Outraged parents blast response from basketball club after its ex-CEO was unmasked as a paedophile

By AIDAN WONDRACZ, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 05:43, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 05:47, 19 July 2026 Outraged parents have slammed a basketball club's response after it emerged that its ex-CEO was a paedophile. Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club's Richard Irving, 54, was jailed for 10 months after messaging and grooming a 14-year-old girl named 'Lily', who was actually an undercover cop. Concerns have been raised after it emerged that Irving remained chief executive of one of Victoria's largest sporting clubs for almost 17 months after he was charged with the grooming offence in January 2025, The Age reported. He even stayed in his role for almost a month after he was found guilty in the Victorian County Court in May this year, before eventually resigning on June 11. Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club sparked outrage on Saturday after releasing a statement urging parents against discussing the situation. 'We understand the following information we are sharing with you may cause concern or distress for some participants, parents, guardians, volunteers and members of the basketball community,' it read.  'We recognise that matters of this nature can affect individuals in different ways and may be particularly challenging and hurtful for some members of our community. 'Because of this, if you hear speculation or discussion amongst participants, families or members of the basketball community, we strongly encourage you to discourage it where possible.' Former Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club CEO Richard Irving, 54, was jailed for messaging and grooming a 14-year-old girl named 'Lily', who was actually an undercover cop Several parents have expressed frustration at being advised to avoid discussing the matter, with a petition.org campaign now calling for change at the club. 'As a member of this community, I find it incredibly disappointing and concerning that the club is actively telling families to 'discourage discussion' about this situation,' one wrote. 'Asking parents, players, and volunteers to stay quiet does not protect children.' A second said it was 'concerning' an adult had written the message and decided to share it, while a third labelled it a 'strange comment'. 'You want your club to actively stop discussing it?' they wrote. Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club is understood to have only become aware of Irving's offending in May this year, despite conducting a national police check in October 2024.  Irving had also managed to provide the club with a valid working with children check.  A statement on the club's basketball page claims the 'club conducted all appropriate probity checks'.  Concerns have been raised after it emerged that Irving worked as the chief executive of one of Victoria's largest sporting clubs for almost 17 months after he was charged with the grooming offence in January 2025 'Eltham Wildcats first became aware of the matter after an anonymous whistleblower made contact with Basketball Victoria, providing unsubstantiated reports of a court case,' it reads. 'To be clear, during their investigations, critical information was withheld from the Eltham Wildcats and Basketball Victoria, which compromised their ability to confirm the matter. 'Working in a complex legal environment, Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club and Basketball Victoria acted swiftly to ascertain information regarding the matter and proactively sought clarification.  'The circumstances were only able to be confirmed on 10 June 2026, the day after Mr Irving had resigned for personal reasons.' Daily Mail contacted Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club for further comment. Irving will spend 10 months in jail for the messages he sent to the undercover cop who was posing as the teenage girl. The messages were sent over a two-week period in November 2023.  He sent photos of his penis and of himself lying in bed, asking the teenager if she wanted to 'play a game where I tell you things to do to yourself'.