Impact president stayed busy protecting his two families
Gilmore recalls challenge of being housebound, then away with team for months, keeping spirits high
Everyone has a story to tell. My Pandemic Year is a series in which Montrealers from all walks of life talk to Brendan Kelly about how the COVID-19 pandemic radically changed their worlds in 2020.
For Montreal Impact president Kevin Gilmore, 2020 was all about making sure the people close to him were safe and healthy. That not only meant his wife and three kids, but everyone in the Impact organization.
“In our case, one of my kids has got an autoimmune disease, so for the first three months, we literally did not leave the house,” Gilmore said. “We didn't go for groceries. We'd get them delivered, just out of the sheer fear of it. Personally it's been difficult and professionally it's been tough.
“I've got two families. My personal family and my professional family. I've got four people I care for and protect at home and I've got, including the players, 150 here (at the Impact) who are part of our family. ... Protecting each other and making sure you get out of this stronger than when you came in.”
It was a roller-coaster of a year for the Impact, like it was for every other professional sports franchise in North America. It began with the MLS is Back tournament in the bubble at Disney World in Orlando. Then they played six games in Canada against Toronto and Vancouver, with three of those games happening at Saputo Stadium, the only three games at their home stadium the entire season.
When it became clear the government was not going to give clearance for U.S. teams to cross the border to play here, the Impact relocated to a “home” stadium in New Jersey for the remaining games.
“It's been difficult to manage expectations because you want to keep your team positive,” said Gilmore. “You want to keep your staff positive. When the preferred plan always falls to the wayside and you have to resort to Plan B or sometimes Plan C, it's difficult, because you're talking about human beings. In our case, we're gone for a month in Orlando. Came back and spent pretty well literally a month at home. Then we were in New Jersey for nearly two months, living in a hotel, playing our home games in a stadium in the U.S. Travelling to and from New Jersey for road games. And all the while trying to remain focused on earning that playoff spot. So it's been extremely difficult.
“I know you don't see that when the players come out on the field, but you just have to put yourself in their shoes. You can say they're professional athletes and they have a great job. And that's all true. But you know what? The sacrifices they've had to make — being away from their family for three months — to do what they do is ... I'm not sure many people could go through that and stay on top of their game and not have some difficulty mentally in dealing with this.
“Professional athletes are strong-willed, but that doesn't exempt them from mental fatigue.”
The Impact, like so many, took a big financial hit during the pandemic and owner Joey Saputo has previously been outspoken on the difficult financial position of the team even prior to COVID-19.
But Gilmore prefers to focus on the positive, noting how they've upped their presence online over the course of the year.
“Our engagement numbers are off the charts,” he said.
Then there was the drama on the field, with the Impact's season ending in heartbreaking fashion. They lost 2-1 to the New England Revolution with the winning goal coming with only seconds left in stoppage time. It was an Eastern Conference play-in game.
But Gilmore sees a silver lining. “I saw tremendous character. This is a sign of progress. (Montreal Impact sporting director) Olivier (Renard) came in just over a year ago and the idea there was from the top on down to forge an identity for this club, a philosophy behind what we do, a style of playing that will become part of our sporting culture. We never had one of those. Who we were changed from one coach to the next. So this was a step in that direction and I'm very proud of what the players and coaches and the sports staff accomplished.”
But it wasn't always easy. “The toughest part of this year was staying optimistic,” Gilmore said. “Not just for my sake but as the leader of this organization, you have to do that. You have to stay on plan. You can't use the pandemic ... to change that plan. You know if you do that, you'll bring others down with you. But I'm an optimistic guy by nature, so it was easier for me to maintain that.”
It was also hard to maintain that positive touch from a distance, with most working from home.
“I'm a hands-on person,” Gilmore said. “So I like to walk over and talk to my CFO and walk down to talk to someone in marketing about an idea that's popped into my head. I like encouraging people. I'm probably this organization's biggest cheerleader and it's hard to be a cheerleader when you're sitting at home. And it happened at a time when people probably needed it most.”