Ebbw Vale football club chairman stole £22k to fund cocaine habit

Karl Morecroft, the former chairman of a junior football club, was found to have stolen £22,491 from the club’s accounts over a period exceeding a year. The 45-year-old, who was involved with RTB Ebbw Vale in Blaenau Gwent, falsified HMRC documents and deceived fellow club members in order to fund his cocaine addiction. Morecroft’s fraudulent activities took place during his tenure as chairman in 2023, following his prior role coaching the under-eights and under-nines teams.

The football club, which supports around 330 children, depended heavily on the efforts of parents, fundraisers, and volunteers to sustain its operations. Morecroft falsely claimed that the money he withdrew was used for legitimate purposes such as football equipment, council liabilities, Companies House fees, charity registration, and penalties. Prosecutor Denise Osei highlighted that Morecroft repeatedly fabricated “out of pocket” expenses and sought reimbursements from treasurer Joshua Holvey, occasionally transferring funds directly from the club’s account into his own. Suspicion arose due to unusually high expenditures and the absence of any received goods, leading to an investigation after significant discrepancies became apparent.

During the court proceedings at Cardiff Crown Court, Morecroft was sentenced to a 20-month jail term suspended for two years, alongside a requirement to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 50 days of rehabilitation. He was ordered to repay £21,259 within three years or face a default prison term of 12 months. Despite initially asserting his innocence and providing false explanations when confronted in early 2025, Morecroft ultimately confessed to the fraud only after police involvement. However, aside from a single repayment of £1,232 in May 2025, he has not made substantial efforts to repay the stolen funds.

The impact of Morecroft’s actions has been deeply felt within the club community. Treasurer Holvey expressed in a victim impact statement that the incident badly affected his mental health, revealing regrets over his trust in Morecroft’s integrity. Club secretary Rachel Edwards detailed the financial strain caused by the theft, noting that the club had to resort to short-term borrowing to fund trophies and was unable to maintain facilities adequately. The club even missed out on securing a long-term lease for their building, jeopardizing its future prospects. Judge Paul Hobson, addressing Morecroft, emphasized the trust placed in volunteers running community clubs and condemned the betrayal, reminding Morecroft that such organizations are fundamental to local cohesion and rely entirely on selfless contributions

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