A lot has happened since the last home match at Providence Park. The Yates Report was made public by USSF, which resulted in positive changes: Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson were removed from the club and Merritt Paulson stepped down as CEO. While we acknowledge that Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports continue as majority owners of PTFC, we also want to call attention to the significant changes that have occurred in less than three weeks. 

On October 3, the 107IST board, the Rose City Riveters steering committee and the Timbers Army steering committee issued the following statement: 

At this point and for the foreseeable future, the leadership of the 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters are suspending relations with the Portland Timbers and Thorns Football Club while the leadership team includes Merritt Paulson, Mike Golub, and Gavin Wilkinson. With playoffs approaching, yes, it means that game days might look different. It’s time to build a bonfire.

Last night (October 18), members of our leadership teams met to discuss how the recent club changes affect our position with the FO. Many questions remain about the future of the club, what the NWSL/NWSLPA investigation report will reveal, and how the club’s new leadership will approach additional changes needed in the organization. 

On top of all of these moving pieces, there is a playoff match this weekend at home. On Sunday, the Thorns take on the San Diego Wave at 2 p.m. at Providence Park. There are two rally events before the match that we want to be sure you are aware of:

• Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m.: SCAN is hosting a rally on SW 18th and Morrison. More information can be found on their Facebook page. 

• Sunday, Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m.: The Rose City Riveters are hosting a rally on SW 20th near Yamhill. This event is to show enthusiasm and support for the players as they arrive at the stadium. Please note:

• • This is not a photo op or chance for signatures. We will be working to create distance between the rally and the players so they can focus on the task at hand — punching a ticket to the NWSL Championship. 
  • This is a positive event for the players. We will ask any anti-FO banners or signs to be taken down while the rally is happening. 

Yes, game days may look a little different — still. While we still need to navigate relationships today and prepare for what comes next, we are also individual supporters processing what has come to light. 

We are committed to advocating for positive change with our club. We are committed to supporting the players. We want to bring our community together. Please be patient as we all sort out how to do those things: We have not been here before. 

It’s October, which means it’s time to think about renewing your 107IST membership for the coming year (and it’s always a good time to sign up for the first time!). Normally we open up renewals November 1st, but we’re opening them up a little earlier this year.

In past renewal campaigns, I’ve written about the benefits of 107IST membership, with everything from supporting game day operations (tifo, flags, smoke, drums, trumpets) to community outreach (donation baskets, donation drives, direct financial donations to community organizations, both soccer-specific like StreetSoccerUSA, and others like IRCO and StreetRoots), as well as initial travel outlays allowing for direct access to away day tickets, and discounts with amazing local partner businesses. All of these reasons to renew still exist — but we’re also at a critical moment as an organization, and every single membership counts now more than ever.

We need you. And we need each other.

The mission of the 107IST continues to be to “support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.” This is who we have been since before MLS came to Portland and before the NWSL came to exist. As a nonprofit, independent entity, it is who we will always be, regardless of leagues or owners.

At this moment, leadership at both the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. As independent supporters of the game we love, our advocacy and our investment is an essential component of working to ensure that everyone who works for PTFC — both the players and the laborers on the business side of the organization — can expect transparency and accountability, and can be assured of a safe and welcoming work environment. Your voice matters.

At the same time, as an organization, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust faces challenges of our own. Just as we advocate for soccer for all, with access to reasonably priced tickets for supporters, we advocate for keeping membership costs affordable. Our dues have remained constant at $25 since 2011. Unfortunately, like most other things in life, the prices we pay as an organization have increased. Everything, from the cost of smoke and fabric to the monthly leases on the warehouse and the Fanladen, costs us much more than it did in 2011. And, following a record number of 107IST members the year after the 2018 MLS Cup, membership understandably waned in the last couple of years in the wake of both a pandemic and the scandals surrounding Timbers and Thorns leadership.

By choice, the board operated the organization in the red during the last couple of years because we felt that there were mission-critical things we still needed to undertake, even as we understood the many reasons that individual membership in a sports-loving organization might not be part of people’s plans in the midst of a pandemic. We continued to pay rent for a warehouse and the Fanladen, even when we had no games to attend, using these spaces instead to do things like distribute masks to those in need. We donated money in the form of microgrants to those hardest hit by the pandemic in the community, focusing on BIPOC community members as well as organizations who might not have access to federal or state grants.

While these practices align with our core values, it is obviously not a viable long-term strategy for a nonprofit organization, so we need to address our revenue issue head on. We have both short-term costs to consider (such as rent and utilities on two work spaces, day-to-day administrative expenses, and tifo and other game day expenses) and long-term bigger costs that will require something more substantial (e.g. a capital campaign targeted at securing permanent work space).

The membership team debated long and hard about whether to raise the cost of membership this year; most things that cost $25 in 2011 certainly cost a lot more now. At the same time, we want to make sure that we keep membership accessible for those for whom a cost increase would present a hardship. We also know that there are members who regularly donate extra membership dollars of their own volition, because they can.

We’d like to encourage additional donations as long as you can afford them.

This year, we are offering you a chance to direct your additional dollars to your organizational priorities. In addition to your $25 membership dues, you may opt to pay $25 additional dollars (and get an inexpensive, but very cool enamel pin) for any/each of the following “pay what you can afford” memberships:

• Community Outreach: additional $25 directed toward outreach projects

• The Rent Is Too Damn High: additional $25 directed toward administrative costs, like rent, software and utilities

• Bring The Noise: additional $25 directed toward drums, trumpets, flags and smoke

• Expose Yourself to Art: additional $25 directed toward the cost of tifo

If you select all four, you also get an Everything Bagel pin.

We’re piloting this model in the hopes that it keeps membership affordable for everyone, while at the same time giving those who can afford it a way to have some input into budgeting decisions. If it doesn’t hit the revenue targets we’re projecting, we will absolutely raise the base price of membership dues for everyone next year, because it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Will you still get that sweet Nike pass for early renewal? We certainly expect so. Will you still get happy hour prices at some of your favorite places around town? Sure. Will you get a cool lapel pin (or three or five) with your additional donation dollars? Absolutely. But more importantly you’ll be showing your support for Team, Town, Timbers Army and Riveters, while still keeping membership affordable for all. Sign up or renew now.  And if you can afford it, now is the time to dig deeper.

And as always, thank you for all that you do for each other, and for soccer in and around Portland and beyond, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. Spread the love.

From the board and steering committees

As supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, we welcome the news that Merritt Paulson is no longer involved in day-to-day decision-making for the Club and that he has removed himself as CEO. The Timbers and Thorns are one club, and this change in leadership for PTFC is a long overdue step in the process to make this club safer and better for everyone who works there.

At this moment, it’s important to center the players and employees — both those who came forward and those who suffered in silence — and we hope their voices continue to be heard. We support and love the players and this town, and we want to express our ongoing commitment to ensuring that PTFC is a safe and welcoming place to work, both on and off the pitch. We hope that this is the start of the healing process, as well as an opportunity to advocate for the additional changes needed in the National Women's Soccer League, the Portland Timbers and Thorns organization, and our community.

While the personnel changes announced in the past few days are an important step in the right direction, as long as Merritt Paulson is an owner with a financial stake in the club, he is still in a position of power and control. We continue to call for the sale of both teams and for the sale, divestment, or removal of interest/control from all professional, development, and youth soccer leagues by Peregrine Sports. We acknowledge that this will likely be a long and complex process.

Change takes time — and we are in this for the long haul.

Onward, Rose City.

#BAONPDX #RCTID #CutTheRotOut

One way you can get involved is contact PTFC sponsors with your concerns. Let them know that you want real change. The firings of Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub are a good start, but a change in ownership is the real way to save our club.

If you’re looking to help further, supporters have created a Google doc with a list of sponsors, their contact info, and a sample letter/tweets. (Be sure to check the different tabs.) Feel free to copy the text completely, use it as a starting point and adjust to your liking, or come up with your own letter.

Note: Some of the sponsors listed have already released statements. Contact them anyway! There's strength in numbers, and continued requests only keeps the pressure building.

We truly believe letting the sponsors know is one of the most impactful things we (that means you too) can do.

The following is a statement from the 107IST board, the Timbers Army Steering Committee, and the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee. 

As supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers we welcome, at long last, moves toward concrete, visible accountability through the firing of Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub.

We hope this sends a strong message to everyone working in sports, especially women’s sports, that — no matter your job title, salary, tenure, or share in ownership — the time for toxic, abusive, and coercive behavior in the workplace is over.

We recognize that Merritt Paulson has stepped aside from his duties with the Thorns. We hope that he has truly been removed from day-to-day operations of both teams. We acknowledge that while it may be a complex and long process, we will continue to call for the sale of both teams and the sale, divestment, or removal of interest/control from all professional, development, and youth soccer leagues by Peregrine Sports.

We remain aware that these actions have come only after the public disclosure of information that was previously known by this club, the National Women’s Soccer League, and United States Soccer Federation for years. These men and the individuals they protected and promoted were allowed to cause harm to players, staff, and this community for far too long. The findings in the investigation completed by the team led by Sally Yates confirms their persistent misconduct damaged the club, league, and game. They had no place in our club. 

It should not have taken so many players and staff submitting reports multiple times and to multiple agencies before sharing their stories publicly because of a complete lack of action. It should not have taken several public investigative reports, in-depth articles and a documentary. It should not have taken relentless pressure from supporters. It should not have taken a year-long formal investigation.

We thank all the individuals who came forward — and we know that many more have been, and still are, suffering in silence. We support you and we believe you; you have always deserved safe and welcoming workplaces. We will not stop speaking out and pushing for improvements on your behalf. 

#RCTID #BAONPDX #CutTheRotOut

A few words from John Nyen. 

"Daddy, why didn't we get to move back and forward in the stands at the Timbers game like last time," she asked from the near slumber of bedtime.

"You mean Tetris?" I stated

"Yeah, Why didn't we Tetris," she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Well, because we didn't win. Sometimes we do, but we didn't this time,' I said as I moved to the door.

"I like when we do that. Can I have two more songs," she said.

"Sure."

"What about You Are My Sunshine and Twinkle Twinkle," she said.

"Ok, kiddo."

She settled back under her blanket resting her head on the pillow underneath her Little Timbers and Little Thorns scarf hanging above her bed and looked at me.

I started into the refrain, my voice still cracking from the game just yesterday.

"You are my sunshine.... my only sunshine.... you make me happy, when skies are grey.... you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away...."

I lifted my hands like we do at the game and she smiled.

Closing the door softly I walked back from her bedtime routine past the banner I brought to the stadium to protest the stewardship of Merritt Paulson.

I finally told her today about the truth of the Timbers and Thorns. I told her that they are run by bad men. That the people who run her favorite teams aren't good people. I told her that we support the teams because they are our teams, but that they can be owned by people who aren't good people.

I've said to friends and to family that I run, in part, because if I keep myself healthy, I should be able to outlive the ownership of Merritt Paulson simply by age and attrition.

Honestly, though, outliving Merritt Paulson's reign in Portland isn't just for me because I want to give my children the joy of cheering for a team that doesn't contain an ownership group that is actively involved in a hideous sexual abuse and domestic violence cover-up. I want my daughters to have the option, if they are lucky enough in life, to play soccer for a team that isn't owned by a man who I know employed a sociopathic monster and stayed friends with him even after he knew that he harassed, abused and demeaned the players under his watch.  

For a long time, I thought about it and I realized I didn't want to give money and time to a man who actively seeks to protect employees who endanger, belittle and sexually harass their employees. I didn't want my team to have a fixer who goes out on domestic violence calls to shield players from the police and justice.

So, I gave up my two season tickets in the winter of 2021. I stopped going to games unless I could get a ticket for free or buy one directly from a friend who already had a ticket. Even then it just felt wrong. I missed my friends, my passion for the team and one of my life loves. It was an enormously difficult decision but every single horrible thing that came out of the news in 2021 and 2022 reinforced that I did the right thing for me and my situation. I watched as, together, my friends grappled with what to do in their own life situations. Some gave up their tickets to one team or both, some made certain their voices were heard. All tried their best, as flawed human beings, to navigate a situation that they were put in by the feckless ownership group that runs both teams.

The reality is this, though.

Merritt Paulson does not deserve this city. Merritt Paulson does not deserve the supporters of the Portland Thorns. Merritt Paulson does not deserve the supporters of the Portland Timbers.

The only way forward is for Merritt Paulson to sell the Thorns and Timbers. No firing of executives, peacemaking or gladhanding will solve this situation. The relationship is broken beyond repair with Merritt Paulson and his cronies. The only way we can move beyond this horrific situation as a fanbase is after the moment we watch Merritt Paulson slink back into the slime and disappear from the city. 

There will be no peace until he is gone and no reconciliation until the last vestiges of his bullshit are swept from both teams.

Until then, every sponsor, every partner, and every single financial institution that supports the Timbers and Thorns must be made aware that their money perpetuates a system that is designed to harbor and protect sexual, emotional and physical abuse of employees and players.

We will outlast him. We will outlive him. We will pass along our love of these teams to our children and they to their children and we will endlessly tell the stories of the time we watched Merritt Paulson ooze out of Portland.

And when I sing You Are My Sunshine and see that smile, I know that she will keep that hope alive. That one day she will stand in the North End and root for a Thorns or Timbers team that doesn't have a Paulson in the owner's box. And she will know that I did my best and that I stood up when it mattered. 

Because you will not take our sunshine away.

Views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of the 107IST, the Timbers Army, or the Rose City Riveters. 

While we were prepared for the worst, nothing prepared us for what was contained in the USSF/Sally Yates report.

We are seething and we are heartbroken.

First and foremost: To all Portland Thorns players, past and present, you will always have our love and support. Words will never convey the pain we feel knowing that you had to endure anything less than the full support, respect, and encouragement of your coaches, staff, and club leadership. You were failed — multiple times and by many people.

As a supporters group, you are an integral part of who we are and what we do. We show up and show our support for you. The findings detailed in this report (and we know there will be more to come) aren’t what you, or anyone else, signed up for.

As a leadership group, we were lied to. Although we remained cautiously optimistic at each meeting and in each interaction with PTFC leadership, reading the report highlighted the multiple bold-faced lies we were told, both in meetings and in town halls.

They said they couldn’t speak freely until the investigation results were public. “Wait until the results are in before reaching any conclusions,” they said. Well, we honored that request. The results are in. And those results are far worse than even the initial reports had indicated.

The time for waiting has passed. The toxic culture that allowed these behaviors to exist and continue in our clubs’ organizations runs too long, too deep, and too high. Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson have no place in the Timbers and Thorns organization, or in Soccer City, USA; and Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports need to sell the teams. 

In spite of the challenges, our members have told us repeatedly that they wish for us to remain in conversation with club leadership. Keep going to meetings. Keep the dialogue going. Having read the investigative report and its conclusions, however, we don’t see a way forward anymore.

At this point and for the foreseeable future, the leadership of the 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters are suspending relations with the Portland Timbers and Thorns Football Club while the leadership team includes Merritt Paulson, Mike Golub, and Gavin Wilkinson. With playoffs approaching, yes, it means that game days might look different. It’s time to build a bonfire.

The players make our clubs what they are. We, the supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, strive to make our support both in the stands and on the streets what it should be every day in Soccer City, USA. To supporters around the globe and to our regional supporters groups: This is it. This is the moment. We’ll need every one of us to come together to make our voices heard — from Providence Park to Portland, Maine, and from Paris and the Philippines. As each of us digest the information in this report and the forthcoming NWSL/NWSLPA investigative report, we need to answer the call: who are we.

We were here before the current leagues and owners, and we’ll be here long after. Our love for Team/Town/Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters runs deeper than any league or ownership.

On Monday, September 19, the 107IST board, along with members of the Riveters and Timbers Army steering committees, met with Merritt Paulson. (Chris Wilson, VP of Member Services and Ticket Strategy, and Karina LeBlanc also attended as observers.)

For many, this was the first meeting they'd ever had with Paulson. The board itself had not met with him since early 2020. For those who had met him before, some felt that those interactions were not always collaborative. For this meeting, however, everyone came to the table committed to actively and openly listen to each other.

The goal of the meeting was to be able to ask Paulson the questions our supporters have had and to share the frustration they have expressed over the past year. We wanted to hear from him directly what the clubs are doing differently today, how the internal culture is changing, and how he plans to repair the relationship with supporters.

We were able to ask direct questions and have a candid conversation about some tough topics — and most left the meeting feeling that the conversation was productive. While we cannot divulge what was shared with us for confidentiality and legal reasons, we can share what we discussed. Specifically, we asked the following:

• Will you accept the findings and recommendations of the USSF, NWSL and NWSLPA investigations?
• • The DLA Piper investigation, in what was reported, seems to be incomplete. Are there plans to circle back with the players and talk with them?
    
• If we were to roll back seven years, what would you do differently? What do you feel like you have taken away from the past 12 months? As the PTFC CEO, what education are you receiving and what are you engaging in, specifically, to ensure that this series of missteps does not continue? 

• You have seen and heard the frustration that the supporters have about the investigations and the subsequent reporting coming out about the clubs. We recently conducted a survey. In it, nearly 81% of those responding as current members want us to increase pressure or push harder against the FO if no meaningful change happens. Many volunteers who contribute to the game day atmosphere and long-time supporters of both clubs feel disheartened with what they perceive as a lack of action and accountability. Many supporters who have been with the clubs since 2010 — or longer — are canceling their season tickets and/or are not attending matches. Many believe someone in leadership should be let go. 

• • What do those actions say to you?
• • How do you think about repairing the relationship with supporters now and into the future?
  • What are your thoughts on repairing views on the FO if folks don't see meaningful external improvements in FO behavior in light of what came out in The Athletic article about workplace behavior and folks' own interactions with you on social media?

Paulson was clear that the FO is not able to discuss the investigations until the results are made public. We have asked the FO repeatedly to be fully open and transparent about events and the investigations, and there was recognition that beginning to repair the relationship with the community will be easier to do in the coming weeks. Paulson acknowledged the damage done and apologized to the room, which is a step forward. We are encouraged that once the results of the investigations are public, the FO will articulate much of the information shared with us in private over the past year. The board and the steering committees feel confident that the FO has been listening to our suggestions and feedback over the past year and has been implementing positive changes within the organization. 

We want to be clear about what this meeting and this message is not — and that is, “That’s it. We’re done, so let’s get back to soccer!” We are aware of the complexities and emotions supporters and our community have been experiencing over the last 12 months — from showing up to protest for the NWSL players to have better protections and support, to deciding whether to renew season tickets. Over the last year, many supporters have made the tough decision to step away from the club, and others have reconsidered their decisions as each new chapter came to light. We, as the board and the steering committees, fully understand that. This is emotionally taxing for everyone.

The board will continue to engage with the FO in monthly meetings, and we will always push for progress and express the voices of the supporters. We all volunteer and are supporters because we love and value these clubs, the players, and this community — rain or shine. 

It is important to note: The U.S. Soccer Federation recently announced that their investigation is coming to a close and that they plan on publishing the full report in early October. The NWSL and NWSL Players Association investigation is ongoing and will be published once complete. We are looking forward to the results of these investigations, the E60 documentary and the outcome(s) for the FO. We may have more to say as those results are published.

The following is a post from Sunday on behalf of the Capos/DnTs for the Rose City Riveters and the Timbers Army.

What is this #BYCAP thing you are just hearing about?  Well, it is a way for our loud sassy selves to do some good and help those in our communities learn how to use their voices with power and passion. (for those of us that are acronym nerds:  B - Buy  Y - Your  C - Capo   A - A   P - Pint )

We (the Capo/DnT crews of both the Timbers Army and the Rose CIty Riveters) are here to share our hearts, our hopes, our frustrations, our passions with you, the supporters of Portland’s beautiful game (both in the stadium and those not attending in person). We buy our tickets, just like everyone else (often from the Fanladen/Ticket exchange!). We wave our scarves and support the NPO and RivetGear. Like you, we have our own game-day traditions (including getting anxious or amped before a match) and when we enter the woodshed with you, we do the unthinkable, and turn our backs on the pitch. We shred voice and limb in an effort to bring passion and power out of you, the supporters, knowing we will eventually see a replay of the game. We work as a team to try to amplify and direct the emotions and excitement into chants that can be heard and felt far beyond the terraces and the pitch of Providence Park. Spilling over the walls and down the streets outside of the park into our larger community.

We do this because we love it. We have our collective voice and we share it with you and with the team. We are able to give power and strength to our voices as the Timbers Army & Rose City Riveters thanks to you, but there are many among us and around our community that do not have volume, or ability to be safe to speak, in their own neighborhoods, schools, or homes.

We want to use our voices to help others. Those that are younger and need a little assistance to find their own unique voice. Those that have so much heart and emotion, but are unsure how to express it, or may need more guidance or support than others to find their own voice.  

You can help us by buying any of the members of the Capo & DnT Crews a virtual “pint” at the matches on September 25 (Thorns) and October 2 (Timbers). No, please, do not buy us each a literal pint. Not only has there been an ongoing concession ban that we have been a part of, but our livers cannot take that kind of ’love’. Take the funds that you would use to buy a “thank-you pint,” and instead put it into the BYCAP collection buckets. 

* Don’t live in Portland, but you wanna help?
* Not going to be at the game?
* Don’t carry cash?
  → You can also donate online for a limited time - choose either TA or RCR when donating!  ←

100% of the BYCAP funds will go to help local youth find their voices. 

Timbers Army BYCAP funds will be donated to Camp Meadowood Springs
Rose City Riveters BYCAP funds will be donated to Skate Like A Girl: Portland Chapter

BYCAP is unique.
BYCAP is important.
BYCAP is all thanks to you.

BYCAP is how our team can give others the voice that we take for granted.

The following is a joint response from the members of the 107IST Board, Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and Timbers Army Steering Committee. 

Over the last year, supporters have demanded accountability from the PTFC Front Office. The 107IST Board, the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and the Timbers Army Steering Committee have made these demands in the stands as well as in meetings between our leadership teams, in meetings with players, and as season ticket holders. To date, the club has made some changes and has instituted new policies, but we are concerned that without insight into the club’s operations, progress could be stalled. The Club’s commitment to an “action plan to bolster accountability, equity, and engagement” has been a major area of focus for the 107IST Board. 

In March 2022, meetings resumed between the PTFC Front Office and the 107IST Board. The Board approached the initial meeting with two goals in mind - learning about the work and the plans the FO had in place and relaying the messages we received from our membership over the previous six months. This is where the Board first heard about the Club’s accountability initiatives and started asking questions, please see an update to the comparisons between the Club's initiatives and our demands. The Board provided suggestions to the Club regarding when and how to communicate these initiatives to the community. Since March, the Board has received updates on the initiatives and has driven conversations in relation to what else is going on with the club. 

As a reminder, the 107IST board has been meeting with the PTFC Front Office, off and on, for over a decade and those meetings have varied in tone and outcomes. During these meetings, we are respectful of the confidentiality of some of the subject matter, but often encourage the FO to provide these updates to the broader community. The 107IST Board also uses this time to share out our own efforts. 

The leadership of the 107IST, Riveters, and TA comprises over 30 individuals. These individuals come to the table with a variety of responses, hopes, and feelings about every new article or allegation. Past member surveys have shown us that our membership is also split on what actions or next steps are called for, and how best to move forward (Nov 2021 results, March 2022 results). Every statement or expression you see publicly is the result of days of back and forth internally, and we know that many of you are having these same discussions in your homes, workplaces, and internally. We are united in our disgust at what has taken place, and our frustration with the ongoing lack of concrete progress. We come from varied backgrounds, working in many different industries, and in none of those spaces would this kind of continued behavior or kick-it-under-the-sofa response be tolerated. Beyond accountability, someone must take responsibility. We are ready to see real action and progress being made, not just talk. 

With that said, we are also doing our best to be patient while awaiting results of the different investigations, notably the NWSL/NWSLPA investigation as well as the USSF investigation. It is understood that those investigations are focused on the league, cover all teams, and we are hopeful that PTFC have been fully engaged and participating in those efforts. We also expect all club and league leaders, including those at PTFC, will support the findings of these independent investigations and will follow any and all recommendations that the investigators provide. 

In the meantime, we will strive to support the players on the field, those who have spoken up and those who remain silent, and we will continue to build community the best way we know how. 

We also want to better understand where you are at, either as a 107IST member, a season ticket holder, or a former supporter of PTFC. Please take 5 minutes to fill out this survey to help us gauge where our community is at.  

To the brave staff and players, both current and former, who are working to make this a club worth believing in, we thank you. And to those who have come forward and shared your experiences and truth, we are grateful. The world needs more of your honesty and bravery and we regret the position a handful of leaders have put you in. 

The 107IST board, the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee, and the Timbers Army Steering Committee want to express our gratitude to Ryan Clarke and The Oregonian for their reporting on the DLA Piper investigation of PTFC. We also want to thank the teams at The Athletic and ESPN for continued coverage of the issues surrounding this club. 

Below are links to the articles and opinion pieces for anyone who is not familiar with the latest news coming out regarding our Club and the investigations:

• Contextualizing the Timbers' Andy Polo saga, as questions remain among fans, published on 8/1/2022, may require a subscription 
  
• Former employees of Portland Timbers, Thorns, allege ​​’toxic​​’ work environment for women, working mothers, published on 8/14/2022, requires a subscription to the Oregonian
• 5 points to focus on from investigation into Portland Timbers, Thorns workplace culture, published 8/15/2022
• Details emerge from law firm​​’s investigation in Portland Thorns​​’ handling of former coach Paul Riley, published 8/30/2022
• Sources: Thorns owner Merritt Paulson urged Paul Riley to opt out of USWNT job, published 9/1/2022
• Opinion Piece from Bill Oram: Portland Timbers, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson needs to get his organization in order, published 8/15/2022
• Soccer Made in Portland podcast: The Athletic​​’s Meg Linehan discusses the PTFC investigation, published 8/17/2022
• Full Time with Meg Linehan podcast: An Investigation Update and What Comes Next in Portland, published 9/1/2022