Martin Salisbury

UCFB Manchester

Course Leader

BA (Hons) Sports Business and Sports Law

Martin qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and has worked in general legal practice for over 10 years. It was in his first law firm that his interest in sports law and representing athletes developed. Martin was involved in creating a sports agency within that firm which included former Liverpool manager, Roy Evans. Subsequently, Martin became a football agent in his own right representing professional football players from 2013 until 2021. Martin has a Masters in Education and is an experienced law lecturer having taught on law degrees, law conversion courses and postgraduate solicitor training for nearly 20 years.

He has taught across a range of law subjects including tort law, criminal law, property law, company and commercial law, employment law and private client as well as many areas of sports law and sports governance, regulation and compliance. In his previous role, in the Law School at the University of Central Lancashire, Martin was the winner of a Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching – Innovation and Technology and was shortlisted for SU Lecturer of the Year, Outstanding Feedback Award and University Stars Award. He has also been the chief external examiner for the postgraduate law courses at another institution. In 2017, as a charity trustee, Martin was involved in co-organising a number of centenary celebrations for the Dick, Kerr Ladies football team. The team was formed during the war in a munitions factory in Preston in 1917 with the aim of raising money to support the war wounded. The Dick, Kerr Ladies played in front of huge crowds including 53,000 at Goodison Park in 1920, travelled around the world following the FA’s ban on women’s’ football and became the unofficial world champions in 1937. The centenary celebrations included the unveiling of a memorial to the team at Preston North End’s Deepdale Stadium, the inaugural national women’s walking football tournament, a primary school play, a museum display and the unveiling of a blue plaque.

Martin has recently been co-chair for the interim Preston North End Fan Advisory Network (PNEFAN) and under the guidance of the club and the Football Supporters Association (FSA) he has been responsible for leading and creating the draft constitution for the permanent PNEFAN fans representative body.