Tutorials
Six live tutorials across the trimester — interactive sessions connecting theory to practice.
About the Tutorials
Tutorials are live online sessions held on Wednesday evenings, 6:00–8:00pm — AEDT for Trimester 1 sessions (Feb–Mar), AEST from April onwards.
All tutorials are recorded and available to watch afterwards. Each tutorial connects to a specific module and applies the concepts covered in that module's lectures, so you'll get the most out of each session if you've watched the related lectures first.
What to Expect
Unlike lectures, which deliver content for you to absorb and revisit, tutorials are interactive sessions where you'll apply what you've learned. Each tutorial is built around practical exercises, case discussions, and group activities that connect legal theory to real-world sporting scenarios.
The tutorials are designed to be the most engaging part of the course. You'll work through problems that mirror the kinds of issues sports lawyers face in practice — from drafting arguments in disciplinary proceedings to analysing the enforceability of restraint of trade clauses in player contracts.
Preparation is important. Each tutorial has recommended pre-reading and lecture content that should be completed before the session. The more prepared you are, the more you'll get out of the discussion.
Tutorial Schedule
Sports Governance
Sports Discipline & Disputes
Athletes, Contract & Control
Clean Sport & Corruption
Commercial Contracting
Sports Media Rights & Sponsorship
How Tutorials Connect to Assessment
While tutorials are not directly assessed, they are designed to build the analytical skills and practical understanding you'll need for both assessment tasks. The Sandpapergate scenario explored in Tutorial 4 provides direct preparation for Assessment 1 (Written Plea of Mitigation or Aggravation), and the commercial analysis skills developed in Tutorials 5 and 6 connect closely to Assessment 2 (Sponsorship Review & Analysis).
Sports Governance
An introductory session to get oriented with the course structure, meet your fellow students, and begin exploring the foundational question: what is sports law?
Tutorial Overview
This introductory session is designed to orient you with the course structure, help you meet your fellow students, and introduce the foundational question that will guide your learning throughout the trimester: what is sports law?
This first tutorial sets the tone for the interactive and practitioner-focused approach used throughout the course. Rather than a traditional lecture, you'll participate in facilitated discussions, small group activities, and interactive case explorations. By the end of this session, you'll understand how sports law functions as a distinct field, the diversity of topics it covers, and the role it plays in modern sport at all levels.
Date & Access
Live Session
Wednesday, 24 February 2027
6:00–8:00pm AEDT
Join Live Session View Recording
Recording available within 24 hours of the live session.
Materials & Resources
Download Tutorial Materials
Pre-reading & Preparation:
- Watch Welcome video: "Getting Started with Sports Law" (10 minutes)
- Review the Course Overview lecture from the Welcome module
- Read the Welcome module guide to course structure and navigation
Related Module: Module 1 — Governance & Systems
What You'll Cover
- An introduction to what "sports law" means as a field — and why the term itself is debated
- A first look at the kinds of legal issues that arise in sport — from governance disputes to commercial regulation
- An overview of the different roles sports lawyers play in practice
- Group discussion: identifying the legal issues in a real-world sporting controversy
- Orientation to the course structure, assessment expectations, and how to use the platform
Connection to Course
This tutorial kicks off your journey into sports law and connects directly to Module 1. The concepts of governance and natural justice that you'll touch on here will be explored in depth in Tutorial 2 (12 March), which covers governance structures and disciplinary decision-making in sporting organisations.
Make the most of this opportunity to ask questions, meet your classmates, and get comfortable with the interactive style of our tutorials.
Discussion & Questions
Have questions about this tutorial or the course? Head to the Discussion Forums on eLearning to connect with other students and your lecturer.
Sports Discipline & Disputes
Exploring the governance structures of sporting organisations and the principles of natural justice that underpin disciplinary decision-making in sport.
Tutorial Overview
Exploring the governance structures of sporting organisations and the principles of natural justice. Students will work through scenarios involving disciplinary processes and examine when courts will intervene in sporting decisions.
This tutorial builds directly on the governance frameworks introduced in Module 1's lectures. You'll apply the concepts of natural justice — the right to be heard, the rule against bias, and procedural fairness — to real sporting disciplinary scenarios.
Date & Access
What You'll Cover
- The governance structures of sporting organisations — from local clubs to international federations
- Principles of natural justice and procedural fairness in sporting tribunals
- When courts will intervene in sporting decisions — and when they won't
- Case study: analysing a real sporting disciplinary proceeding for procedural fairness
Pre-reading & Preparation
- Complete Lecture 2: Sports Governance
- Review the governance case studies referenced in the lecture materials
Related Module: Module 2 — Challenging Decisions
Connection to Course
The governance frameworks and principles of natural justice you explore here are directly relevant to the integrity and disciplinary issues covered in Module 4. The analytical skills you develop in this tutorial — assessing whether a sporting body has followed fair procedures — will be essential for Assessment 1, where you draft a plea in relation to the Sandpapergate disciplinary proceedings.
Athletes, Contract & Control
A practical session examining player contract structures, restraint of trade principles, and the balance of power between athletes and sporting organisations.
Tutorial Overview
A practical session examining player contract structures, restraint of trade principles, and the balance of power between athletes and sporting organisations. Students will analyse real contract clauses and discuss their enforceability.
This tutorial moves from the theoretical to the practical, putting real contract clauses in front of you and asking: would this hold up? You'll consider how restraint of trade doctrine applies to player movement restrictions, draft pick systems, and transfer rules across different sporting codes.
Date & Access
What You'll Cover
- Player contract structures across different sporting codes (AFL, NRL, A-League, cricket)
- Restraint of trade doctrine and its application to player movement restrictions
- Draft systems, salary caps, and free agency — the legal basis and limitations
- Exercise: analysing the enforceability of real contract clauses
Pre-reading & Preparation
- Complete Lectures 5 and 6: Athlete, Contracts & Control
- Review the key restraint of trade cases referenced in the lecture materials
Related Module: Module 3 — Athlete, Contracts & Control
Connection to Course
The contractual frameworks you study here have direct implications for the integrity issues covered in Module 4 (where player conduct obligations intersect with anti-doping and match-fixing regulation) and the commercial arrangements in Module 5 (where player image rights and sponsorship obligations are typically governed by contract).
Clean Sport & Corruption
Examining the WADA Code and anti-doping regulation through case studies — the elements of a violation, available sanctions, and the tension between strict liability and athlete rights.
Tutorial Overview
Examining the WADA Code and anti-doping regulation through case studies. Students will work through the elements of an anti-doping violation, consider the available sanctions, and discuss the tension between strict liability and athlete rights.
This is one of the most directly assessment-relevant tutorials. The anti-doping framework and disciplinary processes you study here connect directly to the Sandpapergate scenario you'll work with for Assessment 1. Understanding how sporting tribunals operate, how evidence is assessed, and how sanctions are determined is essential preparation.
Date & Access
What You'll Cover
- The structure and operation of the WADA Code
- Elements of an anti-doping rule violation — strict liability and its exceptions
- Sanctions and the principle of proportionality
- Case study: working through a real anti-doping proceeding from testing to tribunal
- The tension between athlete rights and the integrity of sport
Pre-reading & Preparation
- Complete Lectures 7 and 8: Sports Integrity & Regulation
- Review the WADA Code summary provided in the lecture materials
- Read the anti-doping case studies referenced in Module 4
Related Module: Module 4 — Sports Integrity & Regulation
Connection to Assessment
This tutorial is directly connected to Assessment 1. The disciplinary processes and integrity frameworks studied here provide the foundation for drafting your Written Plea of Mitigation or Aggravation in relation to the Sandpapergate scenario. The principles of natural justice from Module 1 and the challenge mechanisms from Module 2 are both directly applicable.
Commercial Contracting
Examining how sports rights become commercial assets — from intellectual property to contractual frameworks that underpin sponsorship, licensing, and broadcasting deals.
Tutorial Overview
This tutorial introduces the commercial side of sports law by examining how sporting organisations convert rights into revenue through contracts. You'll explore the legal frameworks that underpin sponsorship agreements, licensing arrangements, and the commercialisation of intellectual property in sport.
Building on the contractual principles from Module 3, this session shifts focus from athlete contracts to commercial agreements — examining how rights holders, sponsors, and broadcasters negotiate and structure deals that drive modern professional sport.
Date & Access
What You'll Cover
- How sports rights are created, owned, and commercialised
- Key contractual structures in sports sponsorship and licensing
- Intellectual property in sport — trademarks, image rights, and brand protection
- Case study: analysing a real sports commercial agreement and identifying key legal issues
- The role of exclusivity, territorial rights, and restraint provisions in commercial deals
Pre-reading & Preparation
- Complete Lecture 9: From Right to Contract
- Review the commercial case studies and agreement examples in Module 5
- Consider how the contractual principles from Module 3 apply in the commercial context
Related Module: Module 5 — Commercialising Sports Rights
Connection to Assessment
This tutorial begins your preparation for Assessment 2 (Sponsorship Review & Analysis). The skills you develop here — identifying key contractual terms, understanding commercial risk allocation, and analysing intellectual property provisions — form the foundation for the detailed sponsorship analysis you'll undertake in Tutorial 6 and the assessment itself.
Sports Media Rights & Sponsorship
Exploring the commercial dimensions of sport — sponsorship agreements, media rights deals, and intellectual property protection in the sporting context.
Tutorial Overview
Exploring the commercial dimensions of sport — sponsorship agreements, media rights deals, and intellectual property protection. Students will analyse real sponsorship and broadcasting arrangements and discuss the legal issues that arise in structuring these deals.
This final tutorial brings together many threads from across the course. The contractual principles from Module 3, the governance structures from Module 1, and the integrity frameworks from Module 4 all intersect when sport is commercialised. You'll work through real commercial arrangements and identify the legal risks, obligations, and opportunities they create.
Date & Access
What You'll Cover
- The structure of sports sponsorship agreements — key terms, rights, and obligations
- Broadcasting and media rights — how deals are structured and what they cover
- Intellectual property in sport — trademarks, image rights, and ambush marketing
- Exercise: reviewing and analysing a real sports sponsorship agreement
- The intersection of commercial interests, integrity, and athlete rights
Pre-reading & Preparation
- Complete Lectures 10 and 11: Commercialising Sports Rights
- Review the sponsorship and broadcasting case studies in Module 5
- Familiarise yourself with the Assessment 2 brief (Sponsorship Review & Analysis)
Related Module: Module 5 — Commercialising Sports Rights
Connection to Assessment
This tutorial provides direct preparation for Assessment 2 (Sponsorship Review & Analysis). The skills you develop analysing commercial arrangements, identifying legal risks, and understanding the interplay between commercial and regulatory obligations will be essential for that assessment task. This is also the last tutorial before Assessment 2 is due, so use the session to ask questions and clarify your approach.