Professional sports league as a capital company - the case of Polish Ekstraklasa

The aim of this article is to analyse the legal regulations of a professional sports league on the case of the Ekstraklasa, a joint-stock company managing the highest level of football competition in Poland. The basic research method used in the article is a dogmatic-legal analysis focused on Polish law and internal regulations of the Polish Football Association (PZPN). The study also utilizes a legal-comparative method to demonstrate differences and similarities with selected solutions adopted in the English, US and German leagues. Additionally, a case study is applied to illustrate the structure of the Ekstraklasa as a company. The research problem focuses on the relationships between the shareholders, which include the PZPN and the sports clubs whose teams are entitled to participate in the Ekstraklasa. The article characterises the rights and obligations of the different groups of shareholders participating in the Ekstraklasa. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that despite the equal status of the shareholders, PZPN has a dominant position and can create the rights and obligations of the other shareholders.