When Ciara McCormack finished her testimony before a Canadian parliamentary committee hearing on safe sport last April, she decided to buy a soccer team. It was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. For over a decade, the former Vancouver Whitecaps player and Republic of Ireland international had fought to highlight abuse and cover-ups at the highest level of Canadian soccer.
Some people listened to McCormack and her fellow players. Others didn’t. Or if they did listen, they decided everything was OK. Or decided institutions must be protected above the welfare of people. With the exception of police reopening an investigation into former Vancouver Whitecaps and Canada national youth coach Bob Birarda that led to multiple sex offence charges, a guilty plea and jail time, not much changed. The system remained intact and enablers dodged accountability.
“After I went to Ottawa for the hearing in April I realized that if we want change then we have to be in the mix about making decisions for everything,” McCormack says. “It is easy to complain about how things should be but I decided to do something about it. It all unfolded pretty quickly.”
After a playing career that included time with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Fortuna Hjorring in Denmark, and the Newcastle Jets in Australia – becoming the first North American to play in a Uefa Champions League final along the way – McCormack activated ‘veteran status’ on her playing card earlier this year to turn out for the Limerick-based Treaty United in League of Ireland. Although born in Canada, eight caps for the Republic of Ireland a decade ago had solidified ties with her ancestral homeland.
“I saw that Treaty had amazing volunteers but the club was underfunded,” McCormack said. “I could see that Ireland was heading towards professionalizing club soccer and Treaty was hanging on between professional and amateur.”
It is easy to complain about how things should be, but I decided to do something about it.
Ciara McCormack
Over the past summer, McCormack had some discreet – and frank – conversations in Ireland and Canada. A bold idea became reality when Vancouver-based investment group, Tricor Pacific Capital, stepped up to finance buying the club. McCormack was installed this month as co-owner and CEO of a reinvigorated organization featuring Limerick’s only professional men’s and women’s soccer teams, with a focus on youth development. The takeover makes…