Whitecaps helping Canada Soccer again with Jesse Marsch’s salary

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Even as their future remains in doubt, the Vancouver Whitecaps continue to stand up for Canadian soccer.

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National men’s team head coach Jesse Marsch has a new contract, Canada Soccer confirmed this week, running through the 2030 World Cup. A large portion of his salary is being covered by a group of philanthropists: one of whom is majority Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot. The Saputos, who own CF Montreal, as well as private equity investor Seth Boro and his wife Jen Hamilton, Vancouver’s Adnani family, and a fifth investor who has chosen anonymity, are the others.

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He never speaks publicly, but Kerfoot’s investment is in keeping with his long-standing interest in Canadian soccer. First, he bought the Whitecaps in 2003, believing then, as he still apparently does now, that the club was an opportunity to be a community asset, a team that would bring people together and give local youths something to aspire toward.

He also invested heavily in the national women’s team program, funding the team both operationally and in terms of salaries for the players. He has helped bankroll national youth teams, and, a source has confirmed, helped cover the salaries for the Canadian men’s coaching staff in the depths of the COVID pandemic so then-head coach John Herdman and his staff could properly prepare for Qatar 2022 qualification.

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Along with the Saputos and Maple Leaf Sports And Entertainment, owners of Toronto FC, Kerfoot helped Canada Soccer fund the original hiring of Marsch. A source confirmed that Marsch first landed on Kerfoot’s radar when the Whitecaps interviewed him as a potential replacement for Martin Rennie.

Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said the Whitecaps and Kerfoot have been consistent and positive in their efforts to build Canadian soccer.

“They have consistently supported the broader scope of Canadian soccer right up to today,” Blue said Friday morning, hours before Marsch announced his 2026 roster.

A source said that Blue and Kerfoot’s relationship remains strong, that they are working on further programs to build out elite development at a national level. One possibility being worked on is a national development team program akin to what USA Hockey does, where youth players are centralized at the under-18 and under-16 levels; obviously the Whitecaps, TFC and CFM are all running their own academies and doing very well with them, but adding a layer above them might bring even further gains for the country’s national teams.

It’s pretty clear that Marsch himself sees the game in similar to terms to what we understand Kerfoot’s to be: he has gone beyond what might be expected of national team coaches in other countries. He doesn’t just spend time watching and recruiting the best professional players Canada has to offer, both at home and abroad, he also has travelled the country to meet and work with youth coaches, hoping to make everyone better at their craft.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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