When the match kicks off, we are into the regulation of the action on the pitch and the potential liabilities, tortious and criminal. The burgeoning area of disciplinary proceedings is thoroughly set out, particularly regarding anti-doping. The practical management of disciplinary issues provides particular insight.

After the final whistle, the narrative turns to the mechanisms for the resolution of legal disputes in sport. A cogent case is made for why English law took a wrong turn when it decided that judicial review would rarely if ever be available to challenge the decision of a sporting body (per the Court of Appeal in ex parte Aga Khan).

Sports Law is written with intellectual rigour combined with a zest for the subject matter.  The four authors bring a diversity of juridical backgrounds that instils a breadth of vision into the analysis. If you are a busy practitioner looking for the “answer” to a sports law problem, this is the textbook; if you are an academic searching for some underlying principles and theories, there is plenty for you too.

In the interests of BBC balance, I looked forlornly for some reason to criticise the book and had all but given up the search when I spotted the following in the Table of Abbreviations: “MCC - Middlesex Cricket Club”. As a playing member of the Marylebone Cricket Club, I’ve got to refer that one to Hawkeye.

Tim Lord QC has a wide commercial practice at Brick Court Chambers, which includes sports related disputes. He played first class rugby and cricket whilst at Cambridge University reading law and is now a playing member of the MCC.