The Newcastle Jets has been accused of leaving a string of local businesses, organisations and individuals out of pocket, with some vowing never to work with the A-League club again.
Lake Macquarie councillor and the owner of Oasis Media, Jack Antcliff, and photographer Martin Sully are the latest to voice their disappointment at the club's failure to pay for services.
Oasis, which provided content for the big screen on match day, is owed $3200 for invoices, with some overdue by 288 days.
Mr Sully was this week awaiting payment of a seven-day invoice for a $1000 job he completed in May.
Following inquiries by the Newcastle Herald this week, the Jets said early on Friday that both parties had now been paid. Money was deposited into their accounts on Friday afternoon.
The Herald is aware of other suppliers and contractors, including media companies, medical providers, doctors and small businesses, that have encountered similar issues.
"The outstanding invoices don't amount to a life-changing figure, but for someone with a mortgage and a young son every dollar is a good dollar," Cr Antcliff told the Newcastle Herald prior to the debt being finalised.
"We were warned by others right from the outset that getting money out of the Jets was like getting blood from a stone. Yet, we committed to working with the club because we believed under new ownership things would change.
"I've now given up on ever seeing the money we are owed. Hence, I am willing to say something publicly in the hope it will force the new owners to front up the cash owed to suppliers."
The Newcastle Herald has seen a series of invoices sent by Oasis to Jets management.
Last month, Oasis received an email from the Jets accounts team saying they were experiencing "cash flow challenges".
As well as local contractors, Northern NSW Football is understood to be owed hire fees for the use of its Speers Point facility, while another Hunter sporting complex had to chase the club down for a $25,000 debt.
Professional Footballers Australia confirmed on Wednesday that entitlements for the Jets' men and women players were not up to date.
The Herald understands that superannuation for the February-April quarter was outstanding.
"From an outsider's perspective what an amazing year to be a Newcastle Jets fan. Just not a good year to be a contractor," Cr Antcliff said.
"Once again, we continued to turn up because we believed in the club and had hope the cash flow dramas were a thing of the past.
"The longer the season went on the less optimistic I became."
Mr Sully said he had experienced similar difficulties and roadblocks.
"I have sent them eight or nine emails and have tried calling them on four or five different occasions," Mr Sully told the Herald on Thursday. "It goes straight to voicemail.
"The last response I had was about a month ago. One of the accountants said they would pay by the end of the July.
"They were waiting on receivables before they paid anyone. I have not heard anything else.
"One of the things that irks me is that they are a community-based club. The support of the community is one of the biggest things they have got going for them."
The Jets said in a statement on Friday that the money owed to Oasis Media and Martin Sully had been finalised.
"All creditors referred to in your email have been paid, excluding Northern NSW Football, which relates to pitch hire at Lake Macquarie Sports Centre for the club's academy and pre-academy programs," the statement said.
"The club can confirm that all statutory obligation payments are up to date."
It can take weeks for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to process superannuation.
Financial difficulties encountered by previous owners Con Constantine, Nathan Tinkler and Martin Lee left local businesses and contractors owed thousands of dollars.
Maverick Sports Partners bought the Jets in June 2024, saving the club from collapse.
In 2024, A-League clubs lost on average $3 million a year, with some franchises up to $11 million in the red.
Since then, the Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the competition, has reduced the club distribution from $2 million to just $530,000.
The Jets are coming off their best season in history - highlighted by winning the Australia Cup and A-League Premiers Plate for the first time and securing a place in the Asian Champions League Elite. The Jets receive $1.2 million for qualifying for the tournament with the winner earning $17 million.
Crowd figures at McDonald Jones Stadium last season nearly doubled to 10,287, with a 10-year high of 20,930 for the final regular-season match.
There has also been a large spike in corporate support, increased membership and significant gains in other metrics.
Despite the increases, part-owner Maurice Bisetto revealed in May that the club had lost $3.5 million for the season.
The ATO issued a wind-up notice to the Jets in March over an outstanding debt of $3210. The outstanding amount was paid.
Then Jets chief executive Tain Drinkwater said the club had paid the "legacy" debt a day after receiving the wind-up notice and insisted the club was in a "strong position".
Ms Drinkwater resigned in June and the club is yet to appoint a replacement CEO.
In the statement sent to the Herald on Friday, Maverick Sports Partners said they were "incredibly proud of the progress that the club has made both on and off the field".
"When MSP acquired the Club in June 2024, outstanding legacy creditors were approximately $7 million, including a debt to the Australian Taxation Office of almost $4 million," the statement said.
"All legacy debts incurred by previous owners and inherited by MSP have been settled in full in good faith.
"The Newcastle Jets FC have outstanding creditors that arise as part of the normal course of business. We also have many outstanding debtors yet to be collected in relation to the 2025-26 season.
"In terms of financial performance, the Newcastle Jets FC have incurred operating losses every year but the last two seasons have shown a significant improvement, and we anticipate further growth in respect of the 2026-27 season, as we continue to minimise the reliance on owner contributions moving forward.
"Managing the business, both on and off the field, and the working capital challenges that this brings are our primary focus, and the unwavering pursuit of financial stability for the Newcastle Jets FC remains our principal strategic objective.
"Our community - the fans and members, our partners, sponsors and stakeholders - have all been incredibly supportive in what has been a challenging journey for the Club so far, a journey that will continue, with more success on and off the field."
