Scott Pendlebury Investment Trust Liquidation Hits $75 Million Fund
Scott Pendlebury investment trust liquidation has put a $75 million Sayers Road Trust under pressure after the company overseeing it was placed into liquidation earlier this month. The collapse reaches beyond one investor: current and former AFL players tied to the fund now face losses as the Western Melbourne Group seeks fresh money.
Pendlebury and the $75 million trust
The Sayers Road Investment Co oversees the Sayers Road Trust, which included reported investments from Scott Pendlebury and other AFL stars. The trust carried reported investments of $75 million from current and ex-AFL players, including Adam Goodes, Dyson Heppell, Jy Simpkin, Josh Battle and Mason Wood.
Jason Sourasis, the former AFL player manager overseeing the project, is being sued by former clients including Pendlebury amid allegations he mismanaged their investments. That legal fight now sits beside the liquidation, tightening the pressure on investors who were linked to the trust and the project.
Tarneit precinct plans
The trust was one of the main companies behind Western United's planned precinct in Tarneit in Melbourne's western suburbs. The proposal was meant to include a stadium plus a sporting, entertainment, health and retail precinct, making the trust central to a broader property push rather than a stand-alone investment vehicle.
The Sayers Road Investment Co was ordered into liquidation at the request of an investor, turning the trust's finances into a formal wind-down rather than a private dispute. For those tied to the fund, that leaves the recovery path dependent on how the liquidation is handled and how much value remains in the underlying assets.
Western Melbourne Group funding
Western Melbourne Group is seeking new sources of funding, and an estimated $100 million of additional funding has reportedly emerged from new partners. The club is in hibernation for the 2026 season because of its financial issues, which makes the trust collapse part of a wider funding crisis rather than an isolated corporate event.
The Australian Professional Leagues is said to prefer a clean reset of the club, and if that cannot be achieved, a total shutdown is preferred. For Pendlebury and the other sporting investors named in the fund, the next issue is not the headline loss but how much, if anything, can be recovered from a liquidation now tied to a stalled club project.
