GPS Soccer Shuts Down

In a sad ending to a twisted tale of state lawsuits and federal investigations, the youth soccer club Global Premier Sports, GPS is shutting down, effective today.  New CEO Keith Caldwell, who did a yeoman’s job of trying to save the club in the last few months, sent out the word to parents last night:

2019-20 GPS families,

I hope you are all well and most importantly, you and your loved ones are safe & healthy.   I am writing tonight with an important club update and will get straight to the point.   Ownership notified me yesterday that they & LGS made the decision to shut down our club immediately.

All our staff positions, including mine, are eliminated effective end of day today.

As I said to our staff earlier on calls and over video conference – frankly, I’m at a loss for words.   I will repeat many of the same things that I said to our team, and like with them, I wanted to communicate this news to you as soon as possible.

Certainly, the last few months have been challenging – from the federal investigation into past activities to COVID to the involuntary bankruptcy petition to everything in between.

Our financial sponsor & LGS determined that the stress of the involuntary bankruptcy petition filed by certain creditors, in addition to the impact of the federal investigation, COVID and the uncertainty of the future in that regard – have had a severely negative impact on the organization and its viability moving forward.   As a result of these and other factors, they made the decision to shut the club down.

While GPS operations cease in connection with an anticipated chapter 7 filing, a bankruptcy trustee will be appointed shortly and may choose to try to sell the business to a buyer who will restart operations.   That trustee will be the one that administers the company’s assets and liabilities.

Note that no deposits were collected for the 20-21 season (some regions mistakenly took a small “convenience fee” via GotSoccer, but those were already refunded back).   Furthermore, GMs gave pro-rated refunds for season-ending injuries in 19-20.   In terms of other credits or refunds from 19-20, that will be determined as part of the chapter 7 bankruptcy and is out of our control.

Even with everything that has happened in recent months, I truly never wavered in my belief that we would get through this challenging time.   There have been rumors about this organization since before I even started – but truthfully, I remained optimistic we could bounce back.   Even after the petition was filed, we were encouraged by the strategic options being looked at to set the organization up for future success.   And then with the sudden changes over the last two weeks – in MA in particular, losing some of our key staff – we quickly put together a heck of a team, one that I was extraordinarily proud of, and one that I was excited to work with in leading this organization into the future.   Even into this week, we have continued to hire and have driven ahead at full speed, even getting back out on the fields in some states – I was excited and optimistic about what was to come.

So, I am truly at a loss.   And I am very, very sorry I could not do more.

Like with many of my other emails over the last 4+ months – I certainly would like to be conveying better news.   For you, our families, I wanted to communicate this as soon as possible so that you can make plans for the future.   Some of you have been here a short time, while others for a decade or more – regardless, I hope you have all had great experiences at the club.   And whether you have a U8 or a U18 player, I truly hope that the game continues to bring your child/children joy for years to come.    I wish I could have met more of you over the last few months and again I’m truly sorry I couldn’t have done more.

We are trying to do everything for our employees even as the doors are closed with detailed unemployment and transition info.   Unfortunately, we as a staff, again myself included, will not have company email access moving forward as our operations are being shut down by ownership.

It breaks my heart to be writing this email.   I thank you again for your support and I wish everyone the absolute best of luck moving forward.   I hope our paths cross on the fields in the future.

Sincerely,

Keith Caldwell

CEO, Global Premier Soccer