For the first time since 2019, Canada Soccer held its Annual Meeting of the Members in person and had the opportunity to celebrate the return to play of soccer from coast to coast and the success of the Womens and Mens National Teams on the world stage.
The meeting was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba and featured representation from Member Associations, Professional League-in-Membership, Professional Club Members, and coaches and referees. Canada Soccers 2021 Annual Report, entitled GOLDEN was released highlighting the shining light that the sport played for many Canadians in their local communities and on the global stage including the Womens National Team Gold Medal performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The 2022-26 Strategic Plan was unveiled that will serve as the beacon for Canada Soccer as they prepare to co-host the FIFA World Cup 2026 and maximize the opportunity that the unprecedented success of our National Teams provide to Canada Soccer and our stakeholders across the country. Building on the three key pillars of the previous strategic plan DEVELOP, GOVERN and GROW the eleven objectives across each pillar as well as eleven ASPIRATIONS can be found at strategicplan.soccer
Canada Soccer has identified the development of the womens professional game as a key strategic priority and after an extensive international search has moved one step closer towards advancing this goal with the hiring of Breagha Carr-Harris as the Head of Womens Professional Soccer [Read More].
As part of the Annual Meeting of the Members Board of Directors Elections, Charmaine Crooks was re-elected Canada Soccer Vice-President, Karen MacNeill was elected Director for Alberta/Northwest Territories, and Dale Briggs was re-elected Director for New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island/Nova Scotia/Newfoundland & Labrador. In addition, Brian Burden and Stephanie J. Geosits were ratified by the Membership as Independent Directors.
Canada Soccer also announced that Saint John, NB will host the 2023 edition of the AMM and the organization released its 2021 Annual Report.
There has never been a better time to be involved in the worlds game right here at home. In 2021, young footballers from coast to coast returned to play safely and our Womens and Mens National Teams captured the countrys hearts and attention over a record 43 international matches with not only their inspiring performances on the pitch, but also for what they represented off the pitch diversity, equity and inclusion, said Dr. Nick Bontis, President, Canada Soccer. We thank our members for their resiliency as we continue to recover from the ongoing pandemic and commitment to collaborate as we aspire to be the most recognizable sport property in the country.
Originally appointed as Canada Soccers first female and person of colour to serve as Canada Soccer Vice President by the Board of Directors in 2021, Crooks was re-elected for a four-year term. Crooks has been a member of the Canada Soccer Board of Directors since 2014 and currently serves as a member of FIFAs Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions. In 2012, Crooks was named as a Member of the Order of Canada. Crooks is a five-time Olympian and Olympic Silver Medallist. She was Canadas flag bearer at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. She also serves as a FIFA Match Commissioner.
A former non-competitive player, grassroots coach and club President, Dale Briggs was re-elected as a Director for a three-year term. An established lawyer whose expertise includes corporate, commercial and tax litigation, Briggs involvement in the game has spanned many years and roles including as a key volunteer with the FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup Canada 2014 and the FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015.
Karen MacNeill was elected as a Director for Alberta/Northwest Territories for a three-year term. A former member of the Canadian National Field Hockey Team for over a decade, she is a high-performance psychologist and performance consultant having experience with over ten different National Sport Organizations including working directly with athletes who have competed at the last five Olympic Games.
Having served on Canada Soccers Board of Directors as an Independent Director since 2012, Brian Burden will enter his fourth three-year term. Having over 30 years of senior financial professional experience in Canada, the United States and Europe including as CFO of major international companies, he has served on multiple public and private boards. Brian has fulfilled the role of Chair, Audit and Finance Committee as well as Chair, Risk Committee on the Board of Directors.
Independent Director Stephanie Geosits is an experienced sports executive that has worked in a variety of Canadian soccer roles including most-recently as Executive Director of Burlington Youth Soccer. She is a former Director, Marketing & Communications at Ontario Soccer. Geosits graduated from Harvards Kennedy School of Government with a Masters in Public Policy in 1998