SoccerGovernance of Canadian soccer about to change

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Change is coming. 

 

The Canadian Soccer Association held its annual general meeting this weekend in Winnipeg, and top of the agenda was a proposal to change the governance structure of the CSA. 

 

So what exactly is governance? 

 

Governance is defined as the processes and structures whereby an organization (in this case the CSA) makes decisions about its future in an effective, accountable and transparent manner. 

 

An effective governance structure clarifies organizational roles, ensures that the Board is diversified and enables the Board to govern in the greater interests of the organization while remaining accountable to the membership. 

 

Change is coming

 

The CSA's Constitution Committee (more on them in a minute) spent the past year putting together a unique governance structure for Canadian soccer. The Committee recommended the following Board structure: 

 

• Elected President
• Six (6) elected Directors, one from each of the six regions of Canada: BC/YT, AB/NT, MAN/SK, ON, QC, Atlantic
• Six (6) appointed Directors, who bring additional skill-sets, experience and capabilities necessary to deal with the challenges and opportunities of today's soccer environment.
• No Director will be a member of a Provincial/Territorial Board, in order to prevent a conflict of loyalty.
• A minimum of three qualified Directors of each gender.

A motion to accept this proposal was put forward, seconded and then confirmed by a majority of delegates voting at the annual general meeting.

 

This new structure will allow the CSA to attract outside business expertise to the Board in the form of the six appointed Directors. Central to this is the creation of a Nominations Committee, whose job it will be to recruit the best candidates from around the country to serve on the Board as appointed Directors.  

 

The Nominations Committee will adhere to specific guidelines in the recruiting process so that they can identify people whose profile and professional expertise bring credibility and respect to the Board and the Association. 

 

This will allow for business leaders, CEOs of major corporations and individuals with professional experience in the game to be appointed to the Board, something that has not - until now - been possible. 

 

Avoiding conflict of interest

 

The mandate that no Director be a member of a Provincial or Territorial Board is equally as important, as it will eliminate the conflict of interest that is hindering our present structure. 

 

Despite his or her best intentions, no Provincial Board member can serve on the CSA Board of Directors without a conflict of loyalty. They will always have the interests of their own province at heart, making it impossible to set effective policy and procedure for the country as a whole. 

 

The new governance structure also provides a clear separation between management (the Board) and operations (the staff).  

 

The Board will be responsible for the approval of policies, plans and budgets, while the staff will be responsible for the delivery of programs, services and operations.  

 

The new structure allows the CSA's General Secretary (Peter Montopoli) to implement the CSA's strategic plan, to deliver programs and services across the country and to oversee the Operational Committees that are currently in place. 

 

Those Committees, along with the Technical and Administrative staff, report to the General Secretary, who in turn reports to the Board of Directors.  

 

No longer will critics be able to blame the CSA for everything that is wrong with Canadian soccer; there will be a clear, concise structure in place that will not only hold staff and Board members accountable, it will empower those individuals to work together for the betterment of the game in Canada. 

 

It may surprise you to learn that this was the first annual general meeting that I have attended. To say that it was an eye-opening experience would be an understatement of vast proportions. 

 

Wasn't unanimous

 

You would think that any reasonable, intelligent person would welcome the proposed governance change with open arms. While the fine details still need to be worked through, it is clearly an improvement on the ineffective, conflict-ridden structure that is currently in place. 

 

You would think that the motion would have passed unanimously, wouldn't you? 

 

You would be wrong. 

 

There were individuals and provincial representatives who voted against this motion, preferring instead to cling to the status quo, desperately trying to retain their positions of power. 

 

Their political manoeuvring was indiscreet; it was in your face, out in the open for all to see - and everyone in attendance knew it. 

 

Despite their best efforts to derail the reform process they were outnumbered, and those in favour of change - those in favour of moving the Association forward as a unified body - saw the motion passed.  

 

The new Board structure will not be in place overnight, though, as the bylaws need to be changed before the next annual general meeting in May 2011, when the seven elected Directors will then be decided. 

 

The appointed Directors will be phased in over a structured timeframe, ensuring that there is always a smooth transition, as new Directors replace those whose terms expire.

 

Commitment to soccer 

 

When I first wrote about the possibility of governance reform, I knew very little about the members of the Constitution Committee, whose job it was to create a unique governance structure that takes into account the opportunities and challenges that we face in Canada. 

 

This weekend, I got a chance to meet those members: Ryan Fequet, Gerald MacDonald, Rob Newman, Les Sinnott, Don Story and Dan Tomlinson. 

 

I can't speak highly enough about the work they have done. 

 

They have committed hundreds of hours over the last year to put this governance framework in place. None of them are CSA staff, and none of them receive any compensation for their work. Yet the motion that was passed this weekend was the culmination of their hard work, and for that they deserve praise. 

 

I had the chance to speak at length with Don Story, and I found our conversation enlightening.  

 

He is an Associate Professor of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, and his expertise in his field was vital to achieving this governance reform. He is quick to deflect praise for his efforts, though, instead focusing on the contributions of his team.  

 

He is an educator, and he has the patient, dedicated approach of someone who is passionate about what he does. That every member of the Constitution Committee speaks intelligently about governance reform is as much a credit to his teaching ability as it is to the Committee members' dedication and perseverance.  

 

Our conversation drifted, as most of my conversations eventually do, to football. The concept of building a successful team on the field can just as easily be applied to building a successful team in the boardroom. 

 

There needs to be a clear, concise framework established so that the members of the team know exactly what their responsibilities are. There is no room for politics in a team, because only when you put the needs of the team before your own will you truly achieve success as a group. 

 

This weekend was a watershed moment for the CSA. They took their first steps towards building a team whose singular goal is the betterment of soccer in Canada.  

 

Change is not just coming. Change is here.

 

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