Full Breakdown
Macarthur Bulls Accused of Misusing Football-in-Schools Grants
9/9/2026, 6:22:58 PM
Alleged Misallocation of Taxpayer Money
The Macarthur Bulls A-League franchise is under parliamentary scrutiny after internal expenditure records showed that money earmarked for the state-funded Football in Schools program was used to pay rent for a luxury residential complex operated by Lateral Residences. A BPAY payment of $3,033.76 made in early 2024 was recorded as “HO rental” for the program. Earlier reporting also revealed that the club spent $1,415.93 on items later classified as “incorrectly coded” and offered to repay that amount. In addition, $148,941.54 of grant money was directed to Titanium Waste Management—a company in which club chairman Gino Marra and chief executive Sam Krslovic hold shares—for head-office rental in Oran Park. The total pool of taxpayer funds allocated to the Football in Schools initiative amounts to $6 million, raising concerns that a substantial portion may have been diverted to commercial operations and non-program expenses such as restaurants, cafés and alcohol.
Background of the Football in Schools Scheme
The Football in Schools program was created by the New South Wales Department of Education to deliver after-school and holiday football clinics across south-western Sydney. Grants are provided to clubs under a funding deed that restricts use to school-based activities, coaching staff, equipment and related operational costs.
Audit Findings and Government Response
The Department has commissioned a forensic audit by advisory firm McGrathNicol to examine the club’s spending. A departmental audit executive confirmed that the only changes made to the original Grant Thornton audit report involved minor wording and capital-letter edits, with no substantive alterations. Murat Dizdar, the Departmental Secretary, categorically rejected the Bulls’ claim that the Department refused to administer the program. The Department retains the right to withhold or recover grant funding if compliance with the funding deed is not met.
Club’s Defense and Counter-claims
In a submission to the parliamentary inquiry, the Bulls argued that the “administrative problems” stem from how the Department of Education established, funded and managed the scheme. Peter McLaughlin, the club’s government-relations manager, testified that verbal instructions from bureaucrats indicated the Department did not wish to run the program, and that the club was unfairly barred from spending on items such as coaches’ uniforms. He was unable to produce documentary evidence of those verbal directives, and requests for the original audit were taken on notice.
Ongoing Investigation and Potential Outcomes
The forensic audit by McGrathNicol is ongoing, and the parliamentary committee is expected to consider recommendations on whether the Football in Schools program should be “preserved, continued and expanded.” Depending on the audit’s findings, the Department may seek to recover misused funds and impose compliance measures on the Macarthur Bulls.
