As if the demise of the Edmonton Aviators didn't create enough of a storm, there could be a battle brewing over the club's assets.
When the Aviators ownership group collapsed midway through the A-League season, the 19 shareholders had hoped to sell off the women's W-League team to local interests and pocket the loot or use it in part to pay off the long list of creditors.
But the United Soccer Leagues, which operates the A- and W-Leagues, made the point that when the owners turned their franchise rights on the men's team back to the league, they defaulted control of the women's squad as well.
The opening punches in the fight started flying yesterday at the first meeting of creditors with bankruptcy experts PricewaterhouseCoopers. The 98 creditors are owed in excess of $650,000 Cdn.
"There's a question over whether the owners can sell the girls' team, and with the men's team still playing, at some point it is either going to have to be folded by the league or sold to another group," said Bruce Simpson, co-owner of William Huff Advertising, who was appointed as one of the inspectors for the creditors to determine exactly what assets are available.
If the men's team is sold, the creditors are hoping to land a portion of that money.
Simpson's family-owned company is owed more than $38,000. Also appointed as one of the inspectors is Don Metz, whose Aquila Productions is owed more than $21,000.
The USL is steadfast in its claim of control over the women's team and is willing to sell the Aviators for between $25,000-$30,000 US.
"We have communicated ourselves very clearly to the former owners of the Aviators what our feeling on the issue is and what we've said before remains our position," said Tim Holt, the head of operations for the USL and A-League.
Simpson figured the creditors would have little interest in owning the women's team.
"I think we'd have trouble getting any kind of facility from the city because I don't think they're about to welcome a new soccer team any time soon," he said.
Tom Newton, former chairman of the Aviators board of directors, attended yesterday's meeting and felt the wrath of the creditors.
"I give him credit. That's a hard group to face and he tried to answer some of the questions we had," said Simpson.
"We asked him why the shareholders had given up, while everyone jumped on board and saved the team when the same thing happened to the Oilers.
"This group dropped everything right away. He said it was a bad business plan that was executed poorly."
Sorting out the Aviators' assets, if any, and filtering through the mess is bound to take some time, according to Simpson.
"At some point, we'll have to decide whether we're going to just say, 'Forget it' or whether we'll proceed.''
