Families out of thousands as sports travel agency cancels trips, files for bankruptcy

DEDHAM, Mass. — Some Massachusetts families were supposed to spend their April vacations in Portugal for a trip full of soccer and culture. The Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Team was set to depart for Lisbon on April 16th. However, just ten days before the flight, their trip was cancelled.

“It’s unfortunate. It really was the draw for us to the program, something I was very interested in,” Lynne Millson said. “We were really looking forward to that. I listened to a podcast on the history of Portugal. I was really excited to see some of what had been discussed in that podcast and learn more about the country.”

Millson’s two sons play together on the team, and they were studying Portuguese to prepare for their trip. She said they put a deposit down in the fall through Go Play LLC, a travel agency that focuses on sports teams going abroad to play in tournaments.

The agency emailed families ten days before this scheduled trip, saying they were cancelling upcoming bookings and filing for bankruptcy. The full email is below.

<i>Dear Valued Customer,</i>

<i>It is with&nbsp;deep regret that&nbsp;we inform you that GoPlay LLC has ceased operations, effective immediately, and will no longer be able to accept payments or fulfill any future bookings.</i>

<i>In recent weeks, a combination of reduced bookings and increased cancellations due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East has rendered it impossible for GoPlay to continue operations. Please know that GoPlay did not make this decision lightly and explored several options to avoid this outcome, including refinancing, raising new capital, and a potential sale of the business. Unfortunately, GoPlay has been unable to identify a way to continue operating.</i>

<i>The company is now taking steps to enter a formal Chapter 7 bankruptcy process. A bankruptcy trustee has been appointed to liquidate GoPlay’s assets and use the proceeds of those assets to pay outstanding debts.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You will be sent notices of the filing, applicable meeting dates, and deadlines in the case.</i>

<i>For legal purposes,&nbsp;please direct all correspondence to:&nbsp;</i><a href="mailto:info@goplay-sports.com" rel="" title="mailto:info@goplay-sports.com"><i><u>info@goplay-sports.com</u></i></a><i>&nbsp;until you hear from the bankruptcy trustee.</i>

<i>Customers who have paid by credit card may wish to contact their card provider to explore potential chargeback options. You may also wish to review any applicable travel insurance policies.</i>

<i>GoPlay sincerely apologizes for the impact this news will have on you, and your team.&nbsp;</i>

—  GoPlay

Boston 25 News Reporter Michael Raimondi reached out to Go Play LLC but did not hear back. When trying to go to their website, it bounces back saying the “domain is not claimed.”

People going on the trip were supposed to go as a family, watch her sons play soccer in Lisbon and Porto, while enjoying the country in their downtime. The lack of communication and answers since then has parents like Millson worried about the $15,000 she spent on this trip.

“It was definitely a highlight of the program. It was that for he and I to both be there and watch them play against their peers from a different country. It was going to be pretty life-changing,” Millson said. “I think the most frustrating was definitely that I felt strung along by GoPlay from the very beginning.

Millson said she felt something was off when they didn’t receive flight confirmation by the deadline set by Go Play LLC. She said things seemed unorganized, but she never thought it would lead to the trip being cancelled.

Millson also said she paid to have insurance in case something happened. She says her insurance claim was denied because it did not cover a travel agency going bankrupt. Now, she’s wondering how to get her more than $15,000 back.

“That’s very disheartening that essentially, we were, I feel like we were lied to, or at least not certainly told the whole truth. I just want the money back that I paid for myself,” Millson said. The insurance policy, I probably got to let that go and just learn a lesson from that."

Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association President, Rob Holliday, said MYSA has hired external attorneys. He had no other comment.

We’ve also seen similar situations happen to families in Lexington and Medway as well.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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