Canadian Soccer Business, which represents Canada Soccer鈥檚 corporate partnerships and broadcast rights among other assets, took its lumps this year.

Politicians clamoured to see the contract between the two. Players complained that the CSB deal with the governing body of Canadian soccer is holding the game back and preventing national teams from getting the kind of preparation they need.

Mark Noonan, who doubles as CEO of Canadian Soccer Business and commissioner of the Canadian Premier League, not surprisingly disagrees.

He points to Christine Sinclair鈥檚 farewell international game Dec. 5, a 1-0 win over Australia at B.C. Place Stadium before a bumper crowd of 48,112.

While Canadian national team games are usually streamed only on OneSoccer, TSN also showed the Sinclair swansong.

鈥淭hat was 100 per cent orchestrated by Canadian Soccer Business,鈥� said Noonan.

CSB got the rights from Mediapro and stuck a deal with TSN and Canada Soccer.

鈥淚n a perfect world, TSN would pay a rights fee to Mediapro. They weren鈥檛 willing to do that,鈥� said Noonan.

鈥淲e gave them a fully produced game at no cost,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey enhanced it a little bit and they put on their network. 鈥� They have a big platform and to send off the greatest Canadian soccer player in the right way was really important to anybody who鈥檚 involved in the game.

鈥淔or us it was the right thing to do. So we figured out a way to get that done.鈥�

CSB, which shares the same ownership as the Canadian Premier League, was announced in March 2018 as 鈥渁 new sports enterprise representing commercial assets and inventory for marquee soccer properties in Canada.鈥�

It represents corporate partnerships and broadcast rights for the women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 national team programs, all commercial assets of the CPL, the Canadian Championship and Canadian soccer grassroots programs.

Canada Soccer, which does not hold an ownership stake in CSB, is believed to receive some $4 million a year currently under the deal as 鈥渢he beneficiary of a rights fee guarantee.鈥� That amount has been boosted by some $500,000 each year leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

Noonan says talks continue with Canada Soccer over possibly amending the agreement.

鈥淲e hope with the new leadership (at Canada Soccer) we can really continue to work on the relationship 鈥� We continue to play a role as the growth engine of soccer in this country,鈥� Noonan said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been unfairly criticized by people who have other agendas 鈥� We鈥檙e not apologizing any more,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been punched in the face unfairly.鈥�

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

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