Gavin Wilkinson (born 5 November 1973) is a former New Zealand footballer who served as general manager and President of Soccer for the Portland Timbers from 2009 to 2022.
Wilkinson was general manager and president of soccer for the Portland Thorns FC from its inception in 2013 until 2022. He was mentioned in the USSF Yates Report and NWSL Covington Report which documented allegations that Thorn's coach Paul Riley had engaged in sexual misconduct. Neither report recommended sanctions for Wilkinson, who was cleared of wrongdoing by an internal investigation and report conducted by DLA Piper, which found that Wilkinson was not involved with the events beyond terminating Paul Riley.[2] He was hired by Sporting Kansas City in January 2024 to serve as the franchise's sporting director, and released by SKC on 19 January 2024.
Playing career
Club career
Wilkinson played defence for with the USLPortland Timbers from 2001 to 2006, adding assistant coach duties in 2005 and 2006. Wilkinson retired as an active player and was named Head Coach and General Manager for Portland Timbers in September 2006. During the 2009 season, he directed the Timbers to the Commissioner's Cup as the regular season champion and a league record 24 game unbeaten string (14-0-10), smashing the previous record of 16.
Wilkinson also volunteers for EastSide Timbers FC, a youth soccer club based in Gresham, Oregon that he helped found and formerly ran.[4]
Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns
On 18 January 2010, Wilkinson was named Technical Director of the expansion Portland Timbers club in Major League Soccer (MLS), set to begin play in the 2011 season. He assumed those duties while still coaching the Timbers through the 2010 season.[5]
Wilkinson was the general manager of the Portland Thorns, the Timbers' sister club in the National Women's Soccer League from its inception in 2013. Under Wilkinson, the Thorns were the most successful team in the NWSL,[8] winning three championships between 2013 and 2021. The team had the highest attendance in the league, and was valued at $65 million.[10]
In 2021, Wilkinson was put on administrative leave from the Thorns and later replaced by Karina LeBlanc due to a scandal surrounding allegations that coach Paul Riley, originally hired by Wilkinson, had sexually harassed Thorns players during his tenure from 2014 to 2015. An investigation by DLA Piper found that Wilkinson had committed no wrongdoing and had no involvement in the scandal besides terminating Riley after the 2015 season.[11][12]
An October 2022 report on abuse in the NWSL commissioned by the USSF and led by Sally Yates stated that Wilkinson had indicated that Riley should be hired by a different club, and that he had initially claimed to reporters that Riley was fired because the team failed to make the playoffs. In the report, medical staff of the club alleged that Wilkinson was told that Riley had endangered players by interfering with medical treatment.[13]
Wilkinson and the Portland Timbers front office faced further accusations of inaction in response to abuse reports in February 2022, after Andy Polo's contract with the Timbers was terminated due to allegations of domestic violence made by Polo's ex-partner.[14] Police reports indicated that Timbers employees were present when police arrived to investigate the initial call in May 2021, but the team failed to report the incident to the league for nine months. Polo's ex-partner stated that the Timbers did not try to dissuade her from filing charges against Polo, which was confirmed by an MLS investigation in March 2022. The investigation also found that the Timbers did not intentionally conceal the incident or their involvement.[15]
On 4 October, Timbers and Thorns owner Merritt Paulson announced that he, Wilkinson, and team president Mike Golub would recuse themselves from all Thorns decisions.[16] Earlier that day, the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters formally demanded the removal of Wilkinson and Golub and for Paulson to sell the teams.[17]
On 5 October, Wilkinson and Golub were fired from the club.[17] A report in The Athletic stated that Wilkinson was set to receive a contract extension, with a clause which allowed the club to terminate for cause.[18]
Sporting Kansas City
Wilkinson was hired by Sporting Kansas City in January 2024 to serve as the club's sporting director.[19]
On 19 January 2024, Wilkinson and Sporting Kansas City "mutually agreed" to release Wilkinson from his role with SKC.[20]
Wilkinson has been noted for his philanthropy. During his tenure, the Timbers and Thorns inaugurated their annual Stand Together Week, which hosts volunteer efforts and community outreach events in Portland.[21] Wilkinson has volunteered with and supported nonprofit organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which helps support the wishes of critically ill children,[22]Blessings in a Backpack, which provides nutritious meals to students, Solve Cleanup, which removes litter from public spaces,[23] and student art programs.[24]
