Kevin Blue takes over Canada Soccer’s top job
Canada Soccer has turned to the world of golf to find its new general secretary and CEO.
Kevin Blue comes from Golf Canada, where he has served as chief sport officer since December 2020.
Previously, Blue was athletics director at the University of California, Davis, a job he started in May 2016 when he was just 33. Before that, he was senior associate director of athletics at Stanford University, his alma mater. At UC Davis, Blue oversaw a $42-million athletic department featuring 25 collegiate teams. Canada Soccer’s revenue for 2022 was $47.6 million, which was up $14.2 million over the previous year due to a jump in FIFA and CONCACAF grants with the 2026 World Cup looming.
Blue is scheduled to take up his new position on March 14.
“In Kevin, we have a transformational and results-oriented leader on our team to help guide us towards a more positive future for soccer in Canada and to capture the incredible opportunities ahead,” Canada Soccer president Charmaine Crooks said in a statement.
In a video released by Canada Soccer, Blue acknowledged he was a “newcomer” to the Canadian soccer community and promised to “work diligently to earn your trust.”
He also said Canada Soccer will “look in the mirror and make the reforms necessary to be able to govern and operate our federation with the exemplary professionalism that is necessary for us to take advantage of upcoming opportunities and to solve some of our challenges that we have going on.”
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he added.
Born in Montreal, Blue was raised in Toronto. The father of four, who lives in Mississauga, holds a B.A. in psychology from Stanford, where he was captain of the golf team and an academic all-American, and a PhD in sport psychology from Michigan State University.
Alyson Walker, whose resume includes stints with Bell Media, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, was named general secretary in late December. But she stepped down Jan. 22, her previously announced start date, due to an “unforeseen personal matter.”
The general secretary vacancy has impacted Canada Soccer’s search for a permanent coach for the men’s national team. Canada Soccer announced last year that the coaching hire would follow the general secretary’s appointment. Mauro Biello has served as interim coach since John Herdman resigned in August to take over Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Biello will be in charge in March when the Canadian men take on Trinidad and Tobago in Frisco, Texas, in a high-stakes playoff with a berth in this summer’s Copa America on the line.
The new general secretary inherits a lengthy labour battle that has seen both the men’s and women’s teams resort to job action and Canada Soccer coming under fire at the House of Common’s Heritage Committee. At issue is Canada Soccer’s controversial long-term agreement with Canadian Soccer Business which holds its marketing and broadcast rights. Cashstrapped Canada Soccer is believed to be receiving $4 million a year under the deal as “the beneficiary of a rights fee guarantee.” It is attempting to renegotiate the agreement, which includes an additional $500,000 to be paid out per year ahead of the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup, which Canada is cohosting