Athletes & Sportspersons

Understanding the Needs of Athletes and Sportspersons

Athletes often live and compete across multiple jurisdictions within short periods of time. Training camps, competitions, seasonal engagements and post-career transitions can create uncertainty around residence, tax exposure and reporting obligations.

CCLEX focuses on these career-driven mobility challenges, helping athletes understand how residence, citizenship and physical presence translate into legal rights, tax obligations and long-term personal security.

Residence and Citizenship as Mobility Assets

At CCLEX, we treat residence and citizenship as distinct strategic asset classes: mobility assets, rather than administrative formalities. For athletes and sportspersons, these assets provide stability during active careers and continuity during post-career transitions.

We advise on how different residence and citizenship statuses compare in terms of durability, scope of rights, regulatory expectations and family continuity, ensuring decisions remain appropriate as sporting careers evolve or conclude.

The CCLEX Mobility Assets Spectrum™

The CCLEX Mobility Assets Spectrum™ (MAS) is our proprietary framework for advising on global mobility. It places temporary residence, permanent residence and citizenship along a structured spectrum, allowing athletes and sportspersons to evaluate:

• the strength and durability of each status,
• the rights and limitations attached to it,
• its interaction with tax residence and reporting obligations, and
• its suitability for long-term and post-career planning.

Using the MAS, we help athletes move away from short-term or incidental arrangements and towards coherent, forward-looking mobility strategies.

Citizenship and Residence Advisory for Athletes

Our citizenship and residence lawyers advise athletes and sportspersons on:

• residence and citizenship pathways aligned with career stage and family circumstances,
• coordinating residence statuses across jurisdictions during active careers,
• pre-relocation and exit considerations, and
• maintaining compliance with residence conditions, renewals and reporting requirements.

Our advice is comparative and jurisdiction-neutral, enabling athletes to assess options across Europe and other strategic destinations.

International Private Client Tax Advisory and Compliance

CCLEX advises athletes and sportspersons on international private client tax matters from a legal and compliance perspective, particularly where cross-border activity and frequent travel intersect with tax residence rules.

We support athletes with:

• tax advisory linked to residence and relocation,
• coordination of tax positions across jurisdictions,
• treaty interpretation and double tax considerations, and
• ongoing personal tax compliance and reporting obligations.

Our role complements that of external accountants and advisers, ensuring legal consistency and clarity.

International Property Advisory and Conveyancing

Property often plays an important stabilising role for athletes establishing a base during or after their careers. Our property team advises on:

• acquisition and disposal of residential property across destination countries,
• legal due diligence and conveyancing,
• ownership arrangements aligned with personal use and residence objectives, and
• compliance with local property, registration and ownership rules.

We coordinate with the athlete’s wider advisory team to ensure property decisions support long-term residence and personal stability.

Working Alongside Athletes and Their Advisors

CCLEX works alongside athletes’ existing advisers, including agents, accountants, family offices and personal representatives. We provide the legal and tax framework underpinning personal mobility and residence decisions, without duplicating or competing with commercial, sporting or representation roles.

Our focus is clarity, coordination and legal certainty throughout active careers and beyond.

Our Experience Supporting Athletes and Sportspersons

We have advised athletes and sportspersons across Europe, the Middle East and Asia on mobility-driven legal and tax matters.

Examples of our work include advising on:

• residence planning for athletes competing across multiple jurisdictions,
• coordination of tax residence and reporting obligations during active careers, and
• acquisition of residential property to support long-term settlement following retirement from professional sport.

Each engagement is handled with confidentiality, precision and discretion, and tailored to the athlete’s career stage and personal circumstances.

How Our Athletes & Sportspersons Lawyers Can Help

CCLEX provides integrated advice across citizenship, residence, international tax compliance and property, framed through our Mobility Assets Spectrum™. We help athletes and sportspersons make informed, durable decisions about global mobility and life beyond professional sport.