Dr. McArdle is currently the Head of the Law School and the Law REF Co-ordinator at Stirling University. His work on the relationship between sport and the law is globally-recognised, and he has extensive research, teaching, impact, PhD supervision and consultancy experience on those and other issues.
Dr McArdle’s work contributes to two of the university’s research themes (living well and cultures, communities, society) and to the law school’s strengths in human rights and private law and arbitration. His current research focuses on issues relating to discrimination (notably pregnancy discrimination in US college sports, and discrimination against trans athletes), legal and ethical responses to concussion in youth sports,legal and policy concerns around the UNESCO and Council of Europe Anti-Doping Conventions, and the relationship between human rights and sport in countries with oppressive regimes. He is a co-author of two reports for the Scottish government, one on the use of football banning orders and the other on the Offensive Behaviour at Football etc Act, and of two reports for the European Commission, on event organisers’ rights and matchfixing. He has provided Opinions on sports disputes for government bodies in Russia and Israel, advised athletes in anti-doping cases and worked with several sports stakeholders to improve stewarding standards, employment practices and data protection compliance.
Dr McArdle’s academic publications in the current REF period have covered issues as diverse as celebrity image rights, doping and human rights in Belarus, athlete longitudinal profiling, and football and sectarianism. His monograph on arbitration and mediation in sport was published in 2015. His current impact activities concern the anti-Doping Conventions and sport-related concussion, and he continues his work on football, sectarianism and Scots law which was a Stirling Law School impact case study in 2014. He has led workshops at several UK law schools on the use of posters in undergraduate assessment and has been an external law REF assessor for three institutions. He is a visiting fellow at the Gujarat National Law University, a research fellow at the Centre for Research in Sport, Technology and Law at De Montfort University and is an Academic Associate in sports law for a barristers' chambers in London. He works in close collaboration with colleagues in North America, Australia and China. He was the Founding Editor of the Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, has guest edited several journal special issues and currently serves on the editorial board of the leading peer-reviewed sports law journals in Australia and the United States.
Dr McArdle’s current grant applications involve the medico-legal issues around concussion, building on collaborative work funded by the Royal Socity of Edinburgh. He has previously attracted external funding of over £350,000, ranging from £770 from the Carnegie Trust to fund fieldwork on adventure activities provision in the Highlands, to £40,000 from the Scottish Government in 2010 for research into the use of football banning orders in Scotland and EUR 268,000 from the European Commission for Project EAC/18/2012 on Event Organisers’ Rights. In addition to supervising PhDs in the area of sports law, he has also worked with successful doctoral candidates researching topics as diverse as the WTO regime in Saudi Arabia, freedom of expression in Egypt and regulating cybercrime in Nigeria.
Honorary Member of the Sport Law, Policy and Diplomacy Centre University of Rijeka
UK Representative, International Association for Athletes Rights, Moscow
Academic Associate, 23 Essex Street Chambers
Visiting Fellow, Centre for Research in Sport Technology and Law, De Montfort Univeristy
Visiting Fellow, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences
Sports Arbitration; Sport and Human Rights; Medico-legal Aspects of Sport; Image Rights and Celebrity Culture. Postgraduate Supervision: Sports Law and Arbitration, especially EU and comparative perspectives. Comparative employment and trade union law.
Care, Consent and Sport Related Concussion: Ethico-Legal Investigation into Head Injuries in Boxing, Football, and RugbyUnion
PI: Dr David McArdle
Funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council
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Association of Law Teachers Conference 2020
PI: Dr David McArdle
Funded by: Delegates - Conferences
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A Proposal to Conduct Research into the Impact of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act
PI: Dr Niall Hamilton-Smith
Funded by: Scottish Government
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RSE - international Exchange Programme
PI: Dr David McArdle
Funded by: The Royal Society of Edinburgh
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Evaluation of Football Banning Orders in Scotland
PI: Dr Niall Hamilton-Smith
Funded by: Scottish Government
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Regulating outdoor adventure activities in the wilderness areas of Scotland and South Africa
PI: Dr David McArdle
Funded by: Association of Commonwealth Universities
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Royal Society International Exchange Programme Bilateral Travel
PI: Dr David McArdle
Funded by: The Royal Society of Edinburgh
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Article
Litigation and liability in concussion research and collaboration
McArdle D & DeMartini AL (2024) Litigation and liability in concussion research and collaboration. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17511321.2024.2361909
Article
McArdle D (2023) The employment implications and tax status of English football referees: Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 1370 European Development. European Labour Law Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/20319525231201279
Article
Mcnamee M, Anderson LC, Borry P, Camporesi S, Derman W, Holm S, Knox TR, Leuridan B, Loland S, Lopez Frias FJ, Lorusso L, Malcolm D, Mcardle D, Partridge B, Schramme T & Weed M (2023) Sport-related concussion research agenda beyond medical science: culture, ethics, science, policy Extended essay. Journal of Medical Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2022-108812
Article
McArdle D & de Mars S (2023) Your Body Is a Battleground: Pregnancy Discrimination and College Sports After 50 Years of Title IX David McArdle and Sylvia de Mars. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 33 (1), pp. 3-45. https://doi.org/10.18060/22433
Article
Sports Law, Sports Policy and The Amateur Athlete. Reflections on Topfit and Biffi v. Deutscher
McArdle D (2022) Sports Law, Sports Policy and The Amateur Athlete. Reflections on Topfit and Biffi v. Deutscher. Sports Law, Policy and Diplomacy Journal, 1 (1), pp. 1-20.
Article
DeMartini AL, Kim S, Connaughton DP & McArdle D (2021) A comparison of US and Scotland youth soccer coaches' legal consciousness regarding concussion safety regulations. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16 (3), pp. 554-567. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954120981197
Article
'It Isn't My Area.' Coaches' Awareness of Concussion Protocols in Scottish Youth Football
McArdle D, De Martini A, Kim S & Connaughton D (2021) 'It Isn't My Area.' Coaches' Awareness of Concussion Protocols in Scottish Youth Football. Scottish Affairs, 30 (1), pp. 53-73. https://doi.org/10.3366/scot.2021.0352
Book Chapter
Doping and Human Rights in Pariah States
McArdle D (2019) Doping and Human Rights in Pariah States. In: Duval A & Rigozzi A (eds.) Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration 2017. Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration. The Hague: TMC Asser Press, pp. 29-49. https://doi.org/10.1007/15757_2019_28
Book Chapter
Doping and Human Rights in Pariah States
McArdle D (2019) Doping and Human Rights in Pariah States [CAS 2016/A/4708, Belarus Canoe Association and Belarusian Senior Men’s Canoe and Kayak Team Members v International Canoe Federation]. In: Duval A & Rigozzi A (eds.) Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration 2017. YISA. The Hague: TMC Assert Press, pp. 29-49. https://doi.org/10.1007/15757_2019_28
Book Chapter
Image Rights and Sports In India
McArdle D (2018) Image Rights and Sports In India. In: Dasgupta L & Sen S (eds.) Sports Law in India: Policy, Regulation and Commercialisation. SAGE Law. New Delhi: SAGE, pp. 177-191. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/sports-law-in-india/book263286
Article
McArdle D (2016) 'You Had Me at 'No capital Gains Tax on a Disposal'': Legal and Theoretical Aspects of Standalone Image Rights. Legal Studies, 36 (4), pp. 639-657. https://doi.org/10.1111/lest.12129
Book Chapter
McArdle D (2015) 'Strict Liability' and legal rights: Nutritional Supplements, 'Intent' and 'Risk' in the Parallel world of WADA. In: Moller V, Waddington I & Hoberman J (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport. Routledge International Handbooks. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 293-309. https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-Drugs-and-Sport/Moller-Waddington-Hoberman/p/book/9780415702782
Authored Book
Dispute Resolution in Sport: Athletes, Law and Arbitration
McArdle D (2015) Dispute Resolution in Sport: Athletes, Law and Arbitration. Ethics and Sport. Abingdon: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Dispute-Resolution-in-Sport-Athletes-Law-and-Arbitration/McArdle/p/book/9781138695191
Book Chapter
The Courts, the CAS and the 'Professional' Athlete
McArdle D (2015) The Courts, the CAS and the 'Professional' Athlete. In: Dispute Resolution in Sport: Athletes, Law and Arbitration. Ethics and Sport. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 19-35. https://www.routledge.com/Dispute-Resolution-in-Sport-Athletes-Law-and-Arbitration/McArdle/p/book/9781138695191
Research Report
Hamilton-Smith N, Anderson S, Simpson I, McArdle D, McBride M, Goodall K, Haynes R, Jago N & Crawford J (2015) An evaluation of section 1 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. Scottish Government. Social Research Series. Scottish Government. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00479049.pdf
Authored Book
Dispute Resolution in Sport: Athletes, Law and Arbitration
McArdle D (2014) Dispute Resolution in Sport: Athletes, Law and Arbitration. Ethics and Sport. London: Taylor and Francis. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415595674/
Research Report
Anderson J, Duval A, Van Rompuy B, van der Harst M & McArdle D (2014) Study on risk assessment and management and prevention of conflicts of interest in the prevention and fight against betting-related match fixing in the EU 28 - Final Report [The Asser Report]. European Commission. EAC/16/2013. Publications Office of the European Union. http://ec.europa.eu/sport/news/2014/docs/study-asser_en.pdf
Article
National law, domestic governance and global policy: a case study of anti-doping policy in Slovenia
Kustec Lipicer S & McArdle D (2014) National law, domestic governance and global policy: a case study of anti-doping policy in Slovenia. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 6 (1), pp. 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2012.662692
Research Report
Study on Sports Organisers' Rights in the European Union: Final Report
Van Rompuy B, Margoni T, Hugenholtz PB, van Eijk N, McArdle D, Becker T, Jasserand-Breeman C & van der Harst M (2014) Study on Sports Organisers' Rights in the European Union: Final Report. European Commission. EAC 18/2012. European Union. http://ec.europa.eu/sport/news/2014/docs/study-sor2014-final-report-gc-compatible_en.pdf
Book Chapter
CAS 2009/A/1912-1913 Pechstein v International Skating Union
McArdle D (2013) CAS 2009/A/1912-1913 Pechstein v International Skating Union. In: Anderson J (ed.) Leading Cases in Sports Law. ASSER International Sports Law Series. The Hague, Netherlands: TMC Asser Press, pp. 209-228. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-6704-909-2_13
Book Chapter
England's Act, Scotland's Shame and the Limits of the Law
Hamilton-Smith N & McArdle D (2013) England's Act, Scotland's Shame and the Limits of the Law. In: Flint J & Kelly J (eds.) Bigotry, Football and Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 130-144. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-bigotry-football-and-scotland.html
Book Chapter
McArdle D (2011) Longitudinal profiling, sports arbitration and the woman who had nothing to lose: some thoughts on Pechstein v. International Skating Union. In: McNamee M & Møller V (eds.) Doping and Anti-Doping Policy in Sport: Ethical, Legal and Social Perspectives. Ethics and Sport. Abingdon, Oxon: Taylor & Francis (Routledge), pp. 50-65. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415619233/
Research Report
An Evaluation of Football Banning Orders in Scotland
Hamilton-Smith N, Bradford B, Hopkins M, Kurland J, Lightowler C, McArdle D & Tilley N (2011) An Evaluation of Football Banning Orders in Scotland. Scottish Government. Scottish Government. www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch.
Article
The views from the hills: fatal accidents, child safety and licensing adventure activities
McArdle D (2011) The views from the hills: fatal accidents, child safety and licensing adventure activities. Legal Studies, 31 (3), pp. 372-391. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-121X.2011.00192.x
Article
Doping, European Law and the Implications of Meca-Medina
Callery C & McArdle D (2011) Doping, European Law and the Implications of Meca-Medina. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 3 (2), pp. 163-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2011.579146
Article
Elite Athletes and Disability Discrimination
McArdle D (2009) Elite Athletes and Disability Discrimination. Cambrian Law Review, 40, pp. 49-62. http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/law-criminology/research/clr/
Book Chapter
Some Reflections on Age Discrimination, Referees’ Retirement Ages and European Sports (Law)
McArdle D (2009) Some Reflections on Age Discrimination, Referees’ Retirement Ages and European Sports (Law). In: Gardiner S, Parrish R & Siekmann R (eds.) EU, Sport, Law and Policy: Regulation, Re-regulation and Representation. Den Haag: T.M.C. Asser Press, pp. 151-166. http://www.asser.nl/publications.aspx?subject=4&site_id=28&level1=14484&level2=14509&type=&id=4211
Article
McArdle D (2009) Using the Americans with Disabilities Act to Inform "Access to Sporting Venues" Under the Disabilities Convention. Boston University International Law Journal, 27 (2), pp. 317-344. http://www.bu.edu/law/central/jd/organizations/journals/international/volume27n2/index.html
Article
Hoey D & McArdle D (2008) Pouring oil on troubled waters? Employment tribunals, "jurisdiction" and the territorial scope of unfair dismissal. Juridical Review, 2008 (4), pp. 291-314. http://www.wgreen.co.uk/details?prodid=7122&unitid=7122&search=juridical%20review&format=all&publisher=green
Article
McArdle D (2008) "Just One of the Challenges of 21st-Century Life": Oscar Pistorius in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. SCRIPTed: A Journal of Law, Technology and Society, 5 (2), pp. 404-413. https://script-ed.org/archive/volume-5/issue-52-227-448
Article
Swallows and Amazons, or the Sporting Exception To the Gender Recognition Act
McArdle D (2008) Swallows and Amazons, or the Sporting Exception To the Gender Recognition Act. Social and Legal Studies, 17 (1), pp. 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0964663907086455
Labour law, criminal law, sports law, collective labour law.