Open Letter from YBSC Coaches - Player Tampering and Poaching by YK Galaxy

September 23, 2021 Update

The NWTSA today issued a notice stating the following:

"The NWT Soccer Board of Directors is confident with the decision rendered by the NWT Soccer and Canada Soccer’s Ethics Committee."

YBSC also agrees with the June 27, 2021 decision of the Canada Soccer Ethics Committee. As noted previously, the Canada Soccer Ethics Committee stated:

“Therefore it is concluded that there is a prima facie case in accordance with the Canada Soccer Disciplinary Code with respect to the “inducing and attempted poaching/poaching registered players from another club” portion of the complaint. The submission demonstrates that there has been a breach of the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics by both YK Galaxy and Dillon Torindo with respect to the above-mentioned portion of the complaint.”

Given that the June 27, 2021 Canada Soccer Ethics Committee decision directly contradicts the previous NWTSA Ethics Committee decision, it is unclear how the NWTSA can have confidence in both decisions simultaneously.

The subsequent July 18, 2021 decision of the Canada Soccer Ethics Committee did not change its previous June 27th conclusion that YK Galaxy and Dillon Torindo have violated the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics. The July 18th decision also did not state any agreement with the conclusion of the NWTSA Ethics Committee. The July 18th decision just concluded that:

"The Canada Soccer Ethics Committee is not entitled to review the complaint".

YBSC has submitted a letter to the NWTSA requesting permission for these matters to be thoroughly reviewed and resolved by Canada Soccer to ensure that these matters are handled with integrity and transparency. We are awaiting their response. If the NWTSA is confident in the quality of the decision issued by the NWTSA Ethics Committee then the NWTSA (and YK Galaxy) should have no concern about that decision and other related matters being reviewed and resolved by Canada Soccer.

NWTSA notes the need to treat others with respect. YBSC agrees and so we look forward to seeing what disciplinary action the NWTSA would recommend to Canada Soccer given that the June 27th Canada Soccer Ethics Committee decision (a decision which the NWTSA has stated it has confidence in) concluded that:

“The conduct of YK Galaxy and Dillon Torindo displayed through the evidence in the complaint demonstrates a violation of that section. Accordingly, influencing YBSC team players to join the YK Galaxy club by giving and/or offering benefits to them is not being respectful of the YBSC team personnel, nor is it respectful to the athletes playing with YBSC. Such conduct and acts directly breach section 5.2 vi and ix of the Code.”

September 21, 2021

Open Letter from Yellowknife Bay Soccer Club Coaches

The Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics (Code) sets ethical standards and governs the behaviour of soccer clubs and coaches in Canada. Yellowknife Bay Soccer Club (YBSC) coaches adhere to the Code in our activities including player recruitment.

Knowingly contacting specific players from another club and/or making promises to those players to try to get those players to switch clubs is unethical behaviour under the Code. Advertising with posters, websites, newspaper ads, etc. to try to attract players to a club is acceptable - where it crosses the line is when coaches target specific players to try to get them to switch clubs.

Since the formation of YK Galaxy, YBSC coaches have been repeatedly hearing about attempts by Dillon Torindo and other YK Galaxy coaches to tamper with and poach YBSC players. Initially we ignored it and continued on our path of trying to make our club the best that it can be and provide the best training opportunities for our players while maintaining the ethical standards that are required under the Code. As the unethical behaviour of YK Galaxy coaches persisted however we have been forced to take note of these incidents.

YBSC has documented numerous breaches of the Code by 4 YK Galaxy coaches over the last couple of years. These are just the incidents that we are aware of so there have undoubtedly been more. Unfortunately instead of recognizing these attempts to tamper with and poach YBSC players as unethical behaviour, some parents are flattered by the attention that their child is receiving and so we have lost some players due to these unethical activities.

YBSC raised this issue of YK Galaxy tampering with and poaching YBSC players with both the Northwest Territories Soccer Association (NWTSA) and Canada Soccer. While the NWTSA unreasonably dismissed our complaint, Canada Soccer’s Ethics Committee recently released a decision on this matter. Below are some direct quotes from that decision:

“By giving and promising such things, YK Galaxy and/or Dillon Torindo influenced the acts of the players to switch teams while they were still players for the YBSC team and before the season finished.”

“The conduct of YK Galaxy and Dillon Torindo displayed through the evidence in the complaint demonstrates a violation of that section. Accordingly, influencing YBSC team players to join the YK Galaxy club by giving and/or offering benefits to them is not being respectful of the YBSC team personnel, nor is it respectful to the athletes playing with YBSC. Such conduct and acts directly breach section 5.2 vi and ix of the Code.”

“Therefore it is concluded that there is a prima facie case in accordance with the Canada Soccer Disciplinary Code with respect to the “inducing and attempted poaching/poaching registered players from another club” portion of the complaint. The submission demonstrates that there has been a breach of the Canada Soccer Code of Conduct and Ethics by both YK Galaxy and Dillon Torindo with respect to the above-mentioned portion of the complaint.”

Unfortunately, by dismissing our complaint and thereby condoning the tampering and poaching activities of YK Galaxy without any serious review of the issue, NWTSA is setting an ethical standard for coaches and clubs in the NWT that is lower than anywhere else in Canada and that is also clearly in contravention of the Code, as confirmed by the Canada Soccer Ethics Committee decision noted above.

Despite the refusal of the NWTSA to reasonably deal with this matter, YBSC is still trying to ensure that all NWT soccer coaches and clubs are held to the ethical standards of the Code by having these issues advanced through the Canada Soccer disciplinary process. YBSC will be seeking multi-year, if not permanent, suspensions from all soccer activities, for YK Galaxy as a club, Dillon Torindo and other Galaxy coaches.

If any YBSC players or parents have been approached by representatives of YK Galaxy to try to get your child to quit YBSC and join YK Galaxy, please let us know. The more incidents that we can document and add to the case, the stronger the case will be and the more severe the suspensions will be for YK Galaxy and their coaches.

If anyone is considering switching your child from YBSC to YK Galaxy, we would urge you to seriously consider the ethics of the people and the club into which you would be entrusting your child.

We would also like to note that in YBSC, our female athletes are not treated as an afterthought. From the very start, YBSC has given our girls the same opportunities as our boys and we have always worked just as hard to develop our female program and our female players as our male players. If you support gender-equity in sports, YBSC is the soccer club in Yellowknife that you should be supporting.

Sincerely,

Coaches of the Yellowknife Bay Soccer Club