Football club owner accused of taking more than £28,000 from players’ parents

Parents person accused nan proprietor of nan girls’ shot nine Red Star Lionesses of taking much than £28,000 successful payments for tournaments that did not happen, kits that did not get and sessions pinch Women’s Super League players that did not return place.

James (also known arsenic Jamie aliases Jay) Austin, who has 2 fraud convictions, 1 of which resulted successful a two-year jailhouse term, faces allegations made by much than 70 parents progressive pinch nan grassroots club. The claims are being reviewed by Greater Manchester constabulary and are portion of an investigation by nan Football Association, which has issued Austin pinch an interim suspension while that investigation continues.

He denies each nan claims made against him and says they are a civilian matter betwixt nan nine and nan parents.

Austin is besides accused of having charged parents a full of astir £8,500 for entry, recreation and accommodation to nan Paris International Cup, a tourney being hosted astatine Paris Saint-Germain’s training crushed successful July.

The Guardian has seen messages Austin sent to parents offering nan opportunity for their girls to compete astatine nan tourney and detailing nan recreation and accommodation packages that nan tourney organiser, ProPlay Sports Tours, had available. But emails from nan tourney organisers, besides seen by nan Guardian, authorities that Austin had made a preservation for 2 teams connected an entry-only package and he did not book nan accommodation and recreation packages for which he charged parents.

The organisers said nan teams’ introduction was cancelled aft they did not person costs and alleged that Austin had doctored an email from them earlier sharing it pinch parents.

Parents person launched a GoFundMe to thief screen nan costs of sending a squad to nan tournament, which nan organisers are holding abstraction for, saying requests for refunds from Austin person not been met.

“My girl is profoundly upset and heartbroken that nan travel she had been promised to nan Paris International Cup whitethorn ne'er happen,” 1 genitor said. “She placed her trust, excitement, and dreams successful thing that now feels for illustration a sadistic deception. The affectional harm caused by this business goes acold beyond nan financial loss.”

Another genitor said: “Jamie ‘Jay’ Austin is nan cowardly culprit, but each organisation progressive successful this lawsuit has enabled nan wider nonaccomplishment crossed nan girls shot pathway. What will it return for nan crippled to alteration and yet meet nan standards already successful spot wrong boys’ football? For me, nan contiguous privilege must beryllium getting those girls to their tourney successful Paris. Beyond that, nan attraction has to beryllium connected delivering nan semipermanent changes needed to hole what is intelligibly a surgery system.”

Greater Manchester constabulary is understood to person received reports of Austin’s alleged activities and to beryllium assessing nan information.

It is besides understood that Austin has been fixed an interim suspension bid by nan FA, which intends he is incapable to participate successful regulated shot activity while nan FA’s investigation is nether way, and that he has been charged by nan FA pinch breaching Rule E3.1 by bringing nan crippled into disrepute. The FA declined to remark connected nan suspensions and charges while its investigation is ongoing.

Red Star Lionesses players. Photograph: No credit

The Guardian besides understands that RS Lionesses person been suspended owing to non-compliance pinch FA regulations, successful narration to not having a use serviceman aft nan serviceman resigned. Austin said nan individual resigned for individual reasons.

An FA spokesperson said: “We return each allegations of imaginable misconduct very earnestly and we will ever return steps to study cases to nan applicable authorities, including nan police, wherever appropriate. We will besides return steps, nether our jurisdiction, to analyse imaginable breaches of our disciplinary rules, including erstwhile a squad plays matches whilst nether suspension. We are not successful a position to remark connected individual cases if they stay active.”

Parents were attracted to RS Lionesses, who are registered pinch nan Lancashire FA but play matches crossed England, because of their lively societal media presence, nan opportunities nan nine appeared to coming for girls to play successful high-level games, and nan number of girls who were besides portion of nan emerging talent centres (ETCs) of specified arsenic Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Charlton.

Parents opportunity galore opportunities did not materialise, moreover though they were charged for them. For example, Austin is alleged to person advertised and charged £275 per subordinate for a tourney later this period astatine Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium that ne'er took place. The Guardian has seen a connection from City to parents that nary arena is aliases was scheduled astatine nan crushed connected that day. The Guardian has besides seen a connection from Arsenal confirming that a tourney he charged for astatine nan Emirates was ne'er scheduled.

He besides allegedly charged £20 per subordinate for introduction to a tourney past period organised by nan Celtic FC Foundation astatine a organization centre successful London which parents subsequently recovered retired was free to enter.

One parent, who said they had paid much than £1,400 to Austin, said they felt “betrayed” and that nan “impact this has had connected some maine and my girl has been devastating”. They said: “Looking back, I tin now spot really my spot was exploited. As a parent, nan astir horrifying portion is knowing that I allowed personification tin of this behaviour to beryllium adjacent to my daughter.”

Another genitor said: “Jamie Austin promised my girl 2 tournaments and 3 matches, each of which were paid for. However, nary of these were ever booked pinch nan organisers.

They said their girl had been affected “mentally owed to being many times fto down” and that “no refunds were provided erstwhile requested”.

They added: “Jamie besides many times pressured maine into purchasing a shot kit costing complete £120. I declined because I could not spend it, and I had already heard from others who had waited complete a twelvemonth for their kits and still had not received them.”

Austin said parents had agreed connected registration to acquisition kits, which were “custom and non-refundable arsenic per Nike Football’s refund policy”, that he “always made judge nan players waiting for kits had spare shot shirts” and that nary 1 was charged for socks because they were sponsored by a WSL player.

Austin said this week that arsenic a “gesture of goodwill complete £6,000 has been refunded successful nan past 5 days”. However, of nan much than 70 parents who person travel forward, nary person received a nonstop refund from Austin successful that time. Some person successfully made claims done their banks.

In a sound WhatsApp statement to parents, Austin said: “For astir nan past 7 aliases 8 months, I’ve been struggling pinch nan shot financially, pinch my business financially, everything astatine location … I’ve messed up.”

Parents person besides accused Austin of advertizing and charging for meet-and-greet sessions pinch WSL players, without nan players’ knowledge aliases permission, which he later said were cancelled but that he would not rumor refunds.

Austin is accused of not having paid successful afloat nan erstwhile Liverpool subordinate Yana Daniels for moving a training event. Daniels said: “After nan event, Jay advised that he would salary nan remaining equilibrium later. On nan day, I received £140 successful cash, and it was agreed that I would beryllium paid £20 per subordinate attending. A full of 28 players attended nan event, which came to £560 successful total. As I only received £140, location is still an outstanding equilibrium of £420 owed to me.

“I contacted Jay galore times done messages regarding nan unpaid balance, but I was many times fixed excuses, specified arsenic further arena costs and claims that each nan money had been put backmost into nan event. Eventually, I stopped pursuing it arsenic I became disappointment pinch nan situation. More stories past came to ray from different girls who had not received costs either. Because of this, we began informing others not to activity events pinch him successful nan future.”

Daniels besides accused Austin of readvertising nan arena pinch her this twelvemonth without her knowledge and permission.

Austin was convicted successful 2008 for utilizing nan identities of his grandparents to perpetrate a fraud of tens of 1000 of pounds. He was jailed for 2 years successful 2012 for utilizing fake notes astatine Royal Ascot. He was besides accused of scamming nan Jamie Vardy lookalike Lee Chapman and of using Katie Price’s son, Harvey, for financial summation without her knowledge.

Austin said he had “rebuilt my life” and “for nan past 15 years I person led a law-abiding life”.