Former staffer, director both shed new light on Pinnacles FC dispute
Two former high-ranking members of Pinnacles FC have come forward with new allegations that paint a troubling picture of the governance of the youth soccer association.
Details of the internal strife first became public April 22 when the club’s former technical director, Jacquie Hertlein, sued in small claims court for breach of contract related to her dismissal last year.
The filing states Hertlein was employed by the Pinnacles from April 2022 to October 2023, but never had a signed contract, because “one or two directors held up the signing of the contract, even though there was an expectation of the claimant to work within the contract and job description expectations.”
“The claimant’s employment was terminated without cause by the board in October 2023. The claimant is owed vacation pay, payment in lieu of notice of termination, and repayment of a five-day suspension (with no signed contract) administrated in an arbitrary manner.”
Hertlein is seeking a total of $33,500 in monies owed and damages, including $12,000 for pain, suffering and legal costs.
In its reply filed May 6, Pinnacles FC denies all of Hertlein’s claims outright, and describes her as an “independent contractor,” who “therefore had no entitlements to vacation pay, notice of termination, or other items under the B.C. Employment Standards Act.”
Pinnacles FC also claims it now has “after-acquired cause” to dismiss Hertlein due to alleged mishandling of funds for a team party.
But the Pinnacles FC board told a vastly different story to Hertlein and its members in letters obtained by The Herald.
The first letter is dated Oct. 24, 2023, and addressed to Hertlein. It was signed by the respective former chair and vicechair of Pinnacles FC, Mike Strain and Alan Helm.
“Following a recent meeting of the board of directors of Pinnacles FC and a subsequent review of club operations and operational strategy therein it is with regret that we have to inform you that your role as technical director is to end with immediate effect,” states the letter.
“Please know that we deeply appreciate the effort and energy that you have dedicated to your role with Pinnacles FC and as such three weeks of severance pay is being offered.”
Just one week later on Oct. 31, 2023, a letter went out to all Pinnacles FC members to let them know about Hertlein’s departure.
“Now that we have attained certain internal benchmarks Jacquie is moving on to new challenges (both personal and professional) and we want to thank her for all her insight and efforts,” states the letter, which was signed by then-chair Strain.
Garry Brogan, the current chair of Pinnacles FC, wrote in an email Thursday the club couldn’t comment on Hertlein’s case citing “privacy reasons.” He said the club would consider responding to written questions “and decide if we are permitted to comment further.”
Hertlein agreed to talk, though, to help clear her name.
She said via email she refused the three weeks’ severance offered in October 2023 because it required her “to sign an agreement that said I would not pursue legal remedy through other avenues for the way I was treated, and the gross mishandling of internal conflict issues. I refused to sign that agreement.”
She suggested the two letters illustrate the contradictory manner in which Pinnacles FC has handled her employment – thanking her publicly and personally, then seeking to undermine her after the fact.
And she strongly denies the allegation she mishandled money for a team party.
“This is fabricated information made up by one or two directors with false information from an employee. This supposedly was done as ‘after-acquired cause.’ I would like to know if they conducted an impartial, unbiased investigation into this false allegation, and what the evidence is,” said Hertlein.
“In any case like this, I should have the right to defend myself and provide the evidence I have. I have receipts, notes and confirmation from independent witnesses that minimal cash received for year-end party was handled and submitted per the usual process.”
Hertlein believes she raised the ire of Pinnacles FC director Tim Hodgkinson last year by distributing to another staffer links to some past news stories about Hodgkinson’s business affairs.
Hertlein claims she was suspended for five days without pay for distributing the news stories, and that Hodgkinson failed to recuse himself from that decision, even though he appeared to be in a conflict of interest as the subject of the incident for which Hertlein was punished.
Hertlein has support for her claims from Tony Wooster, who resigned in protest from the Pinnacles FC board in April 2024.
Wooster claims he consistently advocated without success for Hodgkinson to recuse himself from matters pertaining to Hertlein, and was present when Hodgkinson and Brogan allegedly concocted the story about Hertlein pocketing funds from a team party.
“The rest of the board was kept in the dark. I identified on several occasions that Hodgkinson should recuse himself,” said Wooster in an email interview.
“They dropped hints of missing funds, but never presented the evidence, or the need for a fair, thorough and unbiased investigation for such a serious allegation. I objected. I was then isolated from information and evidence, even though I was the vice-chair.
Wooster also claims he refused as a signing authority to approve Hodgkinson’s request for Pinnacles FC to pay for legal advice pertaining to board elections that Hodgkinson sought without the board’s permission.
Wooster claims he was criticized by Brogan for refusing to sign, and after that was ostracized on the board.
Hodgkinson sought the legal advice “on his own, without permission of the board, and then when the board changed, he tried to submit it as board expenses. I refused to sign it and was chastised by Hodgkinson’s friend, Brogan.”
Wooster says he reported everything to BC Soccer but never got a response.
Hertlein says her own complaint to BC Soccer was accepted but put on hold while a separate investigation by WorkSafeBC into allegations of harassment and bullying in the Pinnacles FC workplace is underway.
She also filed two complaints with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner due to alleged improper sharing of her personal information, and is considering other civil remedies.
BC Soccer didn’t respond to requests for comment on this story.