and sport to quickly, assertively and confidently negotiate a way forward for the country and its sports, many of which Britain currently holds a competitive advantage in (football and Formula 1 being two examples). Until such time as we clarify what happens next to British sport, I fear that this country will be stuck in the slow-lane of what has increasingly become a globalised and cut-throat world of sport.”

The behind close doors discussions taking place will be key to the impact of Brexit on sport whether it be positive or negative.

For more comment from our members and to join the debate click HERE.

 

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