We were told last week – before the press release naming the CSA Nominations Committee (which was never released to the press) – that interviews with CSA governance types would be permitted after.
Nope. The Onward!-induced muzzling of Metcalfe Street continues, with a vague second-hand promise that committee members might be approachable after their first meeting (approx. December 20), unless, of course, they aren’t.
Fortunately – and as always – there’s a big difference between official silence and actual silence. And while I can’t currently attribute my sources, here’s what’s going on:
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
The Nominations Committee consists of CSA directors Jeannette Kuc (Saskatchewan) and Greg Anderson (B.C.), with outside consultation from promoter Grant MacDonald (Nova Scotia), financier J.D. Miller (Quebec) and Oakville Soccer Club mover/shaker Paul Varian (Ontario).
It’s actually an encouraging lineup. Their job is to fill the six appointed positions on the reform-restructured CSA board.
Check that – three of those positions.
Turns out there are some real restrictions of what this committee can do – and they’re written right into the reform package passed at the CSA’s 2011 annual general meeting back in May.
Three of the six appointed seats – for one year only – will be granted to current CSA directors Kuc, Steve Reed and Ken McLean, to allow them to finish serving their two-year terms. Legitimate concern was raised by Ben Rycroft – on It’s Called Football late last night – that this might be a new development.
Well, it’s been confirmed overnight that this was always the plan. So the implementation of six appointed board members is going to take a year longer than many of us realized – but that reflects a basic misunderstanding, and not an actual change in the fabric of the reforms.
So – three seats to fill, but there are restrictions there as well.
The new structure demands that there be at least three CSA directors of each sex. Please understand, I support this idea completely – which makes me perfectly entitled to highlight the obstacles it might create.
Jeannette Kuc will be there for one more year. The only other woman currently on the CSA board is Christine O’Connor from Manitoba, and there has been no sign – so far – that she intends to stand for election next spring.
(There’s always the possibility of new candidates emerging. Just no sign – anywhere, as yet – that they will.)
So, very likely, two of the three appointees are going to be women. This is fine for gender equality, but removes half of the entire human race from consideration for a couple of pretty important postings.
Also – one member of the overall board must be a former athlete. I’m pretty sure current vice-president Victor Montagliani fits this bill nicely.
Also – one member must be from professional soccer.
So, instead of six outside-expert directors with bright ideas and bankable connections, we’re getting three grandfathered sitting directors and three folks who pretty much have to meet some strict, basic requirements.
Sigh.
Okay, this was always going to take time. The good news is – and remains – that CSA 2012 will be significantly different from the one we have now.
Even with only three appointed members, perspective will broaden. The tightening up of the rest of the board – and huge reduction in the membership of provincial and territorial soccer association presidents – will clarify the vision, and sharply reduce the amount of politicking and infighting needed to get anything at all done.
And one year later, the full vision – with six appointed board members hugely expanding the CSA’s vision, scope and connections – will be in place.
There will also be a new president, but we’ll talk more about that later in the week.
Any questions?
Onward!