When India’s Parliament passed the National Sports Governance Act (SGA) earlier this year, lawmakers promised it would clean up the murky world of sporting bodies, enforce accountability, and protect athletes’ rights. But for India’s crowded legal market, the bigger question is whether the Act creates the foundation for a lucrative new practice area: sports law.

For decades, sports law in India has been more of a curiosity than a career path—kept alive by high-profile disputes and cricket’s commercial juggernaut, but too thin to stand on its own. The SGA, with its new regulator, tribunal, and compliance mandates, might finally change that.

The real test? Whether this legal experiment can transform what lawyers once called “non-fee-earning luxuries” into steady, billable work.

A New Legal Framework for Sports

The SGA introduces a regulatory framework India has long lacked. At its heart is the creation of the National Sports Board (NSB) under Section 5(1), a statutory regulator with powers akin to other regulators. Every sports body in India—estimated at nearly 20,000—must now register with the NSB to be recognized. Compliance, reporting, and audits are set to become part of their everyday operations.

Disputes, previously scattered across courts and federation-led panels, will now flow into the National Sports Tribunal, constituted under Section 17(1). Modeled on specialized tribunals like the National Company Law Tribunal, the Sports Tribunal will handle governance disputes, elections, and selections. Under Section 16, a separate National Sports Election Panel will supervise elections for governing committees, aiming to end decades of opaque internal contests.

“This Act transforms marginal legal processes into mainstream ones,” said Nandan Kamath, founder of sports law firm LawNK Partners. “With the SGA, there will be many more avenues for regular fee-earning. The law foregrounds multiple legal and compliance needs that a deep generalist sports law practice can service.”

Kamath is quick to caution that he doesn’t see sports law as a niche. Instead, he believes it will require all-round lawyers capable of understanding contracts, commercial law, governance rules, disputes and the nuances of administering sports governing bodies.

Compliance: From Burden to Opportunity

For lawyers, compliance may turn out to be the most immediate and steady source of work. The NSB’s mandate to enforce transparency across thousands of federations and associations means that even small local bodies will have to hire legal expertise.“Compliance will become systematic,” said Nidhish Mehrotra, managing partner of ANM Global, who has represented clubs before federations. “The bigger clubs and federations will go to law firms. The smaller ones might rely on independent lawyers. Either way, this creates a stream of legal work that simply didn’t exist before.”

The NSB is also tasked with formulating a Safe Sports Policy, including protections for women and minors against harassment—an area where legal expertise is critical.

But the question of revenue sustainability looms large. “Sports law has traditionally been a luxury practice, not fee-earning,” said Gaurav Bhalla, partner at Ahlawat & Associates. “Most federations and players simply don’t have the money. The Act will increase work, yes, but by itself, that wouldn’t sustain an entire practice.”

Bhalla expects federations, strapped for resources, to engage law firms on a retainer model rather than hiring full-time in-house teams. The financial incentives, he argues, will flow more from media houses, private league operators, and sponsors, who care about compliance and governance because it directly affects their investments.

Tribunalization of Sports Disputes

Perhaps the most transformative change is the establishment of the National Sports Tribunal. By centralising disputes, it promises to give sports law a focal point—much as the NCLT did for company law.

“My estimate is that around eighty percent of federation disputes are relating to elections, selections and eligibility. They will end up here,” said Kamath. “And just like NCLT lawyers emerged as a specialist bar, we could see lawyers specializing in sports tribunal work.”

For Rohit Shankar, founder of boutique firm Coromandel Law, the tribunal lowers barriers to entry for individual practitioners. “India has always had scope for a sports law practice. The SGA provides a unified body of law and dedicated forums for disputes. It’s an exciting opportunity to learn the law and test it in ongoing cases.”

Shankar, who often represents athletes and local associations, says many disputes originate outside New Delhi. He hopes the tribunal will adopt robust virtual hearings to make access easier. “If that happens, boutiques and individual lawyers will thrive,” he said.

Still, some warn against overestimating the tribunal’s impact. “It is a superstructure, but the governance structure underneath is largely the same,” said Ayush Mohan, partner at SAMVAD Partners. “Its effectiveness will depend on the guidelines issued by the board and rules issued under the Act. Until then, it’s wait and watch.”

The Commercial Side: Media, IP, and Esports

Beyond governance and disputes, sports law intersects heavily with commercial practice—an area Indian law firms know well.

“Sports has always been holistic,” said Aarushi Jain, partner and head – media, education and gaming at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. “We’ve done work on franchising, licensing, sponsorships, investments. Now, with the SGA and the upcoming online gaming law, new avenues are opening. The focus will shift to reorganization, governance, and compliance.”

Esports and online gaming, in particular, are emerging as hot sectors. With India set to regulate online social games and esports separately, many lawyers believe the bigger financial opportunities may lie there rather than in traditional sports federations. “If there is a buzz area, it’s esports,” Mohan said. “PE and VC funds are far more active there.”

Bhalla agrees that the most sustainable model will integrate sports law with allied practices such as intellectual property, media rights, and technology law. “The standalone economics don’t work. But combine it with sponsorship, broadcast deals, IP, and suddenly you have a viable practice.”

Can Sports Law Stand on Its Own?

This is the crux of the debate. The SGA undoubtedly creates new streams of legal work—compliance filings, governance disputes, election challenges, tribunal appearances. But can those streams sustain a standalone sports law practice?

The consensus seems to be: not yet.

“Sports law needs multiple credible players,” Kamath said, noting that the ecosystem – while relatively small – encapsulates multiple different interests: governors, athletes, broadcasters, sponsors, businesses, governments and also fans and consumers. He argues for more lawyers entering the field, not fewer.

Bhalla is more skeptical. “Most complainants in these disputes are not financially well-off. Unlike NCLT, where billions are at stake, the fee potential here is limited.”

Mehrotra takes a middle ground. “This will open doors for a lot of young sports lawyers. But the ecosystem itself has to mature. Otherwise, it risks being an opportunity without longevity.”

For Shankar, the growth of the field is inevitable. “There is never an opportunity cost to learning. If you enjoy the work, you’ll find your niche. Whether it’s governance disputes, anti-doping, or player rights, the practice will evolve.”

Mohan remains cautious but intrigued. “Yes, the tribunal creates a niche. But no, the underlying structure hasn’t changed enough. Firms with strong government connections will find opportunities. Others will have to see if the work justifies the investment.”

A Nascent Market, A Long Game

The National Sports Governance Act may not instantly create a booming industry for lawyers. But it lays down something India has lacked: a credible framework. By bringing structure to a chaotic sector, it makes legal engagement unavoidable.

The financial viability of a standalone sports practice remains uncertain. Yet, by intertwining with allied areas—corporate law, IP, gaming, media—firms can build sustainable offerings while waiting for sports bodies and federations to catch up.

For now, the Act gives India’s legal market a new playground—one where the rules are still being written, and the winners remain undecided.