May 23 – Departing Football Australia CEO James Johnson is changing country and continent to take on the role of CEO at Canadian Soccer Business (CSB), the independent sports rights agency that handles all commercial and media rights to Canada’s men’s and women’s national team as well as the Canadian Premier League.
Johnson takes over from Mark Noonan who was announced as leaving the organisation last week.
The move sees Johnson swap an institutional federation role in Australia for a commercial one in Canada. Johnson has worked at FIFA in the past but has also worked in the private sector at City Football Group.
At Football Australia Johnson led the successful bid to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup and led the delivery of the tournament that was expanded to 32 teams for the first time. While pulling out of the bid to host the 2034 men’s World Cup, Football Australia did win the bid to host the expanded women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and left a strong marker for hosting the 2029 Club World Cup.
Football Australia has also submitted a bid for the 2027 Men’s Asian Cup. In 2032 Australia will host the Olympic games, including its men’s and women’s football tournaments in Brisbane.
Johnson will finish up his work on key Australian projects before he moves to Canada later in the Summer.
“James brings a rare combination of global insight, strategic leadership, and a deep passion for developing the sport at every level,” said Scott Mitchell, Chair, Canadian Soccer Business Board of Directors. “His vision aligns perfectly with CSB’s goal to build a sustainable, progressive, and globally recognized soccer environment for Canada.”
Johnson will also sit on the board of OneSoccer, the football streaming service that was set up as a joint venture with MediaPro before the Spanish company pulled out. CSB now runs the service which is the main broadcast partner for Canadian soccer.
“I look forward to working with all stakeholders to support growth for all. We will build on CSB’s unique assets to foster a thriving and inclusive soccer community, putting innovation, collaboration and strategic partnerships at the heart of all we do,” said Johnson.
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