Fred Nykamp named Canadian Soccer Association’s chief executive officer

The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that Fred Nykamp has been named chief executive officer (CEO) for the Canadian Soccer Association. Mr. Nykamp will lead the Canadian Soccer Association into an exciting new stage as soccer continues to progress as one of the leading recreational and entertainment sports in Canada.
“We are proud to welcome Mr. Nykamp to the Canadian Soccer Association team,” says president Colin Linford. “It is a pleasure to introduce someone with such a strong business repertoire from both the corporate and sport communities. He will play an integral part in shaping the Canadian Soccer Association from our youngest first-time players to our senior professional and international players.”
Mr. Nykamp recently spent three years as the executive director of Canada Basketball. He leaves Canada Basketball in solid shape, having helped strengthen the game played by grassroots and elite players in Canada. Amongst his initiatives were the BeOne national membership program, the National Elite Development Academy (16- and 17-year old players), and Steve Nash Youth Basketball (5-13 years old).
Before joining Canada Basketball, Mr. Nykamp spent four years as president of WIO Inc., a company that specialized in business planning and development. During that time, he worked with companies such as Field & Stream and ELLE Sportswear, a unit of Hachette Filipacchi Media. Prior to this, he worked as a vice-president and general manager with Sara Lee Corporation’s Hanes & Champion overseas business units and he was the managing director for Champion Canada, a leading authentic athletic brand.
“I am excited to be taking on such a wonderful challenge with the Canadian Soccer Association,” says Fred Nykamp. “Through its tremendous scope at the grassroots level and long standing tradition, soccer has the potential for establishing an indomitable footprint on the Canadian landscape which we will also work to convert into greater international success in the future.”
This summer, the Canadian Soccer Association will host the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 in six cities across the nation. With more than 600,000 spectator tickets already sold, this tournament is the biggest single-sport event in Canadian history. As for Canada’s senior teams, the men’s national team takes part in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States next month while the women’s national team takes part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007 in September. The women’s team, under coach Even Pellerud, is looking to improve on its fourth-place finish from four years ago in the United States. The men’s national team, under newly-appointed head coach Dale Mitchell, is looking to qualify next year for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010.