Alyson Walker, whose resume includes stints at Bell Media, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, has been named general secretary of Canada Soccer.
Walker, who is scheduled to take office on Jan. 22, is the first woman to hold the top job in Canadian soccer's governing body.
According to Canada Soccer, more than 200 candidates were identified during Korn Ferry's four-month search process. Former national team captain Jason deVos, who was previously Canada Soccer's director of development, has held the general secretary position on an interim basis since Earl Cochrane resigned at the end of April.
Walker takes over an organization that has seen little positive press recently, is embroiled in a lengthy labor dispute with its players and is facing financial constraints. And with Canada co-hosting the FIFA Men's World Cup in 2026, the players face major challenges on and off the field.
But Canada Soccer has made good on its promise to fill the general secretary position by the end of the year.
“Alyson brings extensive business experience to her new role and we are confident she can lead us forward,” Canada Soccer president Charmaine Crooks said in a statement Friday. “This important step signals a new direction for our organization as we unite our members and continue to work toward the 2024 Paris Olympics and a home FIFA World Cup in 2026.”
Crooks thanked deVos for filling the gap and said, “We look forward to his continued contributions.”
Walker's hiring now paves the way for Canada Soccer to find a permanent coach for the men's national team. Mauro Biello has served as interim coach since John Herdman resigned in August to take over Major League Soccer club Toronto FC.
Walker has an extensive marketing background.
She had two stints at Bell Media, including as vice president of brand partnerships and customer strategy from 2016 to 2019. Before that, she spent 20 months at MLSE as vice president of content and nearly four years as the Canadian Olympic Committee's executive director of marketing partnerships and licensing.
Most recently, she served as Chief Commercial Officer at OverActive Media, a Toronto-based esports organization.
Walker, who played collegiate soccer for the McGill Martlets, is a founding board member of WISE Toronto (Women in Sports and Events) and an advisor/mentor at The Future of Sport Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Change and controversy have been the biggest constant in Canada Soccer lately.
Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis resigned from his elected position in late February, acknowledging that changes were needed to achieve labor peace. Crooks, a former Olympic track and field star, took over as acting president and was subsequently elected to the office.
Cochrane came and went after taking over the general secretary position permanently in July 2022 following an “extensive global recruitment process,” while Canada Soccer remained with the company to find a successor to general secretary Peter Montopoli.
Cochrane, who has held various roles at the governing body over two terms since 2001, was given the role of general secretary on an interim basis in January 2022 after Montopoli resigned to become chief operating officer of Canada's 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Montopoli took over as general secretary in April 2008 after serving for two years as national events director for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
Walker has yet to end the protracted industrial dispute, which has seen both the men's and women's teams resort to industrial action and the organization come under fire in the House of Commons Heritage Committee.
The 48th-ranked men boycotted a planned friendly match against Panama in Vancouver in June 2022. And the women's team briefly rebounded at the SheBelieves Cup earlier this year before being forced back onto the field by the threat of legal action from Canada Soccer.
The 10th-ranked women, who founded the Canadian Soccer Players' Association in 2016, have not had an employment contract since the last one expired at the end of 2021. They have reached an agreement in principle with Canada Soccer on compensation for 2022 and have reached an interim contract for the 2023 World Cup, but are essentially waiting for the men to agree, as the two contracts are linked by equal pay.
The men, who organized as the Canadian Men's National Soccer Team Players Association in the summer of 2022, are working on their first formal employment contract.
Canada Soccer, which has been struggling with financial difficulties of late, has entered into a long-term agreement with Canadian Soccer Business, which essentially markets its products on and off the field through broadcast and sponsorship deals.
Canada Soccer is currently believed to be receiving $4 million per year under the deal as it is the “beneficiary of a rights fee guarantee.” It is attempting to renegotiate the agreement, which includes an additional payout of $500,000 a year ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting
Canada Soccer cited financial problems as one of the reasons the Canadian men did not compete in September's international matches and only played once in October, when they were outclassed 4-1 by Japan in Niigata.
The men fell to No. 55 Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals in November, losing the home-and-away series on away goals. Qualifying for the Copa America therefore required a playoff in March against No. 96 Trinidad and Tobago, seen as a much-needed opportunity to face elite opponents such as world champions Argentina next summer.
Canada also disappointed at this year's Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, failing to advance past the group stage. But the reigning Olympic champion recovered by defeating the No. 40
Jamaica will take part in a two-part qualifier in September to qualify for next summer's Paris Games.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2023.
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