Kolpak Ruling

The Kolpak ruling is a European Court of Justice ruling handed down on May 8, 2003 in favour of Maroš Kolpak, a Slovak handball player. It declared that citizens of certain countries which have signed agreements with the European Union, have the same right to freedom of work and movement within the EU as EU citizens. Thus any restrictions placed on their right to work (such as quotas setting maximum numbers of such foreign players in sports teams) are deemed illegal under EU law. The legal actions in Germany set a precedent for professional sports in Europe, which have had a wide-ranging effect, especially in regard to English county cricket and European professional rugby.

A Kolpak player or Kolpak, is a term used in the United Kingdom for players in the domestic leagues in cricket and both rugby codes from overseas, subject to the Kolpak ruling.