A-League clubs slammed over taxpayer-funded $14.5m Football in Schools scheme

An external audit of the state government’s controversial $14.5 million Football in Schools program has found the Macarthur Bulls A-League franchise overstated staff office costs by $87,000 and charged taxpayers for IT, printing and insurance without clear justification.

The probe by public accounting firm Grant Thornton also found the Western Sydney Wanderers – a neighbouring club that received $6.5 million over four years – was non-compliant with parts of the funding agreement, including being unable to validate attendance at football camps.

The Football in Schools scheme came under fire after an investigation by the Herald highlighted issues, including that Macarthur FC, based in Sydney’s south-west, claimed nearly 43 per cent of the $2 million yearly funding to underwrite head office costs.

Tens of thousands of dollars in donations to south-west Sydney Labor MPs came from companies or organisations Macarthur FC chairman Gino Marra either directed or served on the board of, while other donations came from companies linked to the Bulls. Those contributions opened the door for lunches with Premier Chris Minns and Sports Minister Steve Kamper.

Documents obtained through a parliamentary call for papers show both Macarthur FC and the Wanderers failed to comply with multiple parts of their respective funding deeds.

The Department of Education appointed Grant Thornton to audit the clubs’ claims in 2025; the probe was completed in December and cost at least $40,700.

The audit found several instances where expenses reported by Macarthur FC were “not fully aligned with the requirements of the Funding Deed”, according to a summary of the findings.

These included staff salary allocations exceeding the percentages determined in the funding deed, and the cost for items such as insurance, resources and printing, IT, digital and media being “apportioned without clear justification or supporting rationale”.

In the 2023-24 financial year, the club claimed $82,401 for insurance, $87,199.35 for “IT, Digital and Media”, $112,151.27 for “resources and printing” and $159,968.27 for “other expenses”.

Supporting documentation was missing for several sampled transactions, Grant Thornton found, “making it difficult to verify the accuracy and appropriateness of reported expenses”. The club overstated office staff costs by $87,018, which was attributed to an “Excel error”.

Vehicle costs had been categorised under “wages”, with the misclassification inflating the actual wage costs.

Deputy Premier Prue Car said more than 40,000 students participated in the program.

“The Department of Education is working with both organisations to ensure they are complying with the requirements of their grants and delivering for families in western Sydney,” she said.

Macarthur FC did not respond to requests for comment.

The club’s compliance issues extended beyond expenditure. Grant Thornton discovered a “lack of supporting documentation” for attendance figures because they were added to spreadsheets without source evidence. This was the result of inconsistent processes to “document and retain attendance records across activities”.

The Western Sydney Wanderers also partially failed to comply with the terms of their funding agreement. The main issues related to “incomplete documentation” for coaches’ Working With Children Checks, qualifications and first aid certifications.

The club exaggerated total attendance figures by 60 per cent in the 2024 financial year, the audit found, while the same figures were under-reported by 54 per cent the following year.

Total expenses for the Wanderers’ three football programs in the 2023-24 financial year exceeded $780,000, according to a document in the parliamentary call for papers. However, the club provided invoices for $359,000 worth of these expenses – a $421,000 discrepancy.

The club provided invoices for $3376 out of $152,000 in expenses for one program.

A spokeswoman for the club said it had reached 45,000 participants in 2024-25, while the differences in claimed expenses “can be attributed to internal costs such as coaches’ wages, which do not have invoices attached”.

“All coaches participating in the program hold valid working with children qualifications,” she said. “It is not a prerequisite for community coaches to hold formal coaching qualifications.”

The audit’s findings were conveyed to the clubs on December 22. “[Macarthur FC chief executive] Sam Krslovic acknowledged errors had been made and committed to improvements moving forward,” the department’s meeting minutes state.

Despite the Football in Schools grant offsetting operational costs, Macarthur – a commercial entity – received nearly $80,000 from the government under the Community Building Partnership scheme.

Macarthur obtained $16,430 for “equipment purchase” in 2024. The following year, it received $20,000 for mobile coaching clinic equipment and $20,000 for “football equipment”, while $23,000 was given to “Macarthur FC Sport & Recreation Club Limited” for a kitchen update.

A NSW government spokeswoman said: “The relevant local MPs assessed applications against the published merit criteria and made recommendations in line with the program guidelines.”

The federal government provided $1 million to Macarthur FC in September 2024 to fund football development and coaching for women and girls, while the club’s Bulls in Schools program received $660,000 over two years from Cabra-Vale Diggers for “youth football and community development”.

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