A football boot and athletic shoe company featured on The Footy Show and promoted by AFL legend Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico and Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has entered administration.
The Azumah company imported football and athletic boots from China and, somewhat confusingly, appears to be named after Ghanaian boxer Azumah Nelson, who famously defeated Jeff Fenech in 1992.
The company’s website lists it as a “proud supporter” of the Azumah Nelson Foundation, as well as displaying footage of AFL identity Sam Newman promoting the boots on The Footy Show and the Australian cricket team training with Azumah-branded balls.
“The new name in high performance athletic footwear is a dynamic and innovative Australian company dedicated to the provision of shoes and boots created by the best for the best,” the Azumah website states.
Azumah produced special shoes branded as “The Dipper” in Hawthorn colours and “The Bellamy” in Melbourne Storm colours.
Richard Judson and Loke Wong of Judson & Co were appointed as administrators to Azumah last week. The first meeting of creditors will be held on August 14.
Judson told SmartCompany he had not yet determined Azumah’s turnover or how many staff it employed.
“I was appointed on Friday and, before then, the company had ceased trading,” he says.
“The company was set up mainly to do sales on the internet and I can’t find much evidence of sales taking place and I suspect that is the reason for the appointment.”
Judson says Azumah has debts including “a couple of hundred thousand dollars” owed to a secured creditor and some debts to unsecured creditors as well.
He says he was told that DiPierdomenico and Bellamy were “somehow involved with promoting the football shoes” but it is still unclear what their relationship with the company is.
“It’s only early days, with all these things the story unfolds as the administration progresses,” Judson says.
“The job of an administrator is to investigate the affairs of a company and make a recommendation to the creditors about what they should do with the company.”
