JAMES KITCHING

James Kitching is a recognised leader in the global sports industry.

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James advises the global sports industry on governance, regulation, strategy, and integrity as Managing Director of The FC, a boutique sports advisory business.

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James currently has also been appointed or elected to serve as (among others): 

- Supervisory Board Member, FIFA Clearing House S.A.S. (a licensed financial institution)
- Board Member, Shooting Australia
- Chair, Basketball South Australia
- Arbitrator, Court of Arbitration for Sport
- Chair of Independent Hearing Panel, Badminton World Federation

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James was previously Director of Football Regulatory at FIFA where he managed multinational and multidisciplinary team encompassing 5 departments (Professional Football, Player Status, Regulatory Enforcement, Agents, and Clearing House) which oversaw the football transfer system and ‘off the field’ regulation in football. He led, among others, the reform of the football transfer system, creation of the FIFA Clearing House, introduction of the new global football agent framework, and implementation of the FIFA Football Tribunal.

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James also spent 5 years at the Asian Football Confederation as Head of Sports Legal Services, where he modernised the corporate governance framework, bidding processes for Asian competitions, and managed the AFC judicial bodies.

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James is a regular lecturer and speaker at conferences, postgraduate and undergraduate courses, and webinars. He is available for media comment on all aspects of sport.