Press Release

Northridge continues growth with addition of sports finance team

Northridge today (13 October 2025) announced that sports finance specialist Claire Barker has joined the firm as Partner, alongside Managing Associate Toby Cooper.

Claire advises on a wide variety of domestic and cross-border finance transactions and has deep experience across all aspects of sports finance. Over the last 11 years, she has acted on over 350 sports finance deals over 12 years involving 20 jurisdictions, with over £3.5billion of capital deployed.

As recognised in Legal 500, Claire acts on “a range of sports financings, including football, cricket, tennis, and motorsport.”  She acts for lenders, investors, clubs and sporting bodies on the full range of their finance needs including industry-specific asset financing involving player transfer fees, ticket receivables and media rights as well as stadium and acquisition financing.

Claire has helped clients set up complex funding structures, securitisations and back-to-back funding arrangements. Her arrival, together with Managing Associate Toby Cooper, brings a unique focus to a fast‑maturing area of the market and cements Northridge’s position at the forefront of sports sector transactions.

Recent deal highlights include:

  • acting for lenders and clubs across Europe and the Americas in relation to both the financing of football transfer fees and media rights receivables. Recent transactions have involved clubs in the UK (both Premier League and Football League), Brazil, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the USA;
  • advising in relation to a ticket receivables financing in rugby;
  • advising two international funds on the set up and structuring of their sports finance business, including back to back funding arrangements;
  • acting for a Premier League club in relation to the corporate structuring and financing of a transformational real estate property, for a multi-use area around stadium, residential, student accommodation and music venue, plus redevelopment of the stadium itself, a new sports ground and home for their women’s team; and
  • acting for a Championship club in relation to the financing of the construction of a new stadium, surrounding redevelopment and music venue.

“Northridge has seen tremendous growth in our sports transaction practice in recent years, advising on more than our fair share of the highest profile and most valuable deals in the industry. We’ve seen the growing need for specialised sports finance advice; from clubs, rightsholders and particularly from our institutional investor client base who are allocating funds across the capital stack.

We are delighted to launch this dedicated sports finance practice at Northridge. Our clients are seeking practical and bankable solutions, tailored to the requirements of sport, from stadium projects to acquisition finance to receivables financing.

Claire and Toby’s expertise adds depth to our offering and further strengthens our unique ability to advise in sport when the stakes are highest.”

Ian Lynam
Partner, Northridge

“Northridge has built the market-leading sports transactional practice. The continued evolution of financing in sport, which is rapidly expanding in complexity, ambition and capital interest, requires lawyers that understand the commercial realities as well as the sport specific structures that work in practice.

I am excited to be joining the firm with Toby to launch a dedicated sports finance practice that helps clients execute deals with confidence and pace across the sports industry.”

Claire Barker
Partner, Northridge

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Area of Focus

Financing in Sport