Your contract is your legal agreement which you must abide by. If you fail to uphold your end of the bargain, then the other party can sue you in court and get money damages.Accordingly, you must follow your obligations in the lease agreement.


Before you can do anything, you should find your copy of the lease. Make sure it is the most recent. If you have had a long-term relationship with the tenant or facility, then you might have multiple contracts.;
, These provisions will explain how either party can end the lease before the expiration date and the circumstances in which they can terminate the lease. In a long-term contract, there are probably several situations in which either side can end the relationship:The sporting facility was destroyed by natural disasters. If a fire or tornado destroyed the facility, then the tenant is usually given the right to terminate the contract.
The facility is condemned by the government. In this situation, the tenant can terminate the contract.
One side pays “liquidated damages.” These damages are also called an “early termination fee.” You can usually end a long-term contract early by paying a lump-sum of money to the other side.
Either side “defaults” on its obligations. Both landlords and tenants have obligations, which are called “covenants” or “agreements” in the lease. A tenant, for example, agrees to pay rent on a regular schedule. If either party fails to uphold its obligations, then the other party can usually terminate after a certain amount of time.
 Not all sporting facility contracts are long-term. For example, you might have rented out an auditorium in order to host a two-day expo. However, if your plans change, then you might need to cancel the event. A short-term contract should have a cancellation provision.


Cancellation provisions can be pretty strict. For example, the contract might state that you have no right to a refund if you don’t cancel early enough., You should meet with an attorney to discuss your options for ending the contract before the expiration date. Your goal should be to end the contract without inviting a lawsuit. Your lawyer can help you find ways to do that.


If you own a sports team or a facility, then you should have a lawyer as general counsel. Call him or her and schedule a meeting. The lawyer can read the contract and come up with a strategy for making a clean break from the contract.
If you don’t have a lawyer, then get referrals from other teams or facility owners in your area. They might have tried to end a sporting facility contract recently and can give you the name of their lawyer.Call the lawyer up and explain your problem. You can then schedule a longer consultation.
 You might not want to pay liquidated damages to end the contract early. Instead, your ideal resolution might be to end the contract without having to pay any money. In this situation, you will have to find a promise the other side has not fulfilled, which is called a “breach.” Go through the contract cover to cover and identify every promise the other side has made.


For example, the stadium owner probably promises to fix hazards and not to interfere with the tenant’s enjoyment of the property. Failure to fulfill these obligations qualifies as a “breach” of the contract, which can justify termination.
The tenant also makes many promises, such as promising to make rent on schedule and to use the facility for only authorized purposes. If the tenant fails to fulfill these obligations, then it has also breached the contract., Before you can end the contract, you need solid evidence that you have a reason for doing so. This means getting evidence that the other side isn’t fulfilling its obligations under the lease agreement. Gather relevant evidence:


Hold onto communications with the other side. For example, you might have sent notices that rent is due. Keep copies of these notices, as well as anything the tenant sent in return.
Take photographs. The landlord might have refused to fix a hazard. You should take photographs of the hazard to serve as proof.
Save newspaper clippings. The tenant might have used the facility for an unauthorized purpose. Hold onto any newspaper clippings which discuss the event.
 You need to put the other side on notice of how it is not fulfilling its contractual obligations. You can do this by sending a breach of contract notice. Format the notice like a standard business letter.


Be sure to include the date near the top of the letter. The date is important.If your contract states that the other side has 30 days to fix a problem, then the date on your letter starts the clock.
 Quote provisions from the lease agreement that the other side has not fulfilled. For example, if the tenant has not paid rent, then quote the rent payment provision.


List every breach you can find. Start with the most serious violation and then move down to less serious ones., Here is where things can be difficult. You may want to get out of the contract immediately. However, the lease probably states that the party in breach has a chance to “cure” or fix the violation.Your contract might not let you terminate the lease until 30 days have passed and the other side has made no effort to cure.You should talk with your lawyer about how you want to handle this. If you agreed to give the other side a chance to cure, you are legally bound to that agreement. The other side might quickly fix the problem so that the contract can continue in force.
A good way to think about the breach of contract notice is that it is an opening move in the negotiation process. You can state, “Please contact me to discuss how to resolve these issues.”

, Your lease probably states where you should send the notice. Make sure to send it to the correct address and use the method identified in the lease for delivery.If you fail to use the agreed delivery method, then the other side could claim that it hasn’t received proper notice and therefore doesn’t need to fix the problems.


If you mail the letter, then send it certified mail, return receipt requested.
Always hold onto a copy of all communications with the other side.
 Negotiating a settlement would allow you to avoid going to trial, which will be more expensive than negotiations.A settlement also provides closure. You could end the contract and then move on. You should only negotiate if you are willing to compromise to reach a resolution.


You shouldn’t negotiate if you are unwilling to compromise. Negotiations will only be successful if you approach them with an open mind and in good faith.
If you really don’t want to negotiate, then you should either pay liquidated damages to end the contract early or wait to be sued and defend yourself at trial.
 You need a goal before going into negotiations. For example, if you are the tenant, then your goal might be to get out of the lease and not have to pay anything. This can be your ideal resolution.


To figure out how aggressive you can be during negotiations, you should consider your best alternative to a negotiated agreement. Depending on your evidence, for example, your best alternative could be to pay liquidated damages (if your evidence is weak) or win a lawsuit (if your evidence is strong). The attractiveness of your best alternative can help you decide how aggressive to be in negotiations.
You also need to know the absolute minimum you are willing to settle for. For example, you might be willing to settle by paying 33% of what remains on your sports facility contract. This is called your “walkaway” point.If the other side can’t meet it, then you stop negotiating.
 Negotiations will probably take place at a lawyer’s office. You should let your attorney handle most of the discussions, but be sure to offer your input. Your lawyer can’t accept a settlement offer without your approval, so stay engaged.Don’t expect to finish negotiations all in one meeting. You should continue to meet as long as you feel that you are making progress.
 If you reach an agreement, your lawyers will draft a settlement agreement for each party to sign. The settlement agreement is a new contract between the two parties. If either of you violate it, then you could be sued.


For example, the tenant might agree to pay some money to the landlord. If the tenant refuses, the landlord can go into court with the settlement agreement and sue.
If both parties agree to end the contract, then you will sign a “mutual rescission agreement.” This agreement will formally end your relationship., If negotiations fail, then you can simply stop performing under the contract. For example, a tenant could move out and stop paying rent. You would then wait for the landlord to sue you for breach of contract. Your lawyer will help you build your defense for the lawsuit.


Lawsuits can be drawn-out and time-consuming. In particular, lawsuits involve a fact-finding phase called “discovery.” In discovery, you and the other side can request documents from each other and ask each other questions under oath.The discovery phase can often last up to a year.
At the trial, each side will present evidence that justifies its actions. If you are trying to end the contract, then you will try to prove that the other side breached the contract first. In effect, you will try to prove that what you stated in your breach of contract notice is true.
If you lose at trial, you generally have the ability to bring an appeal.
Find your sporting facility contract.
Read the termination provisions in a long-term lease.
Find the cancellation provision in a short-term contract.
Consult with a lawyer.
Identify a breach of the sporting facility contract.
Gather proof of the breach.
Format the breach of contract notice.
Identify the other side’s breach of the lease.
Tell the other side how to fix the problem.
Mail the notice to the correct address.
Analyze whether negotiation is ideal.
Talk about your negotiations strategy with your lawyer.
Meet to negotiate with the other side.
Draft a settlement agreement.
Wait to be sued.
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