narduch Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) Edited February 29 by narduch NVsoccer, Watchmen, costarg and 10 others 12 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuckia Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 6 minutes ago, narduch said: Well, he is saying all the right things atleast. At this point, I'm just happy someone accepted the job. NVsoccer, Cheeta, Goal_Kick and 9 others 9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJsens1 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 His ability to raise funds is refreshing and needed Ottawafan, Canuckia, toontownman and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanSoccfan11 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 3 minutes ago, EJsens1 said: His ability to raise funds is refreshing and needed Yeah, if he can do that in his new role then that will be a big help. Dominic94, costarg and Borjans Sweatpants 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vasi Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 He is also speaking directly to the fans. I find that most impressive. He is also saying all the right things. Especially with unifying all stakeholders. Now only time will tell of things change! Ivan, costarg, Borjans Sweatpants and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InglewoodJack Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 He’s saying all the right things and his experience checks all the right boxes. Hard to be optimistic with a Canada soccer executive hire, but if we’re getting a new GS, this is what I’d hope their on paper resume would look like, so it’s a good start. Stanford has a massive sports program and the optimist in me says that he wouldn’t go from managing these huge budgets at a massive school to come and lead a backwater sports org on a shoestring budget with no ambition, so I do hope he walks the walk. gator, Borjans Sweatpants, Ivan and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtlMario Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I wonder if he was in the running in our last search and what spot he finished? I guess we'll never know but he sounds good and wish him (us) all the best and hopefully we do not feel blue at the end of his tenure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuckia Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 After reading some more about Kevin's past accomplishments, I'm feeling quite optimistic. Long road ahead but he looks like he could be the right person to fix this. Dominic94, johnyb, Goal_Kick and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Green Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Good that they got this taken care of quickly. Canuckia, EJsens1, Borjans Sweatpants and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceA Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 If the program starts winning again the V's better be singing "I'm BLUE DA BA DEE DA BA DI" at every game. narduch, Metro, chalms04 and 6 others 5 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympique_de_Marseille Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 4 minutes ago, VinceA said: If the program starts winning again the V's better be singing "I'm BLUE DA BA DEE DA BA DI" at every game. narduch, Kadenge and to70 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympique_de_Marseille Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Whenever fans are trying to figure out what the CSA's plans are: narduch, Canuckia and MtlMario 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerkick Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I am cautiously optimistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceA Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Canuckia, Olympique_de_Marseille, toontownman and 3 others 3 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chalms04 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 33 minutes ago, MtlMario said: I wonder if he was in the running in our last search and what spot he finished? His hiring actually came out of the blue. BearcatSA, Cheeta, Vasi and 10 others 3 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Borjans Sweatpants, masster, Goal_Kick and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic94 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 He’s a heavy hitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Kevin Blue ushers in new era of leadership at Canada Soccer Former Stanford, University of California-Davis, and Golf Canada executive appointed as new General Secretary and CE canadasoccer.com February 29, 2024 Canada Soccer announced today that Kevin Blue has been named its new General Secretary and CEO, bringing with him a range of successful experience in commercial, sport, and chief executive roles. Blue joins Canada Soccer after serving as Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer since 2021, where he oversaw a range of functions for the NSO and helped to drive over $20M in new financial support for the national teams and grass roots programming. Previously, Blue was a leading college sports executive in the United States, where he held the role of Athletics Director at the University of California, Davis. Blue was the youngest AD in Division I at the time of his hire – age 33 – and led a successful cultural and financial turnaround of the Division I school over the next five years. UC Davis experienced record fundraising and revenue-generating totals along with best-ever competitive performances in several sports. Blue’s tenure was highlighted by the fundraising and construction of a new $52M sports performance and medical center. Kevin also emerged as a widely read national thought leader on issues related to the financial structure of US college sports. His essay “Rising Expenses in College Sports and the Non-Profit Paradox” appeared as expert testimony in a US Senate hearing about college sports finance. Prior to UC Davis, Kevin worked in progressively senior commercial roles and eventually led the commercial functions of Stanford’s $120M athletics department. Revenue grew sharply during his seven years at Stanford and the Cardinal football team made three Rose Bowl appearances in a four year stretch. The Stanford soccer teams produced international stars such as Christen Press, Kelly O’Hara, and Jordan Morris. “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.” said Charmaine Crooks, Canada Soccer President. Blue holds a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University where he was captain of the golf team. Kevin was named one of Canada’s “Five to Watch” in sports business for 2023. Kevin and his wife Betsy have four children – Jalen, Baron, Brooklyn, and Maya – and live in Mississauga, Ontario. Blue will officially begin in his new role on March 14, 2024. Career Highlights: Stanford University — oversaw the commercial areas of the NCAA’s most successful athletics department. University of California, Davis — became the youngest Athletics Director in Division-I at the time of his hire. Drove a cultural and financial turnaround at the Division-I school and emerged as a national thought leader on college sports finance. Golf Canada — served as the Chief Sport Officer where he made a significant impact programmatically while helping to drive over $20 million in new financial support for the national teams and grassroots programming. Sports Executive Leadership — named one of Canada’s “Five to Watch” in 2023 and has authored several internationally-recognized white papers on the Business of Sports and Non-Profit Athletics. lowlander, cronaldo7 and Ivan 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 gator, Borjans Sweatpants and Ivan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
to70 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 He has to an upgrade from Earl Cochrane. Good to see fresh face in the organization. Hope that he'll be able to change the culture in the CSA. Kadenge and El Hombre 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Kevin Blue — Letter to Canada Soccer Family canadasoccer.com February 29, 2024 Canada Soccer General Secretary Kevin Blue Hello Canada Soccer Family: My name is Kevin Blue, and I’m honoured to be serving you as Canada Soccer’s new CEO and General Secretary. Look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the weeks and months ahead. As you all know, there are a number of opportunities for soccer in Canada on the horizon — both on the pitch and for the general trajectory of Canada in global football. There are also several challenges to be addressed that will require urgent and skillful work. To that end, today I can make the following three commitments: As a newcomer to the soccer community in Canada, I will work diligently to earn your trust. I will do this by listening to you and learning from you, by seeking out excellent people with world-class football technical expertise, and by communicating with you regularly in a straightforward and transparent fashion. At Canada Soccer, we will look in the mirror and make the reforms necessary to get our house in order. Our federation will be governed and will operate with the exemplary professionalism required to address current challenges and leverage upcoming opportunities for soccer in our country. We will work with determination to unite all stakeholders behind the common objective of making sure soccer in Canada is successful and growing — from grassroots up through the National Teams. This work includes collaborating across stakeholders to build a stronger commercial and philanthropic structure to support our sport nationally. The work ahead is substantial and we will resolutely focus on making progress, one day at a time. Rebuilding trust in Canada Soccer and ensuring that the association is healthy — competitively, financially, and operationally — is critical if Canada is to take advantage of its upcoming opportunities domestically and on the world’s biggest stages. And broadly, as a soccer community from coast-to-coast-to-coast, our success in the next few years is pivotal if we are to solidify the importance of our sport in the overall Canadian economic, cultural, and sporting landscape. Our Women’s National Team have long been trailblazers for gender equity in Canadian sport and will defend Olympic gold in a few months. And our Men’s National Team will compete at home in the world’s largest-ever sporting event when the men’s FIFA World Cup comes to Canada, USA, and Mexico in 2026. We have an opportunity and a tremendous responsibility to be both stewards of soccer and leaders in Canadian sport during such an important time. There are 146 days until the Olympic Games and 833 days until the World Cup, and many other important milestones along the way. We have urgent work to do — and everyone who shares the passion of our game needs to come together as partners. I look forward to speaking and meeting with many of you as I get started. In the meantime, please feel free to send me an email at ceo@canadasoccer.com. I look forward to learning from your perspectives and will do my best to reply. All the best, Kevin cornerkick, johnyb, chalms04 and 10 others 10 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kadenge Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I wish him all the best. We desperately need Kevin to succeed and right the ship. He has a lot on his plate. Ivan, Borjans Sweatpants, johnyb and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe MacCarthy Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Not sure how much it matters, but as I have been gathering information, I find he is 40-41 years old (33 in 2016). He looks young, I guess that is why I was wondering. Borjans Sweatpants 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Canuckia and MtlMario 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red card Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) Looks like his first love was golf. Blue played in provincial and national competitions and spent time with Golf Canada’s national junior team. He repped Canada at the 2001 Junior Golf World Cup in Japan. He attended Stanford on a golf scholarship, where he was a captain on the golf team, and an NCAA Academic All-American. Golf Canada generated $57m in revenues in 2022 which was about $10m more than Canada Soccer produced. About 75% of it came from the men and women Canadian Open. Like Canada Soccer, expenses largely offset revenues with only $139k in earnings. They have close to 30 sponsors which is about 2x more than Canada Soccer. These include some that could be transposed to Canada Soccer like Score Bet, Hilton (also a Concacaf sponsor) & Sleeman. Edited February 29 by red card Borjans Sweatpants, toontownman, jdheid and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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