CPL Releases Update In Hunt For New Commissioner

Both the Canadian Premier League and Canada Soccer Business have jointly announced an update regarding the search for a new league commissioner.

The CPL and SCB have confirmed that his replacement will enter a new hybrid leadership role that comes as a combination of both the CPL Commissioner and the Canada Soccer Business CEO.

Canada’s top flight domestic professional league has had a vacant commissioner’s chair for nearly a month following the departure of David Clanachan, who recently stepped down on his own accord after three seasons at the helm.

The league has also formed an executive committee from some of its member clubs, with Scott Mitchell transitioning from his role as the CSB CEO into a chairman role. This executive group also also includes Dean Shillington (Pacific FC chairman and SixFive Sports and Entertainment co-founder), Ian Allison (Cavalry FC President and COO), and Derek Martin (Halifax Wanderers President and Founder).

The executive committee has enlisted Scott Moore to help fill the vacant hybrid role, with the league describing him as a leading sports and media executive in Canada. He’s consulted with CSB previously and has worked alongside commissioners and league executives around the globe.

Beyond Scott Moore’s wealth of experience and success in the business of sport, Scott has spent the last 18 months consulting with CSB and has intimate and unique knowledge into the project and what kind of leader we need to take this to the next level. This is an exciting and historic time for soccer in Canada, and we believe the consolidation of the CPL and CSB roles will prove to be incredibly alluring and lead to a very successful search for the ideal candidate.

Scott Mitchell

Moore will be aided by an official search committee in his search for Clanachan’s successor, with Scott Mitchell (Chairman), Josh Simpson (Pacific FC President), Fernando Lopez (Atletico Ottawa CEO), and Wade Miller (Valour FC CEO) comprising the group.

That means between the executive and search committees, only York United and FC Edmonton do not have official representation – though the latter currently finds itself league-run and actively searching for new ownership.

Clanachan had been named the league’s inaugural commissioner ahead of its first season in 2019, with the former Tim Hortons chairman helping the burgeoning professional top flight division through its first three seasons. He stepped down on January 10 whilst announcing he had secured exclusive rights to an expansion team in the Windsor – Essex County area.

With the 2022 Canadian Premier League season set to kick off on April 7, it remains to be seen whether the new CPL Commissioner / CSB CEO hybrid role will be filled before the league’s fourth season kicks off. With the league announcing that it will begin talks with PFA Canada this year whilst three expansion teams are all still awaiting stadium approvals, it could be quite a busy year for the new hire.