Interview with a sports lawyer. Part 3. Miriana Piccoli
- ISL
- 25 июл. 2020 г.
- 5 мин. чтения
We continue to introduce you to young sports lawyers and today we are talking with a student from Switzerland, a student of the master's program at Neuchâtel University – Miriana Piccoli.
– Hello, Miri! Could you tell us please about your background? You received a Bachelor's degree at Universität Luzern in Switzerland, right?
Hello ISL, and thank you for inviting me, it’s a pleasure to be on your channel today talking with you!
That is correct, I received my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Lucerne, a city in the heart of Switzerland, in the German-speaking part of the country. The time in Lucerne was full of stimulating challenges: the quality of teaching was high, as well as the standards that the students were required to meet. Plus, I had to study in German, which is not my mother tongue (I grew up in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland).
It was during these years that my interest in Sports Law increased more and more. I had the chance to write my Bachelor thesis on a very interesting topic: “Persönlichkeitsverletzungen, Anwendungsfälle im Sportrecht” or – in the less intimidating English translation – “Infringements of personality rights in sports law cases”. This was the very first time I dealt with Sports Law and I immediately found it fascinating, so I decided to investigate further and participate at different events, such as the Sports Law Days” in Macolin, organized by ASDS (https://www.asds.ch/) or ELSA Law School on Sports Law in Innsbruck. Eventually, I found my passion, my dream job and also my future choice to study at Neuchâtel University for my Master.
– And now you are a Sports Law Master student at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Why did you choose this particular branch of law?
Why Sports Law? Well, there could be many valid reasons why to choose this particular and very interesting branch of law! Why I personally chose Sports Law? Because I truly believe in the value of Sport: its importance for society has increased a lot in the last decades and Sport has become meaningful also in the economic and political world. This significant role creates at the same time a necessity of rules: Sport needs more and more regulation and new questions have arisen. Sports Law represents a particular branch of law and a thorough study is needed to understand it and to understand the connected risks of bad regulation, in order to avoid the loss of the ideal of sport and of its autonomy (“sport specificity”).
– Please, tell us about the enrollment process.
Everyone with a Bachelor’s degree from a Swiss Law Faculty (or equivalent degree) is admitted with no further conditions to the Sports Law Master at the University of Neuchâtel. If you have a degree from a non-Swiss university, you may need to meet additional conditions.
About the financial aspect, the good news is that tuition fees in Neuchâtel are relatively low (from 1’000 CHF a year, up to max. 2’000 CHF for foreign students), the bad news is that living expenses in Switzerland are quite high.
– What is the structure of the program?
The Master is structured in three pillars: lectures, thematic seminars and a Master thesis, for a total of 90 ECTS. The program provides an in-depth education in Sports Law considering all the legal questions raised by the practice of sport (such as the status of athletes, doping, sports contracts, international sporting organizations, conflict resolution) and is tailored for students who wish to pursue a career in a law firm or a national/international organization linked to the world of sport.
– Could you enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of the University at Neuchâtel Master's program?
The main reason why I chose to move again for my Master and go to Neuchâtel, this time in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (btw, if you’re wondering whether German, Italian and French are finally all the languages spoken in Switzerland, well, there’s even a fourth one) is that the program is unique and you won’t find it in other Swiss universities.
Advantages: unique within Switzerland, proximity to various international sporting organizations (i.e. IOC or Court of Arbitration for Sport), support from the CIES (International Center for Sport Studies), relatively inexpensive.
Disadvantages: if you don’t know French you won’t be able to follow the program, because almost all courses are in French (only a really limited part is in English).
– Who is your favorite speaker from the University of Neuchâtel and why?
This is a difficult question because during this year in Neuchâtel I enjoyed basically every course I took and every speaker. I can mention in particular the two professors responsible for the program, Prof. Antonio Rigozzi and Prof. Sébastian Besson, and as well Prof. Madalina Diaconu.
– Is it possible to find a job only as a sports lawyer in Switzerland, or should it always be parallel with other branches of law? Generally, is it easy to find a job in a sports law firm?
Well, I will probably be able to better answer this question in the next years, when I will finish my studies and finally get the chance to start my professional career. Right now I can tell you what I also told some friends who asked me the same questions and who considered the choice of studying Sports Law as “too risky” and without future job prospects. It is wrong to think that way: the more I learn about this field, the more I see that opportunities exist and are actually out there. I believe that especially Switzerland (seat of many sports federations, institutional bodies, IOC, CAS, sports law firms, etc.) offers interesting chances. So the answer is yes, it is possible. But attention: it doesn’t necessarily mean that finding a job in a sports law firm is going to be “easy”. If what you want is to become a sports lawyer, then you need to work on this project and start as soon as possible. Attend a proper Master, seminars, conferences, meet people working in sports law, built your personal network, do internships, etc.
– What advice would you share with our readers?
In general, one advice I always give to younger students is to find your passion and follow it. It may sound a bit “cheesy”, but I believe that being able to turn your passion into your job is actually a privilege and in most cases requires lots of sacrifices and determination.
If, in particular, your passion is Sport/Sports Law, be aware you will need to work on it step by step and do everything I mentioned above (attend seminars, do internships, etc.) in order to succeed. Just like for the athletes, a lot depends on how much effort, time and dedication you will invest in it… but hey, don’t forget to put as well some fun and passion while doing it!
One last thing I would like to tell my readers: it is true that also in the sport industry discriminations do still exist in different forms. But today, what I would like to share with you, with other women and minorities, is the message of hope and strength that my experience taught me: it’s been only a few years, but I could already meet such great people, students and professionals, that I have the best hope for the future of Sport! So… don’t give up even before trying but follow your passion and good luck with it!
We would like to express appreciation for answering the questions. We wish you to score major successes in the future!
Thank you so much for inviting me and thank in particular to Valeryia and Daria, two great future professionals and friends. All the best to you and to all readers!
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