Levelling the playing field: the inaugural Monash sports law & governance clinic
Written by Dr Karin M Frodé, Lecturer and Clinic Supervisor.
The inaugural cohort of Sports Law & Governance Clinic students, alongside supervisor Dr Karin M Frodé and Associate Professor Eric Windholz.
The purpose of the new Sports Law & Governance Clinic was simple: to provide legal advice and governance support to Monash University’s 35 sporting clubs (many of which are run by students) while giving law students hands-on experience of a variety of legal matters relevant to the day-to-day running of incorporated associations.
Everything else was complex and required a great deal of attention to detail, ability to adapt and think creatively as to how we can best support these clubs. They operate in very complex environments, which are hard to navigate even for lawyers.
In starting a full-time role with the Monash Law Clinics at the start of the year, I was fortunate to join Clinic Director Joel Townsend as one of the inaugural supervisors. We had the privilege of benefiting from the sports law expertise of Associate Professor Eric Windholz who joined us as the Clinic’s Academic Convenor, organising an impressive range of guest speakers, many of whom were Monash alumni, and assisting with our orientation program and preparation of resources.
It quickly became clear to me that the initiative was born out of a recognition that sport at the university level involves an array of complex legal and policy frameworks that the student-run sporting clubs must navigate.
Club committee members (largely students and alumni) were balancing their love of the sport with these complex frameworks. Lack of clarity about what rules govern each club, in addition to University policies, contractual arrangements and peak body rules, expose clubs, members and the University to reputational, financial and safety risks. Without clear governance, everyday issues, such as membership disputes, insurance coverage, and compliance with legislation and contractual obligations could escalate into costly or dangerous outcomes. These challenges underscored the pressing need to provide clubs with accessible guidance tailored to the unique context of university-level sport.
The new Clinic adopted a practical and client-centred approach. Students had the opportunity to take client instructions, research governance questions and draft comprehensive letters of advice for individual clubs. The Clinic also produced practical resources about club constitutions, regulatory responsibilities and common pitfalls and challenges. A recorded training session on policies and the relevant legal frameworks was also prepared and delivered by the Clinic students for club committee members and retained as a resource for future rounds of club committee members.
To broaden the learning, Clinic students also met with in-house counsel from peak sporting bodies, a representative from the Australian Sports Commission, and specialist private practitioners, exposing students to the range of ways in which they can combine their interest in sports and law.
The 'MVPs' of the inaugural Clinic were without a doubt our Clinic students. We were fortunate to attract a diverse cohort of students curious about the intersection between sport and law and ready to give it their all 'on the field'.
The students left the Clinic with real-world skills, ranging from client interviewing, drafting letters of advice, auditing policies and other governance documents, risk identification and stakeholder engagement. Under supervision, they translated tricky provisions of the relevant frameworks into practical and usable advice for committee members who needed answers to manage the running of their clubs. The experience also helped the students build confidence and professional networks as they are about to head into legal practice. The guest speakers, as Monash alumni, were very generous with their time and showed a great willingness to 'give back' to this generation of students.
Feedback from clubs, students and Monash Sport was very positive and has led to discussions about continued collaboration in 2026. Beyond legal fixes in response to problems, the Clinic has begun important work to close governance gaps, reducing risk and helping committees run safer, more resilient clubs. The effects of this work have already resulted in improved club operations and increased confidence among student leaders.
We look forward to continuing and expanding the Clinic, welcoming more students and deepening our partnership with Monash Sport to enable the University's clubs to focus on sport and community, confident that their governance and legal needs are well managed. With continued support, the Clinic is well positioned to become a cornerstone of legal education and community engagement at Monash. Lessons learned here may also serve the important purpose of forming the basis to help prospective clients not just affiliated with the University but local community sporting clubs more broadly.
With the successes of this year, we are ready to kick off another season!