What is completely lacking—this is from conversations with all of us—is that athlete organizations, these sport NSOs.... As we've all said, we're little specks, and they control the funding, the power and who is getting chosen. I don't think things can change until there is some sort of body that represents our interests and our voice. If they know that we are represented, that we're not trying to play our sport and fight these monsters at the same time, and that there is a collective to be able to....
Myriam is now getting sued by her coach for defamation for going through the sport process. That is coming out of Myriam's pocket, to fight back for basically just doing what she was told to do in the sport system and report maltreatment. If there were an entity....
Nine dollars are going to Canada Soccer to basically have sketchy financial behaviour and also clear cases of abuse. If there were an organization protecting us from those nine dollars that are going to Soccer Canada, with half of that money going to an organization that fights for our rights and makes sure we're okay.... None of us have received therapy from Canada Soccer for what we've been put through. We've had a private person come forward and give us funding to even be able to approach them.
We're so underprotected, underfunded and under-represented, yet the sport system does not happen without our participation. It's the most insane set-up, and it's reflective of what's going on.
That's what needs to happen. There has to be a structural change in the system, an entity that protects our interests and fights for us so that we can just play our sport in a safe environment, enjoy it, not be harmed and not be picking up the pieces years after we are done playing.