Canada Soccer hosts virtual Annual Meeting of the Members

Canada Soccer hosted a virtual Annual Meeting of the Members on 21 November after postponing its planned May 2020 event in Winnipeg, MB due to restrictions related to COVID-19. As part of the proceedings, Canada Soccer Members elected Dr. Nick Bontis as the 35th Canada Soccer President. Canada Soccer also rolled out its Foundation For the Future Annual Report 2019 celebrating more than a decade of success as the organization gets set to host the FIFA World Cup 2026™.

Board of Directors elections also saw Don Story re-elected as Director, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Paul Martin as Director, Ontario. Bob Richardson and Kelly Brown were also named Independent Directors. The President will serve a four-year term, while Directors will each serve three-year terms. 

In addition, Canadian Premier League club Atletico Ottawa was formally admitted into membership as the league’s eighth club and Canada Soccer’s 11th Professional Club Member. 

Dr. Bontis was appointed as Canada Soccer Vice-President in 2017 when outgoing President Steven Reed was elected to serve the remaining three years of Concacaf President Victor Montagliani’s term. He was elected as Vice-President in 2018 in Yellowknife, NWT.  

Dr. Bontis’ soccer career spans over 45 years starting as a youth player in Scarborough, ON. He went on to compete at five National Championships and earned provincial and national all-star recognition at the USports level. He is a nationally licensed coach and recent inductee into the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame.

A Canada Soccer Director since 2012, Dr. Bontis has led two cycles of Canada Soccer’s Strategic Planning process, developing the Leading Soccer Nation 2014-2018 and Canada Soccer Nation 2019-2021 documents as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. 

An internationally renowned public speaker, Bontis is a tenured professor at McMaster University where he serves as the Chair, Strategic Management at the DeGroote School of Business. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Ivey Business School at Western University. 

Don Story is a professor and governance consultant that has served on the Canada Soccer Board of Directors since 2011. Story has been a member of the Canada Soccer Governance Committee since 2011 and Chair since 2012. Story also serves as acting Chair of the Concacaf Governance committee where he has served since 2017.

Paul Martin is a creative and management professional who is currently a Canada Soccer A Licence candidate, long-time coach and learning facilitator in Ontario. He is the Head Coach at Canada Soccer National Youth Club Licence holder Pickering Football Club’s OPDL men’s program. Martin is also the founding President and Chair of Black Coaches Canada.

Bob Richardson is a public affairs professional with vast experience at the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government. Richardson has served on the Canada Soccer Board of Directors since 2013. Richardson currently serves as a member of Canada Soccer’s Audit and Finance Committee.

Kelly Brown is a lawyer and corporate secretary with professional experience in corporate affairs, mergers and acquisitions. A former soccer player herself, Brown brings to Canada Soccer extensive board experience. 

Atletico Ottawa becomes the eleventh Professional Club Member of Canada Soccer.  The first expansion team into the Canadian Premier League, Atletico Ottawa joins MLS teams Vancouver Whitecaps, Montréal Impact, and Toronto FC along with fellow CPL teams  FC Edmonton, Forge FC, Valour FC, HFX Wanderers, York9 FC, Cavalry FC, and Pacific FC, as a Professional Club Member.

At the conclusion of the virtual meeting, it was announced that Canada Soccer will host its 2021 Annual Meeting of the Members in Saint John, New Brunswick on 1 May, 2021.