Third keynote speaker and three more panels announced for Ontario Soccer Summit 2020 

Dr. Norm O’Reilly, who is recognized as one of the leading scholars in the business of sports, will lead the third keynote speech at Feb. 21-23 event at Redeemer University in Hamilton. A marquee group of internationally renowned match officials, led by German FIFA referee Bibiana Steinhaus, will provide intriguing insights and perspectives

Jan. 21, 2020

Vaughan, ON – Ontario Soccer has announced a third keynote speaker for the Ontario Soccer Summit, as well as a list of internationally and domestically recognized names.

Leading the list of new additions is Dr. Norm O’Reilly, who is a Professor and Assistant Dean of Executive Programs in the Lang School of Business & Economics at the University of Guelph. Dr. O’Reilly is also the founding Director of the International Institute for Sport Business & Leadership at Guelph, a think-tank devoted to improving the sport business globally.

“Dr. O’Reilly brings a wealth of knowledge about the business of sport, a depth of analytical data rarely seen anywhere in soccer and an understanding of what drives people in our game and across the world,” said Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer Chief Executive Officer. “As with all our keynotes, it’s important for our membership to hear from people that will not only bring fresh ideas, but give our leaders access to cutting edge information in the world of sport.”

Two panels, which will be of interest to the match official community, have also been added.

Bibiana Steinhaus, a FIFA referee and UEFA women’s elite match official and only female match official in the German Bundesliga, joins Joe Fletcher, former FIFA referee, and last year’s keynote speaker, Howard Webb, to discuss their experiences as officials at the FIFA World Cup.

The second panel, entitled “One Call, Four Angles,” will look at the game through the eyes of those most closely connected to it.

Caroline Szwed, Sportsnet TV host, Anthony Capotosto, Director of Toronto FC Academy and Scott Bowman, a Canadian Premier League Match Official, will collaborate for an informative, engaging session, where the fourth angle will be from the audience participation.

As well, Isaac Raymond, Canada Soccer Manager of Referee Development, will be presenting on how to manage technical staff.

“Ontario Soccer Summit is an event for all those, who participate in our game,” said Gary Miller, Ontario Soccer Director of Soccer Operations. “That’s why it was important for us to bring in speakers of this calibre for our match official community to learn from. These are people, who have participated at the highest level of the sport and their learnings will be instrumental in the development of Ontario match officials.”

Marking another highlight for the weekend will be the Safe Sport for All panel, led by Jason deVos, Canada Soccer Director of Development, which will discuss a variety of initiatives aimed at keeping athletes safe.

Joining deVos will be a group of accomplished subject matter expects including Paul Carson (Coaching Association of Canada), Dr. Gretchen Kerr (University of Toronto), Mark Allen (Respect in Sport) and Joe Atkinson (Major League Soccer.)

“Ontario Soccer is committed to harnessing the power of the beautiful game and provide a safe and fun environment for all to foster a life-long love for the sport,” stated Bjorn Osieck, Ontario Soccer Director of Business Operations. “We are proud to support Canada Soccer’s Safe Sport initiative and bring actionable insights to all our soccer leaders to implement within their own organizations.”

Ticket prices are set to go up on Jan. 29. Last year, Ontario Soccer Summit 2019 sold out a month before the event.

Don’t wait to purchase yours. Visit OntarioSoccer.net/SummitTickets to register and get yours today.

There are great group discounts still available for Clubs, Districts or Academies to assist in making Hamilton an extraordinary team-building opportunity for organizations in 2020.

Visit the Ontario Soccer website to see which sessions will be of interest to your community.

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 comprised of more than 650 Clubs and Private Academies servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 10,000 match officials, as well as countless volunteers, parents and supporters comprising a direct, multi-cultural community of over 1,000,000 Ontarians.

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 the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) – the province’s premier standards based youth development program and proudly supports Canada Soccer’s National Teams, the Canadian Premier League and Toronto FC.

An overall goal of Ontario Soccer is to assist with the development of soccer as a healthy lifestyle choice, provide a talented pathway for players to excel and encourage community involvement at all levels.

Media Contact 

Ben Rycroft | Senior Manager, Digital Strategy and Communications
Ontario Soccer | brycroft@ontariosoccer.net | 905-264-9390 x 255