May 8th Edition

Crooks remains President + Project 8 membership confirmed

Crooks remains President + Project 8 membership confirmed

One of these days, you’ll wake up on a Monday morning, open up this newsletter, and not have to read about politics. Unfortunately, today is not that day.

We have Canada Soccer elections to talk about, plus some actual, genuine, good news to come out of all of this, and a round-up of the biggest stories in the week that was.

Let’s get into it!

CREDIT: David Lipnowski / Canada Soccer

The Canada Soccer Annual General Meeting came and went over the weekend and Charmaine Crooks remains President of the governing body for at least another year.

Crooks becomes the first woman and the first person of colour to lead the organization in the 111-year history of Canadian soccer. She had been serving as interim president since Nick Bontis resigned back in February.

However, the historic moment is—like everything associated with the federation right now—marred in controversy. All kinds of allegations surfaced in the days before Crooks was elected, which pointed towards some pretty questionable campaigning.

The more impactful election will come in a year’s time, when the President elected will serve a full four-year term. The voting structure around that election looks set to change, as Canada Soccer will meet before November of 2023 to decide a more equitable allocation of votes. There has been no public confirmation of any further electoral reform, as right now only current Canada Soccer board members can run for the Presidency.

Crooks’ first major test as president? She is set to make her debut on everyone’s favourite Canadian soccer episodic soap opera ‘The Heritage Committee’ on Thursday.

Considering we have yet to hear Crooks speak publicly since the took over as Canada Soccer president, it will be intriguing to hear her positions on various topics surrounding the sport in this country. That is, if any politicians have done enough actual research this time to ask meaningful questions.

CREDIT: PROJECT 8

Canada Soccer approves Project 8’s membership

There was some universally positive news to come out of this weekend as well, with Canada Soccer announcing that Diana Matheson’s Project 8 has been confirmed as a League in membership.

This is an important step for the national women’s soccer league, clearing a path for the league’s planned launch in 2025.

Three clubs have already been confirmed, with A.F.C Toronto City joining Calgary Foothills and the Vancouver Whitecaps last month. More will soon be on the way, as the league is looking to launch in eight markets to kick its inaugural season.

Other news this week

SOURCE: LEAGUE1 CANADA

🏆 Alphonso Davies wins Concacaf Men’s Player of the Year Award for the second straight year, and we have a feeling that it won't be his last.

🇨🇦 After finishing first in their group with a goal differential of 39 (no that is not a typo), it’s safe to say that Canada’s U-20 Women’s squad went through qualifiers with a message: they’re gunning for gold. In this week’s draw, Canada drew USA, Jamaica and Panama.

🏟️ Canadian MLS teams had strong home showings this week, except for TFC. CF Montréal hosted Orlando, with the home side picking up all three points in a 2-0 win. Meanwhile, nothing good happened in the six, with TFC losing 0-2 to the first placed Revolution. Out west, the Whitecaps defeated Minnesota United 3-2 at BC Place in an unfortunate result for Dayne St. Clair.

🩼 With Janine Beckie out for the Women’s World Cup, many have started to notice a troubling trend in women’s football; the prevalence of ACL injuries. Shireen Ahmed raises important facts in her latest piece.

🦅 Vancouver FC played to a 1-1 draw in their first-ever home match despite a controversial early red card to Rocco Romeo at their brand new stadium in Langley, BC. There were sweet tifos, plenty of exciting moments and a few game-saving stops from captain and local boy Callum Irving. The match also saw the debut of the youngest player in CPL history TJ Tahid, who just turned 16.

💜 Atletico Ottawa debuted their “Making It To Safety” third kit this weekend in a 1-4 loss to Pacific. The design features drawings from children to made it to safety in an Ottawa-area shelter, and is dedicated to the survivors of intimate partner violence. Created in partnership with Shelter Movers Ottawa, $10 from each kit sold will be donated to the organization.

1️⃣ League 1 BC made history with Amber Wells as the first Indigenous player to score for an Indigenous-owned and operated semi-pro club. Here’s the moment in history.

🍁 It was another great weekend for Canadian women abroad as Jessie Fleming, Jordyn Huitema, Vanessa Gilles and several others bagged goals (and wins) for their clubs. In addition, Jayde Riviere made her long-awaited debut for United, and Cloé Lacasse helped Benfica win their third-straight Portugese women’s league title.

🌅 Vancouver’s best pickup soccer community Sunset Beach FC is back for the season. Clear your monday evening schedule because you won’t want to miss these immaculate vibes.

CREDIT: SUNSET BEACH FC

Northern Picks

Gems from at home and across the pond.
This week’s picks come from Tagwa Moyo (@shuttersworth)

📚 What to read

Ringleaders Football Club founder Angelo Destounis (featured in DARBY Issue 2) shared an in-depth conversation with Ethan Gould for Football Saved My Life.

📺 What to watch

Our friends at FC Cold Sand travelled to Florida earlier this year for a tournament and kicked things off with a classic crossbar challenge.

🎧 What to listen to

We need to talk about ACL Injuries. The team at VERSUS discuss ACL injuries in women’s football in Ep. 17 of their podcast The Future of Football.

✅ Who to follow

Football Case Study is a platform created by STADE that uses photography to research and document the diverse cultures of football from around the world. Definitely worth a follow.