Sandra Gage, who was front and centre with the Canadian team at the recent World Cup in Qatar, has been let go as chief marketing officer of Canada Soccer.
Gage had been with the governing body since 2009,
“We can confirm that Sandra Gage is no longer with Canada Soccer, and a search for a chief commercial officer will commence immediately,” Canada Soccer said in a statement given to The Canadian Press.
“Because this is a personnel matter, we won’t be discussing details publicly. We thank Sandra for her tremendous contributions and wish her all the best.”
While Gage preferred to work behind the scenes, she sat alongside Canadian players on the podium in running daily media availabilities at the World Cup. Prior to the tournament, she was instrumental in helping create the so-called “friends and family” travel package that drew praise from players and their loved ones.
Gage was also a member of the 2026 United Bid Committee that secured the rights to host the 2026 men’s World Cup for Canada, Mexico and the U.S., criss-crossing the globe to make Canada’s case. She also served as chaperone for a 17-year-old Alphonso Davies when he addressed the FIFA Congress in Moscow in June 2018 in support of the United Bid.
In 2018, she was part of the first UEFA-FIFA Women in Football Leadership Program.
During her time with Canada Soccer, Gage spent three years as the chief marketing and communications officer for the 2015 Women’s World Cup and FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, both in Canada.
Prior to joining Canada Soccer as director of business development, Gage was director of marketing and communication for the Coaching Association of Canada and director of partnerships for Skate Canada.
In 2017, Gage was honoured by her hometown when she was added to the Welland Sports Wall of Fame as a builder.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2023
