Soccer-Canada turns Blue in attempt to stabilise soccer

As stimulating as that might be, the job is sure to also come with headaches as Blue works to bring stability and labour peace to an organisation that has spent the last few years in turmoil. "When you look at sport right now in Canada there is a unique combination of significant challenges and significant opportunities," Blue told Reuters in an interview on Zoom.

What attracted Kevin Blue to the job as general secretary and CEO of Canada Soccer was what he described as a "stimulating" mix of opportunities and challenges.

The big opportunities are certainly there with Canada set to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico but the challenges are many and bigger with Blue left to clean up the mess left behind by his predecessors. As stimulating as that might be, the job is sure to also come with headaches as Blue works to bring stability and labour peace to an organisation that has spent the last few years in turmoil.

"When you look at sport right now in Canada there is a unique combination of significant challenges and significant opportunities," Blue told Reuters in an interview on Zoom. "My hope is that I can make an impact to help Canada Soccer take advantage of its opportunities and overcome the challenges. "That combination of opportunity and challenges is frankly very stimulating."

Ham-handed labour negotiations by the previous administration sees Blue arrive at his post with both the men's and women's national teams still without deals finalised. Another fire that will have to be quickly extinguished is the mounting outrage over Canada Soccer's 10-year agreement with Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), which holds broadcasting and sponsorship rights for the national teams, that pays the governing body a reported Canadian $3 million to $4 million a year.

How badly perceived is that deal? So bad that the Canadian women's team has filed a $40-million lawsuit against 15 current and former board members of Canada Soccer alleging negligence.

"The vast majority of people that are following football in our country care about the football," said Blue. "I need to lead stakeholders to a point where there are fewer stories about off pitch items and more about the competition." NEW REVENUE STREAMS

With a men's World Cup on the horizon, tapping into new revenue streams is a priority for cash-strapped Canada Soccer and Blue brings a proven track record of sniffing out money. He comes to the job via the United States college system where he spent several years as athletics director at the University of California, Davis and leader of commercial functions for Stanford University's athletics department.

Before that he served as the Chief Sport Officer at Golf Canada where he helped drive over $20 million in new financial support. "Optimising current revenue streams and growing new ones is certainly an important task ahead of us all," said Blue. "What is clear is that all stake-holders benefit from a more robust commercial and philanthropic model and structure to support the growth of our sport.

"There are many stake-holders and we need to build a model that is going to work for everyone." Bringing transparency to an organisation that has been accused of being opaque is another top item on Blue's to-do list.

Understanding the public relations fumbles of the past, Canada Soccer is making an effort to get their new hire out front. However, Blue, beyond big picture views, was unable to shed light on major issues and possible solutions, including the possibility of structural and staffing changes.

The fresh-faced 41-year-old father of four conceded his limited soccer background would not make him a threat to win a pub quiz. But what he lacks in soccer acuity Blue insists he more than makes up for with eagerness and a business skill set that is necessary for any sport to thrive in today's cut-throat marketplace.

"I come to the table without extensive background in Canadian soccer and I understand the limitations of that," said Blue. "But I'm eager to earn the trust of folks who have spent their entire lives in the sport. "On the other hand the perspectives and potentially some of the new skills I bring to the table are pretty important right now."