Dozens of families in Toronto are out hundreds of dollars each after a soccer club they enrolled their children in this season went bankrupt.
Just for Kicks Soccer, a not-for-profit organization that had corporate backing, claims it's deep in debt and will not be able to refund parents their money. It's estimated that 900 young athletes had signed up to play this season.
Melissa Ezard, whose three children have been enrolled in the league for the past four seasons, says she learned about the group's financial situation on Wednesday.
"We received an email last night from the owner stating that the club had gone bankrupt and they could not issue any refunds," she told CTV Toronto on Thursday.
Ezard, who has already paid $500 for this season, is among many parents wondering where their money has gone and how a not-for-profit group could go belly up.
According to the club's owner, Nick Voronka, a number of factors contributed to the league's demise, including rising costs to rent fields and declining enrollment.
"In the last two winter seasons, our registrations have dropped by more than 50 per cent," Voronka said in a statement on the Just for Kicks website. "This has accounted for well over $120,000 in lost revenue."
But according to Ezard's husband, Jay Ezard, parents were given the impression that enrollment was in fact going up, and there was limited space left.
"We've been approached by many people who know I've been involved with Just for Kicks for a long time asking if I could help get their children in because they were told that they were completely booked," Jay Ezard said.
His wife also believes the soccer club should have warned parents about the potential bankruptcy before they paid this season's fees.
"This wasn’t something that they learned just yesterday," Melissas Ezard said. "They were aware that they were in financial difficulty when we made our payment a month ago and the fact that they took our money and didn’t give us any kind of warning that it may happen really left a bad taste in our mouths."
An update on the soccer club's website says parents who paid with a credit card may be able to get a refund through their credit card company. Those who paid by debit or cheque may also be eligible to get their money back through their bank. The club says, however, that those who paid by cash will not be able to recover the fees.
The Ezards have set up at crowdfunding campaign to help raise money to support families who cannot afford to re-register their children in a new soccer league.
"For the children who have a passion for the sport but whose families are living on a budget that only includes one soccer registration per season, we want to help them," a message on the Go Fund Me site says.
"Our hearts break for the families and children that have lost $200 per child."
With a report from CTV Toronto's Heather Wright
