Penrith teenager, Connor Walker, fears his dream of playing in the NRL has been scuppered by the sudden closure of Agoge, which refused to provide the 17-year-old with a transcript of the units he had completed until he paid fees for his final semester. "Why would I pay them, when I got absolutely nothing out of this. I left school in Year 10 to chase my dream. I'm working as a concreter now, but I'm not sure what I'll do next," Mr Walker said. He says he was lured by claims in Agoge's marketing material of elite training facilities, sports scientists, high-performance coaches and links to some of the nation’s biggest clubs and associations. "When I got to training on the first day, there was a bloke with a bag of soccer balls and some cones. They didn't even have a gym," Mr Walker said. An investigation by the Australian Quality Skills Authority found "Agoge’s executive officers and/or high managerial agents failed to meet the fit and proper person requirements".

The company was also found in breach of government guidelines for the sector. Agoge's directors Michael Katsaris and Miltiadis Sakkos were also the owners of FC 11, which collapsed with massive debts and just $4945 in the bank. The company and its directors are the subject of an ongoing investigation by liquidator Cor Cordis. However, Mr Katsaris rejected claims that FC 11 or Agoge had breached their fiduciary duties. He insisted they had provided a "blue-ribbon course" with an 80 per cent completion rate - well above the average for other registered training organisations. "We always acted honestly when it came to our students and we did everything we could to give them a positive experience," Mr Katsaris said. "There are so many crooks in the industry and we were one of the only ones trying to do the right thing.'' More than 25 former students of FC11 contacted Fairfax Media in May, when it was revealed the company had been put into liquidation.

Many complained they had been saddled with debts of more than $25,000 for diplomas that were "not worth the paper they were printed on''. FC 11, which claimed to be “Australia’s leading sports education provider”, had promoted its programs through endorsements from teams including the Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers and Penrith Panthers and prominent sporting codes Football Federation Victoria and NSW Cricket. Some of those clubs and associations are now owed significant debts by FC 11. Cor Cordis confirmed in a creditors report that it was investigating if the company's directors had breached their fiduciary duties.

"Our preliminary view is that the company may have been (insolvent) from around October 2016 and remained insolvent at all times to the date of our appointment on 9 February 2018," the report stated. Liquidators are also expected to examine whether FC 11 transferred assets to Agoge after its collapse in February. Max Muscat has a $29,000 debt after taking out a loan to study at FC 11. Max Muscat, 20, wants the directors of both companies to acknowledge the financial hardship they have caused hundreds of students. Mr Muscat now works as a machine operator at a timber mill in Colac, but has not given up on his dream to play professional soccer.