Canada Soccer Faces Overhaul: Independent Review Calls for Major Reforms

An independent review has called for substantial changes in the governance of Canada Soccer, including modernizing its bylaws, revising its board structure, enhancing communication and transparency, and increasing athlete involvement.

This review was requested in May 2023 by Pascale St-Onge, the then Minister of Sport, and was conducted by LBB Strategies, a sports consulting firm led by sports lawyer Benoit Girardin.

The 48-page report concluded that Canada Soccer "is, in general, meeting many standards and principles of good governance, even leading in some respects."

"With that being said, we also found significant gaps in [Canada Soccer's] governance's structure and culture that will require courage, innovation, openness, and willingness for change," the report added.

The report identifies the "modernization of the membership voting structure" as the "critical and most urgent issue," requiring innovation, trust, openness, and simplification.

The existing board and new CEO, Kevin Blue, have made significant efforts in 2024 to modernize the organization's governance.

Canada Soccer has committed to examining the report's recommendations and determining the next steps in consultation with CONCACAF and FIFA.

Conducted between September 2023 and April 2024, the review involved more than 40 individual and eight group interviews with Canada Soccer and 20 supplementary questionnaires.

The report does not address issues such as Canada Soccer's controversial agreement with Canada Soccer Business or the current labour dispute with its national teams.

A key recommendation is to modernize the membership voting structure by eliminating or reducing the power imbalance among members, resulting in better engagement of all Canada Soccer members.

Regarding the Canada Soccer board, the report recommends reducing its size from the current 14 members.

While a larger board allows for "more diversity and a variety of skills and competencies," it can also lead to "possible issues such as the board's effectiveness in decision-making, and directors' engagement."

The report suggests a "smaller and more independent" board composed of nine or 11 directors.

It strongly recommends that the directors appoint the role of president once they are elected by the members, to avoid political interference and ensure the election of a leader with the necessary skills and governance acumen.

The report acknowledges a "good mix of diverse skills, experience, and competencies" on the current board but notes that some stakeholders felt the board lacked business acumen, experience, and education in good governance, financial oversight, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), and soccer/football acumen.

The review disagreed with this perception, asserting that these competencies are present on the board, but agreed that directors should be better educated and trained in good governance and FIFA statutes.

The report also recommends stricter term limits for board members. Currently, a director's term is three years, with a maximum of three terms, while the president and vice president are limited to two terms of four years.

The review suggests that a total of 25 years on the board, including terms as vice president and president, is too long compared to modern governance practices.

Furthermore, the review recommends that the board should not be involved in the hiring or selecting national team coaches, deeming it "contrary to good governance practices and principles."

This responsibility should fall to the general secretary/CEO.

Canada Soccer is also urged to involve athletes in committees or task forces when appropriate to ensure their voices are heard and to improve transparency and communication.

The lack of public minutes, updates, or reports on the Canada Soccer website, along with uncertainty surrounding the general secretary transition and issues with the CSB and national teams' CBAs, has contributed to some mistrust of Canada Soccer's overall leadership.

The report concludes by commending Canada Soccer for its "courage in conducting this independent review and making it public," and calls for decisive action to transform Canada Soccer into a "more engaged, modern, and progressive organization."