Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) issues statement responding to CanWNT strike

Toronto, ON – (February 13, 2023) – At Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), we are passionate about growing soccer in this country at all levels, from the grassroots to the National Teams. Our goal since inception has been to work with all stakeholders in the game to help make soccer Canada’s most popular sport.  In pursuit of this goal, we have invested close to $100 million dollars in the development of the game and will continue to do so. Our group of partners includes former Canadian Men’s National Team players Rob Friend and Josh Simpson, who are giving back to the game and country that provided the platform for their success. No investor in CSB has ever taken a distribution.

While CSB has never been a party to labour negotiations between Canada Soccer’s and its Women’s and Men’s National Team Players’ Associations, several times over the past year, and as recently as last month, we have proactively communicated to Canada Soccer leadership that we are willing to provide incremental resources to Canada Soccer to help further its mission. A central element of this outreach is ensuring any incremental funding provided by CSB is directed toward programming that can make a meaningful impact now and in future, such as a fitting send-off series for the Canadian Women’s National Team on Canadian soil ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, additional training resources, and continued commitment to improving youth programming. Those discussions are ongoing.

The Women’s National Team deserves the resources it needs to be successful in the lead up to the Women’s World Cup and beyond. We are ready, willing, and able to partner with all stakeholders to play our part to make that happen.