Whitecaps contact police following abuse accusations
Posted April 2, 2019 4:36 pm.
Last Updated November 4, 2021 10:37 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Following a string of accusations from former members of the Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team about the alleged conduct of a former coach more than a decade ago, the club has contacted Vancouver Police.
The claims of abuse and inappropriate behaviour regarding that soccer coach in 2008 were first publicly brought forward in February by former Whitecaps player Ciara McCormack.
More recently, this week three former female members of the U-20 Canadian national team program claiming to represent 12 players released further claims about inappropriate behaviour.
Their claims include the suggestion this coach touched at least one player inappropriately, held a private meeting with at least one player in his hotel room, and sent texts with sexual innuendo to players.
That coach was also in charge of the Canadian U-20 women’s team at the time.
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In a statement, the Whitecaps say the club is “concerned there may be new information related to this matter that did not come forward in 2008 or since,” and say it has made the decision to contact police.
The Whitecaps and Canada Soccer have declined interviews on this topic since the claims were first made public.
NEWS 1130 has contacted the coach in question and he has not responded to our request for an interview.
In recent years this man has been coaching girls teams in the White Rock-South Surrey area. He has since been suspended by Coastal FC.
These former members of the Whitecaps Women’s team claim they were told this man wouldn’t coach young women or girls again upon his departure from the Whitecaps organization and the Canadian national team program, and say they’ve been upset to learn about his continued role coaching young female players with Coastal FC.
The three women claiming to represent 12 former members of the Canada U-20 women’s program are now calling for a third party investigation into what happened in 2008, and for the findings of that investigation to be made public.
The coach in question has not been criminally charged, and the women’s claims against him have not been tested in court.
