Jim Mullin stepping down as Football Canada president after six years on the job

Jim Mullin is stepping away from Football Canada to concentrate on his post with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

Mullin confirmed Monday that after six years as Football Canada’s president, he is resigning from the post. His decision came hours before the national governing body’s annual general meeting.

“I believe now I can leave the organization in the capable hands of executive director Kevin McDonald, board chairperson Peter Baxter and the staff,” said Mullin. “I wouldn’t have left unless the organization’s future had leaders who could steward it to a new professional function.

“We’re taking an organization from the kitchen table to the boardroom table.”

Mullin will remain as IFAF’s general secretary.

McDonald was named Football Canada’s full-time executive director in June, while Baxter became the organization’s chairperson in August.

Before joining Football Canada, McDonald spent nearly 20 years with the CFL in various positions, including its vice-president of football operations.

“Someone who has a lot of experience as a leader in the CFL is who I want on the ground operating the organization on a day-to-day basis,” Mullin said of McDonald. “I think he can take it to where it needs to be as one of the (national sports organizations) and as an Olympic NSO that stand with the best of them.”

Baxter served as Wilfrid Laurier University’s director of athletics and recreation for over 23 years before retiring in 2022.

He’ll be Football Canada’s president until bylaws are updated in October.

“Peter is someone with tremendous integrity who understands the challenges of governance in this space,” Mullin said. “He’ll be able to respond to the new landscapes that exist in sports in Canada with its various landmines and be able to diffuse them.”

Mullin’s decision comes three months after Canada captured a third straight and fourth overall gold medal at the IFAF world junior football championship in Edmonton. It was the first tournament staged in six years due to the global pandemic.

There were plenty of challenges in getting the event back on the field. Football Canada also had to add a second team to replace a country that withdrew.

“Quite frankly, many nations were skittish about jumping back into international tackle competition,” Mullin said. “It takes money, it takes extraordinary planning and it helps when you have partners like (executive director) Tim Enger and Football Alberta to put all of that planning into it.”

The organization navigated a coaching change ahead of the tournament, promoting Warren Craney to head coach of Canada 1. He replaced Steve Sumarah, who led the program to gold in 2018.

“There were many changes we needed to put through from a Football Canada side and identifying Warren Craney to take over turned out to be the right choice,” Mullin said. “I get to leave my final year with a world championship, which is pretty nice.”

Mullin spent eight years with Football Canada, two on its board and six as president. He was first elected to the position in 2019 before being voted in for a second term in 2022.

Mullin is the fourth person to serve multiple stints as president in Football Canada’s 142-year history. A big part of the job was trying to establish consensus on national matters within an organization that consists of multiple provincial bodies.

During his time with Football Canada and IFAF, Mullin also worked to get flag football into the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The sport’s inclusion is big for football globally, he said.

Mullin also helped Football Canada modernize its operation, comply with the Canadian Sports Governance Code, establish a reserve fund and develop Indigenous football in the country.

“Something I did coming out of the gate when I was voted in was creating a larger tent for football in Canada,” he said. “It wasn’t just about the (provincial sports organizations), it was about the sport in general so bringing in a path for associate members was extremely important.

“Working with Indigenous leaders, over quite frankly a long period of time, to be there to help them get Indigenous Football Canada started and off the ground was very rewarding. Working with (president/CEO) Kevin Hart and then seeing him and his people deliver that and create something I believe that’s sustainable over the long-term is another culture change within the sport.”

However, Mullin admits he’ll leave Football Canada with a regret.

“The core regret is we had to be reactive during the pandemic and that really took us away from our plan,” he said. “At the same time, I wish the reforms we brought forward in the last 18 months were brought along a lot sooner because we’d be ahead on things.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2024.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press