A major youth soccer association north of Toronto is in disarray, chasing answers for how it ended up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and stripped of licenses that give kids a chance to compete at elite levels.

Markham Soccer Club (MSC) owed back-taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency totalling at least $300,000 and overdue payments to multiple vendors totalling $260,000, according to multiple sources familiar with club matters. The sources requested anonymity to speak candidly about confidential discussions at the board of directors level.