Whitecaps FC

April 17 2019

Dear Whitecaps Community,

There is no higher priority at Vancouver Whitecaps than the safety and well-being of our staff and athletes. We have noted recent blogs and commentary in respect to the Whitecaps Women's Team of 2008 and the club's ongoing leadership in such matters.

The following builds on the statement the club issued February 26, 2019 and subsequently updated April 1, 2019.

Let us start by saying that as a club we hold ourselves accountable to ensuring there is a respectful, progressive workplace policy of the highest standard in place and expect full compliance from every member of the club. The club's respectful workplace policies and procedures were developed in collaboration with leading experts in the industry.

This policy includes access to an independent Ombudsperson who is available to all club staff and athletes on an anonymous, confidential basis. Additionally, all coaching staff are subject to criminal record checks and coaches and players participating in our full-time programs receive specialized, mandatory respectful workplace training. Our respective leagues and governing bodies also provide further training and support services with respect to workplace standards.

Any matter arising which may contravene our policy is advanced through a rigorous assessment and, where appropriate, action is taken. The club's respectful workplace policies are reviewed annually to ensure they continue to meet or exceed best standards.

As part of our commitment to the safety and well-being of our players and staff, we are initiating an independent third-party review and assessment of our respectful workplace policies and procedures to ensure they are timely and up to date and are achieving the highest level of leadership and performance in this area. Over the coming weeks we will work to identify the most qualified experts to lead this important evaluation and will provide a further update once this appointment is made.

With respect to the matters raised regarding the Whitecaps Women's team in 2008:

Complaints in respect to behaviour within the program were brought forward to senior club management at that time. The club immediately engaged an independent Ombudsperson, a leading expert in workplace safety and a respected lawyer who specializes in this field, to do a thorough and impartial investigation into the complaints. As you would expect, the Ombudsperson had access to players and staff to conduct confidential interviews and gather information on an anonymous basis. Upon conclusion of the investigation, while the Ombudsperson had no recommendations for further action, the club and coach parted ways.

In light of the specific details contained in a blog dated April 1, 2019, we were concerned there may be new information related to this matter that did not come forward in 2008 or since. Therefore, we immediately contacted the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) to ensure they were aware of the blog and could assess if further action or review is required. Since then, we have been in active communication with the VPD to offer our full and ongoing support and cooperation. As the matter is now with the authorities we encourage anyone with information that may be helpful to reach out to VPD directly.

Finally, as a professional club we respect the very important role that coaches play in our sport. While we are not involved in the certification or licensing of soccer coaches, which falls under the jurisdiction of soccer's governing bodies, we support any efforts they are making or may make to ensure the highest coaching standards are being met across our sport.

As a club, we know that the trust of our players, staff, supporters and partners is fundamental to our commitment to the community and to growing our sport. We take very seriously our duty to set an example by acting in ways that our community can be proud. We are, as always, thankful for the ongoing input, support and encouragement we receive from our fans and the broader sport community.

Thank you,

Vancouver Whitecaps FC