An investigation has found the former president of a New South Wales football club awarded his own companies more than $450,000 worth of construction work in an apparent conflict of interest.
James Savage, 61, is the former president, director and chief executive of the Erina Rugby League Football Club (RLFC) on the state’s Central Coast, which operates the licensed Erina Leagues Club venue.
Mr Savage has been the subject of a NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) probe over concerns about breaches of the club’s accountability code following a complaint in 2023.
The complaint accused him of awarding work for the club’s refurbishment to his own construction companies without proper disclosures or tender processes.
The complaint claimed a deck approved for $90,000 snowballed to more than $450,000, which was awarded and paid to one of Mr Savage’s companies.
The ILGA released disciplinary findings on June 29 that upheld the complaint and concluded Mr Savage was “not a fit and proper person” to run the club and had “failed to comply with his duties and obligations” as a director.
James Savage had been under scrutiny since 2023. (ABC News: Shauna Foley)
Mr Savage has been ordered to pay $32,000 in penalties and costs incurred from the investigation, and is barred from being elected or appointed to a senior position at any club for 12 months.
He can appeal against the finding in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The Wamberal man became director of the club in 2011, and was made president in 2018, according to the ILGA. He was also its chief executive for a short period in 2022, the ILGA said.
The ILGA believes he has not acted as president of Erina Leagues since at least 2023.
Mr Savage declined to comment, citing legal reasons.
This deck was at the centre of the conflict-of-interest probe. (ABC news: Shauna Foley)
The ILGA decision outlined that from October 2022 to January 2023, $80,000 was paid to Savbuilt, owned by Mr Savage, and another business “without any tenders or quotes being provided to the club’s board for approval prior to work being undertaken”.
It also noted that a deck that was built in 2017 was awarded to Savbuilt and another of Mr Savage’s companies, called JDS Building Services, with the initial approved price of $90,000 soaring to more than $450,000.
Ex-president defends actions
Mr Savage defended his actions when responding to questions from the ILGA investigation in 2025, saying that the club was “left in a poor state” when he took over.
He said he worked towards paying down outstanding debts, from $1 million to $400,000, which the ILGA noted was “not directly relevant to the grounds of the complaint”.
Mr Savage also said his actions had saved the club money, because he purchased building supplies at lower prices under his clients’ names.
The ILGA disputed this claim in its rebuttal, saying it was not sure his conduct was motivated by the club’s best interests.
Mr Savage also said tenders were only used for major works, and it was “rare” for quotes to be obtained.
The former club boss also said he had suffered financial loss though his work with the club, though the ILGA said he had not substantiated this claim.
Mr Savage said directors at small clubs often lacked governance knowledge and called this a “large problem”.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority had been investigating James Savage since 2023. (ABC News: Shauna Foley)
The ILGA decision found Mr Savage had not addressed “his failure to comply with disclosure requirements” in his response and that his submissions actually confirmed he had breached the code of conduct “including failure to record conflicts of interest, disclosures, and implement procurement policies”.
Mr Savage sent several more submissions, including a report he commissioned that estimated the total works his companies had completed exceeded $1.3 million.
He also provided proof of repairing damage at the club where he never sent an invoice.
Mr Savage said he had endured “unfounded and damaging allegations” for the past three years and that he had dedicated 30 years to the club, with the board supporting him throughout the investigation.
James Savage was the former president, director and chief executive officer of the Erina Rugby League Football Club. (ABC News: Shauna Foley)
Ultimately, the ILGA upheld the complaint and ruled against the former club executive.
“Mr Savage failed to properly record conflicts of interest and should have been aware and disclosed the direct conflict of interest using his companies for the construction works at the Club,” the ILGA concluded in its findings.
“Mr Savage also failed to obtain competitive quotes and failed to follow tender processes for the construction works carried out at the Club.”
In a statement to the ABC, the head of regulatory operations at Liquor and Gaming NSW, Dimitri Argeres, said that was not good enough.
“Clubs play an important role in the community and secretaries and board members are responsible for members’ funds and for the behaviour of their staff and colleagues,” he said.
“Saying there was a lack of governance knowledge among directors is not a defence.”
Erina Leagues Club told the ABC in a statement that it took its obligations “very seriously” and that it regularly reviewed governance protocols “to ensure they remain robust, transparent and aligned with best-practice club management”.
It declined to comment on the recent decision, citing the fact Mr Savage was a former club official.
