With just over a week until the start of the new League of Ireland season, the Football Association of Ireland has yet to establish the exact ownership structure of Waterford FC since the imprisonment of Andrew Pilley for fraud.
Pilley took a 100 per cent stake in Waterford in 2022, adding them to his multi-club ownership model that includes English League One side Fleetwood Town.
Pilley was sentenced to 13 years at Preston Crown Court last July, and has been disqualified from being a company director for the same period, after being found guilty of a multimillion pound fraud.
“You are a criminal. You are a fraudster,” said Judge Graham Knowles at sentencing. “You fight everything and everybody who is against you with your wealth. You are highly litigious. There are many examples.
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“You deliberately had your staff deceive customers, the Ombudsman and Ofgem and you yourself deceived Ofgem on a grand scale as to the whole nature of your relationship to the sham companies and as to the call recordings, all whilst posing as a champion of plain dealing and enemy of fraud.”
In 1998 Pilley spent four months in prison for conspiracy to steal from the UK post office.
“Yours could have been the remarkable story of redemption,” Judge Knowles added. “Instead it is a sordid tale of squalid lies, greed and fraud.”
After sentencing last year the 53-year-old was forced to resign as a director of both Waterford and Fleetwood. His son, Jamie Pilley, remains an active director at both clubs’ ownership companies, Powergrade Ltd for Waterford and Jaymel Ltd for Fleetwood. Jamie Pilley is also overseeing operations at Waterford FC as a club director. There is no suggestion that Jamie Pilley is involved in any wrongdoing.
When League of Ireland director Mark Scanlon was asked on Wednesday, at the league’s media launch, if Jamie Pilley owned Waterford FC, he replied: “Jamie is a director of Waterford FC now, yes.”
Scanlon has no issue with multi-club arrangements in the League of Ireland, after the Trivela Group took over at Drogheda United and Hull City’s brief arrangement with Shels last year, as long as they help “grow the game”.
“Some single ownership clubs haven’t worked out great, some multi-club ownerships haven’t worked out great,” he said. “Others on both sides have worked out really well.
“When clubs are selling to single or multi-club investors, they’ll know what they want for their club. With progress made in recent years, we’ve had a lot of positive ownership changes, and some good investment into the league.”
Scanlon also revealed a 17 per cent increase in prize money for this season, with the pot rising from €655,000 to €765,000, which includes an increase for the women’s league from €55,000 to €110,000, thanks to SSE Airtricity renewing their partnership for three years and Virgin Media expanding its coverage to 14 games.
“It’s really positive and hopefully some more investment into the clubs. We thank the partners and broadcasters for making it possible. It just shows the continuing growth and interest that’s in the league at the minute.”
Airtricity League opening weekend fixtures
Friday, February 16th
Premier Division (7.45 unless stated): Bohemians v Sligo Rovers, Dalymount Park; Derry City v Drogheda United, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium; Galway United v St Patrick’s Athletic, Eamonn Deacy Park; Waterford v Shelbourne, Waterford RSC; Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk, Tallaght Stadium, 8.0. First Division: Athlone Town v Wexford FC, Athlone Town Stadium; Bray Wanderers v UCD, Carlisle Grounds; Cork City v Kerry FC, Turner’s Cross; Treaty United v Cobh Ramblers, Markets Field.
Saturday, February 17th
First Division: Longford Town v Finn Harps, Bishopsgate, 7.30.
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