Ontario Soccer – Former CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games sure to attract sport and soccer people alike to Seneca College – Newnham Campus March 2-4, 2018

Nov. 20, 2017

Vaughan, ON – Ontario Soccer is pleased to announce today that John Furlong, former President and CEO of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, professional speaker and high profile sport leader in Canada, will be a keynote speaker at the Ontario Soccer Summit 2018, taking place March 2-4 at Seneca College – Newnham Campus in Toronto, Ontario.

Furlong led Canada on an exhaustive ten-year-journey which culminated with what has now been recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the most successful Winter Games ever.

Furlong has been described as a sports hero, nation builder and the ultimate crisis manager. Known for his masterful storytelling and innovative leadership style, he continues to inspire, regaling audiences with the many remarkable and fascinating untold stories behind the leadership of the Games.

“To have someone with the stature of John Furlong joining us for the Ontario Soccer Summit, is truly an honour. His leadership in sport and personal passion for soccer will be an inspiration to our soccer community and this opportunity to hear him speak will be of appeal to Canadian sport leaders everywhere,” said Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer Executive Director. “He led Canada through the many trials and tribulations of hosting the Games and he was relentless in his pursuit to deliver an event that would touch the hearts and minds of every Canadian, coast to coast.”

Always a passionate ambassador for Canada, Furlong was awarded The Officer of The Order of Canada and Member of the Order of British Columbia, for his exceptional leadership of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Other honours include Canadian of the year, Marketer of the Year, Sport Executive of the Year, The Globe & Mail’s Nation builder of 2010 and following the Games he has named by Cisco and the Globe and Mail as one of the top 25 most transformational Canadians alive.

Through his role as the volunteer Chairman of the highly successful Own The Podium program, he continues to be a powerful advocate for amateur sport and through his masterful storytelling he inspires corporate leaders to develop a more human, raw and emotional approach to leadership.

“This keynote speaker announcement is the first of three announcements to come,” Misley said. “Each of the 2018 keynote speakers will bring a unique approach to sport leadership to the Ontario Soccer Summit 2018, with our goal being to inspire our membership to greater things.”

Ontario Soccer recently announced the first nine session speakers to the 2018 Ontario Soccer Summit. Among those speakers announced were soccer leaders: Sebastian Dremmler (Bayern Munich Youth Teams Operations Manager), Jason deVos (Director of Development, Canada Soccer) and Dr. Nick Bontis (Vice President, Canada Soccer).

Check the Ontario Soccer Summit news section regularly for updates on speakers, events or how to become an Ontario Soccer Summit partner.  

About Ontario Soccer

Founded in 1901, Ontario Soccer is the largest provincial sports organization in Canada. Its members include more than 650 Clubs servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 10,000 match officials. Ontario Soccer develops and delivers exceptional and sustainable programs and services throughout Ontario with the mission of providing leadership and support for the advancement of soccer in collaboration and cooperation with our membership, partners and other stakeholders. Ontario Soccer also operates League1 Ontario, a provincial professional-amateur men’s and women’s league as well as the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL).

 

Media Contact 

Ben Rycroft | Communications Manager | Ontario Soccer | brycroft@ontariosoccer.net | 905-264-9390 x 255