Erin Mills Soccer Club Alleges Poaching

By Morgan Campbell Toronto Star

Erin Mills accuses TFC Academy of poaching
‘No malice intended,’ says pro club’s director as both teams agree to meet to clear confusion

The Toronto FC Academy kicked off its inaugural Canadian Soccer League season last night, but not everyone involved with the sport is happy with how Canada’s biggest pro team has entered the amateur scene.

Last week officials from the Erin Mills Soccer Club in Mississauga sent a letter to the Ontario Soccer Association alleging that the TFC Academy helped fill its roster by poaching players already registered to Erin Mills. In the letter the club complains that TFC recruited seven registered players, and that four members of Erin Mills’ under-17 team left the club for TFC’s academy two weeks ago.

The academy will field two teams in the CSL this summer, their under-18 squad playing in the main league, while their under-16 team plays in the reserve division. Though the CSL is a semi-pro league that features adults who play for pay, TFC won’t pay its teenage players, preserving their eligibility for NCAA scholarships.

Erin Mills secretary Christian Secker says player movement itself isn’t an issue, since his club’s goal is to groom players for higher levels. But he is skeptical of the timing – the players switched clubs less than a week before Erin Mills’ season opener – and wonders if TFC broke provincial rules by bringing in Erin Mills players.

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