First Canada Soccer Board Meeting for Newly Elected President Dr. Nick Bontis

Canada Soccer’s Board of Directors have appointed Charmaine Crooks as Acting Vice President of the Board of Directors. Crooks, the first female and person of colour to ever serve as Canada Soccer Vice President, will serve in the post vacated by Dr. Nick Bontis when he was elected as Canada Soccer President in November. An election at the 2021 Canada Soccer Annual Meeting of the Members will determine the final remaining year of the Vice President post after which time an election will be held for the four-year term of Vice President commencing in 2022.
 
“Charmaine Crooks is a tremendous appointment to serve as Vice President of Canada Soccer and I’m proud of the organization for selecting its first female and person of colour as Vice President,” said Dr. Nick Bontis, Canada Soccer President. “As a decorated elite athlete, Olympian, and sought-after Board Executive, Charmaine brings a unique blend of skills and experience that will be vital to our work to build back from the challenges of COVID-19 and capitalize on the opportunity in the lead up to FIFA World Cup 2026™.”
 
Crooks has been a member of the Canada Soccer Board of Directors since 2013 and currently serves as a member of FIFA’s 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 having been a member of the 1984 Women’s 4x400m relay team that finished second in Los Angeles and has a decorated Athletics career that includes several gold medals in Commonwealth, Pan American and World Cup competitions. She was Canada’s flag bearer at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Previously, Crooks served as a Director with the Canadian Olympic Committee, as President of Olympians Canada as well as holding multiple roles with the International Olympic Committee.
 
In addition to the Vice President appointment, Canada Soccer’s Board of Directors took the first steps toward the development of its upcoming Strategic Planning process. The successive plan to current Canada Soccer Nation 2019-21 Strat Plan will be developed for the 2022-2025 Quadrennial. The Board of Directors also approved Canada Soccer’s provisional budget for the 2021 fiscal year, the 2021 Canadian Anti-Doping Program, and the 2021 projected schedule for the return-to-play for the Women’s and Men’s National Teams.