A football coach stole thousands of pounds raised by parents for a football trip to Spain and used it to gamble instead. The coach, Michael Grisedale, aged 39, was responsible for planning the trip to Barcelona for the under-10s Vauxhall Astra team in Ellesmere Port. Parents agreed to cover the costs for their children, which included accommodation, meals, tournament fees, and airport transport. Sadly, instead of using the £6,401.39 for the trip, Grisedale spent it all on online gambling.

The issue only came to light three days before the team was due to leave when the hotel in Spain contacted one of the parents to say the booking was canceled due to non-payment. Grisedale, whose own son was part of the team, admitted that he had lost the money gambling.

He claimed he initially tried to increase the funds by betting, but ended up losing everything. He pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft at Chester Crown Court.

The court heard that Grisedale had taken full control of organizing the trip, including collecting money from parents. Each child’s cost was £329, and parents had to pay an extra £275 if they were joining. Parents and children had worked hard to gather the money through personal contributions and fundraising.

One of the parents, Dean Carruthers, received the call from the hotel and later contacted the tournament organizers in Spain, who confirmed they had never received any payment. When Dean tried to reach Grisedale, he got no response.

The parents were heartbroken to learn that their money had been stolen. Fortunately, the community stepped in to help. Through GoFundMe, enough money was raised for the children to still make the trip to Spain. However, the experience was no longer joyful. The football team eventually broke apart shortly after.

One parent said they felt shocked and betrayed, especially after working so hard to raise funds. They added that the incident ruined their trust with sponsors and affected future fundraising plans.

Another mother said her child was deeply hurt by the news, as he had liked the coach and was excited about the trip. She said telling her son that the trip was canceled was very painful, and now she finds it hard to trust anyone asking for money.

After the incident, Grisedale moved to Blackpool, about 80 miles away, based on police advice. It was revealed that he even stole £200 from his girlfriend, who had also contributed to the trip. She was the one who eventually tracked him down. Grisedale told her he was sorry and asked her to tell his son he loved him. He was arrested in Kent on April 9.

During the investigation, he admitted everything and said he panicked when the fundraising didn’t meet the target. He started gambling his own money, then used the team’s funds in a failed attempt to recover the loss. His lawyer told the court that Grisedale now works in a supermarket and has managed to save £1,500 to start paying back what he stole.

The lawyer said the theft was a terrible mistake and a sign of how out of control his gambling had become. He added that Grisedale now realizes how foolish his actions were. Judge Natalie Cuddy said she believed the money parents gave was a big sacrifice for many families and that they had gone through a lot of effort, along with the kids, to raise it.

She noted that the emotional impact on the children and their families was serious, and while the kids did eventually make the trip, it was affected by the betrayal.

Grisedale received a two-year suspended prison sentence. He must complete 150 hours of unpaid work and attend 15 days of rehabilitation. He is also required to repay the full amount he stole.