Letter to all CSA members

The following is a letter from the two Canadian Soccer Association Vice Presidents to all CSA members.
We know that there has been a great deal of interest within the Canadian soccer community about developments at the Canadian Soccer Association. Given your important role in our organization, we wanted to ensure that you hear directly from us about recent activities and upcoming milestones for the CSA.
As you know, we are currently going through a very important leadership transition process. This has naturally attracted media interest and considerable comment – attention that in part reflects the growing popularity of our sport in Canada. The CSA values the passion of our soccer community and welcomes the diversity of views about the future of the game in this country. It is in an exciting time for soccer in Canada. We have achieved much success recently and the future looks even brighter. This is a time for harmony and the tackling of serious challenges by serious and dedicated people.
At such an important time for our sport in Canada, we want to ensure that key stakeholders hear from us directly and regularly about developments within the CSA. Specifically, we wanted to clarify the process that will guide the election of the CSA’s next President. When the previous CSA President stepped down last month, there was some suggestion that a new President could be elected at a meeting planned for October 20. After consulting the CSA constitution, the Executive of the CSA with the approval of the Board has agreed to move forward with a process involving the following steps:
o an interim President will be elected by a vote of the full Board of Directors at its October 20 meeting;
o the interim President will be chosen from one of the two current Board Vice Presidents and will serve until a new President is elected by a General Meeting of the full membership of the CSA;
o a General Meeting of CSA members will be held in early 2008 or at the CSA’s scheduled AGM on May 10, 2008; and,
o after being elected, the new President will serve the remainder of the former President’s term (i.e. 2010).
This process reflects the succession provisions of our constitution, as well as the CSA Executive’s commitment to an orderly and transparent transition for our organization. It will also provide operational continuity as Canada embarks on its World Cup campaign for South Africa 2010 and prepares for the Women’s World Cup 2011 bid.
Beyond keeping our key stake holders informed, making our sport stronger in Canada also demands that we stay focused on our shared goals. For the CSA, building a high-quality, high-performance national team program for Canada remains our overriding objective. We know that this goal is shared across the entire Canadian soccer community.
We take seriously our responsibility to develop a strategic plan and create the conditions for success at the elite level. A key first step involves attracting a national technical director who can establish the kind of comprehensive player development system that will support our national teams. We know that it has taken longer for us to fill this and other senior technical positions than anyone wished, but part of our responsibility is to ensure that those we recruit are the right choice for our program and the future of our sport in Canada. Success also requires that we ensure we have the financial means to be competitive – a process that will depend on finding new sources of revenue, as well as examining traditional funding formulas. While managing some of these issues may involve compromise or tough choices, we can succeed if we stay focused on our goals.
We should not lose sight of all of the good things that are happening in our sport in Canada. We just hosted the most successful Under 20 tournament in FIFA’s history. Our women’s team qualified for the World Cup in China and battled valiantly against tough opposition. The strong performance of our national men’s team in this summer’s Gold Cup means we are now ranked third in CONCACAF and well-positioned for a strong qualification campaign for South Africa in 2010. At the player development level, our collaboration with Sport Canada has produced a document called From Wellness to World Cup which will introduce a new model for coaching and developing players that will have a positive impact on soccer in Canada for years to come.
The CSA has also made enormous strides on the business front. Income from corporate partners and sponsorships, funding from the Government of Canada and financial support from the Canadian Olympic Committee rose to their highest levels ever in the past year. Achieving our goals will involve building on this progress and these breakthroughs illustrate the enormous potential of our sport in Canada.
In the months ahead, the CSA will be preparing the next stage in the evolution of soccer in Canada. As we move forward, we are committed to keeping you informed about the leadership succession process and involved in our deliberations about the future. In the meantime, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
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Victor MontaglianitVP, Canadian Soccer Association
Dominic Maestracci VP, Canadian Soccer Associationt
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