In recent years, the sports world has been increasingly captivated by breakaway leagues—competitions that aim to challenge traditional formats and offer a new vision for how top athletes compete. From the controversy of the European Super League in football, to the success of the Indian Premier League and everything in between. We've seen the rise of LIV Golf, the promise of Grand Slam Track for athletics in 2025, the brief appearance of the International Swimming League, and the bizarre emergence of the proposed "Enhanced Games".

Most sports have now experienced some challenger series, with the allure of establishing rival leagues to the existing structures never having been stronger.

The challenge for these breakaway leagues is balancing commercial aspirations with the traditional values of sport and maintaining a global fan base that may be sceptical of the move. Additionally, the intense schedules often associated with these new formats raise concerns about player welfare, as the pressure to perform in multiple high-stakes competitions can lead to physical and mental burnout. With the growing emphasis on player health and well-being across all sports, sports must consider how to protect athletes from overwork and ensure that the pursuit of profit doesn't come at the expense of their long-term careers. This added pressure makes it even more challenging to create sustainable, athlete-friendly formats that can thrive both commercially and ethically.

Why do breakaway leagues emerge?

The motivations behind forming breakaway leagues are multi-faceted. One major driving factor is financial opportunity. Traditional leagues, while lucrative, have long been under scrutiny for being locked into restrictive structures that limit revenue potential. For example, the failed European Super League promised to offer clubs guaranteed revenue streams through broadcast deals, sponsorship, and commercial rights, and a way to avoid the uncertain nature of domestic league performance, including the jeopardy of promotion and regulation.

For athletes, breakaway leagues offer the potential for higher earnings. Most have sought to entice players with comparatively enormous financial incentives - signing bonuses, appearance fees, and guaranteed prize pools often feature. It's the classic case of the "grass is greener" on the other side, especially when the grass is fertilised with stacks of cash. 

Additionally, these leagues often promise greater control and autonomy to teams, athletes, and organisers. Traditional structures can be slow to adapt to the evolving commercial landscape, whereas breakaway leagues have the flexibility to experiment with new formats, such as team-based competitions, franchising models, and high-stakes tournaments.

However, breaking away from tradition is not without its challenges. The key difficulty lies in confronting the deeply entrenched power structures that govern established sports. Understandably, existing governing federations and leagues are nervous about challengers that may attempt to disrupt their existing dominance. The European Super League, for instance, faced fierce opposition from UEFA, which threatened to ban clubs from participating in other competitions like the Champions League, and from domestic leagues, which risked expelling the breakaway teams. 

The threat of fan backlash is also a very real concern, as fan engagement is critical to the success of any new sports format. Without the support and enthusiasm of fans, even the most financially promising leagues can struggle to gain traction and maintain long-term viability. One of the objectives of the Football Governance Bill, that looks set to pass into law next year, is to give football fans a voice to prevent such moves from clubs in the English men's game.

The financial commitment of major backers is another critical factor in the success of breakaway leagues, and it can also expose them to significant risk. A prime example of this is the International Swimming League, which gained considerable engagement and attention from swimming fans in its short life. However, the league was heavily backed by a Ukrainian investor, and when the war in Ukraine broke out, the funding dried up, causing the league to abruptly end. This highlights the vulnerability of breakaway leagues, as their survival often depends on the financial stability and continued backing of powerful investors, making them susceptible to external geopolitical or economic factors.

The Indian Premier League: a breakaway success story

While many breakaway leagues have faltered or faced significant challenges, the Indian Premier League in cricket stands out as a shining example of success. Since its inception in 2008, the IPL has become one of the most lucrative and widely watched sports leagues in the world, revolutionising the format of cricket. The IPL introduced a franchise-based model, allowing for global talent to compete in a short, high-energy competition. The league's innovation, in terms of both its T20 format and its massive commercial appeal, has set a blueprint for other sports leagues seeking to emulate its success.

The IPL's success can be attributed to several factors: a large fan base in India, significant commercial investments from companies ranging from DHL to Pepsi, short tournament formats (which appeal to modern attention spans), and the careful selection of top-tier talent. Crucially, the IPL was able to balance commercial success with maintaining the essence of the sport. By doing so, it attracted investors, broadcasters, and sponsors eager to participate in a high-profile, high-reward model. Other leagues have struggled to replicate this balance of tradition and innovation, which has made the IPL a valuable case study for future breakaway leagues.

Rugby's breakaway ambition: a new frontier in 2026?

The latest sporting candidate for a breakaway league is rugby union. Drawing inspiration from Formula 1 and the IPL, a new vision for the sport is reported to involve a grand prix-style, travelling format, featuring eight globally-based men's teams and a professional women's competition. 

Public details are limited at the time of writing, but the proposals come at a time of increasing commercial pressure on the sport and the need to establish a more sustainable model. It appears those behind this new league plan to invest in the sport's elite players, expanding the reach and revenue through a global outlook. By tapping into the attraction of a truly international property, completed by the best players, who visit venues around the world to create the 'big' occasions, the league will no doubt be positioned as a premium property. The clear aim is that fans, broadcasters and global commercial partners buy in to create a new lucrative model.

The legal minefield of breakaway leagues

For those seeking to establish a breakaway league, the legal landscape is as complex as it is critical. One of the biggest challenges is navigating the existing contracts and relationships between athletes, clubs, and governing bodies. In some cases, athletes may be bound by exclusive agreements or commitments to existing competitions, making it difficult to break free. The potential for legal disputes is therefore high, especially when breakaway leagues seek to establish rules that challenge existing frameworks or compete directly with established events. Legal battles, often framed in competition law, have become unfortunately common given how high the stakes are.

While the media's focus has been on legal disputes, this only scratches the surface of the work that goes into setting up a new league.  For example, this is likely to involve:

• Analysis of existing regulations and contracts to consider potential barriers 
• Negotiations with exiting organisations (depending on whether the new league is a full breakaway or wants to work 'inside' existing structures)
• The establishment of new corporate structures, including drafting governing documents (articles of association, etc) and agreements between shareholders
• Financing documentation
• Drafting new league rules and regulations
• Consideration of the new team structures – will teams be 'owned' by the new league, drawn from existing teams/clubs, set up as new franchises, or allocated in some other way. Multiple agreements, policies and/or rules will likely be required regardless of the model adopted.
• Drafting standard agreements with players, and potentially negotiating these with player bodies
• Drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial agreements: media rights and production deals, sponsorship agreements (at the league and team level), merchandise licensing deals, ticket and hospitality terms, venue hire agreements etc
• The creation and protection of new brands (for the league and teams), including making global trade mark applications

Just glancing at the mountain of legal work involved is enough to make you wonder if the real sport here is legal drafting.

Moreover, there are ethical and governance issues to consider—who will oversee the integrity of these leagues? Will breakaway leagues be subject to anti-doping and anti-corruption regulations? (Although, let's be honest, the Enhanced Games has clearly already decided to skip the anti-doping part altogether).

The future of breakaway leagues

The rise of breakaway leagues reflects the growing demand for financial autonomy in elite sports, but the legal, ethical, and organisational challenges are significant. To be successful, new formats require financial backing, careful legal planning, and a strategy to preserve the essence of the sport. Future leagues must balance tradition with innovation to attract fans without alienating them. While these leagues offer new opportunities, they must navigate a complex legal and regulatory landscape to thrive.

For a deeper understanding of how to navigate the legal landscape, feel free to connect with your usual Lewis Silkin contact or a member of our Sports team for further guidance.