Team Town Sports Becomes Official Footwear Retailer of Canadian Premier League and League1 Canada

Team Town Sports Becomes Official Footwear Retailer of Canadian Premier League and League1 Canada

Toronto, ON – (Jan. 13, 2025) – Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) today announced a new multi-year partnership with Team Town Sports, who steps in as the Official Footwear Retailer of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and League1 Canada. 

The agreement brings Team Town Sports’ national retail reach and product expertise directly into the Canadian soccer pathway. The retailer will support CPL merchandise both in-store and online, while helping provide players and coaches across both leagues with greater access to leading global footwear brands.

The partnership comes at a defining moment for Canadian soccer. The CPL has completed seven seasons of competition and continues to elevate the professional game, while League1 Canada’s semi-professional provincial leagues are expanding the domestic pathway and developing more players each year. As participation and performance demands rise nationwide, dependable access to quality footwear has become vital for athletes at every level, a need this partnership is positioned to support. 

This partnership further strengthens the alignment between the CPL and League1 Canada by ensuring all athletes across the entire domestic pathway have consistent access to the performance footwear they need to compete and grow.

“Every soccer player knows how important a great pair of cleats is — they’re part of every touch, every stride, every moment,” said Michael Beckerman, Chief Commercial Officer, Canadian Soccer Business. “We’ve all seen how the game can capture the country’s imagination, whether it’s an icicle kick going viral and hitting a billion views or kids lacing up for their first match. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome Team Town Sports into the Canadian soccer family. Their commitment to providing consistent, high-quality performance footwear will make a real impact across the CPL and League1 Canada. As the sport keeps growing from coast to coast, partners with the expertise of Team Town Sports play a key role in supporting our players and growing the beautiful game.”

Team Town Sports is part of the Sporting Life Group, one of Canada’s leading retail families. Through its in-store expertise and online platform, the retailer offers a wide range of performance gear for athletes of all ages and is well positioned to support the increasing demands of Canadian soccer at all levels.

“Team Town Sports is thrilled to step onto the pitch as the Official Footwear Retailer and an Official Partner of the Canadian Premier League and League1 Canada,” said Dale Skulsky, EVP and Managing Director, Team Town Sports. “This partnership celebrates the growth of soccer across the country and reflects our commitment to supporting athletes and communities from the grassroots level to the professional stage.”

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About Canadian Soccer Business

Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) represents a suite of top-tier national assets that are central to the sport of soccer in Canada. This includes representation for all corporate partnerships and media rights (broadcast and distribution) related to Canada Soccer’s core assets including the Men’s and Women’s National Team and the TELUS Canadian Championship, along with all rights associated with the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and League1 Canada.

About Canadian Premier League

The Canadian Premier League (CPL), Canada’s Tier 1 domestic men’s soccer league, is committed to its mission of providing opportunities for Canadian players to showcase their abilities on home soil and to gain prominence on the global soccer scene. A link between the amateur and professional games in the country, the CPL develops homegrown talent in support of the growth of Canadian soccer domestically and internationally. The CPL is proud to bring high-quality, professional soccer to communities from coast to coast, partnering with strong ownership groups, world-class corporate partners and passionate supporters to build a league Canadians can proudly support on and off the field.  The CPL, which is contesting its seventh season in 2025, plays in Concacaf and FIFA sanctioned competitions. For more updates and information, please visit CPLSoccer.com

About League1 Canada

League1 Canada is owned and managed by Canadian Soccer Business. Launched in March 2022 in partnership with BC Soccer, Ontario Soccer, and Soccer Québec, its goal is to unify, align, and elevate the sport of soccer at the Division III Pro-Am level from coast to coast. League1 Canada acts as the umbrella organisation for League1 Ontario, League1 BC, Ligue1 Québec, and League1 Alberta.

About Team Town Sports

Team Town Sports is Canada’s premier destination for team sports equipment and expertise, both in-store and online. Team Town Sports offers customers the best inclusive retailing for products to meet the team sports needs for all Canadians. From hockey and baseball to football, volleyball, and soccer, Team Town Sports carries all the goods and apparel that Canadians need to play their sports the way they want to. Team Town Sports is a banner under the Sporting Life Group.

About Sporting Life Group

The Sporting Life Group is a Canadian retail company that operates three iconic Canadian premium retail banners, Golf Town Ltd. (“Golf Town”), Sporting Life Inc. (“Sporting Life”) and Team Town Sports (“Team Town Sports”). For years, Golf Town has been Canada’s ultimate destination for everything golf, operating 48 stores coast to coast that carry the largest selection of the best brands in golf, expert staff who share its customers’ love for the game, and state-of-the-art custom fitting services and technology. With its vision of growing the game and making golf more inclusive, Golf Town has turned itself into the home of golf in Canada. Sporting Life is Canada’s premium sports and lifestyle retailer, operating 14 high end stores across Canada’s largest cities in premium malls. A store unlike any other, Sporting Life offers to equip Canadians with the best of everything they need to live their Sporting Life. There, you will find the most prestigious brands, products, and services to feel at your best for a life full of sports and style. Team Town Sports is the home for team sports in Canada and offers full service for players of all sports and ages. With representative staff, cutting edge technology, and customizable products for all team sports’ needs, Team Town Sports reflects the latest in the Sporting Life Group’s legacy of sports retail.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Armstrong

Senior Director, Communications 

Canadian Premier League and Canadian Soccer Business

laura.armstrong@canpl.ca

Katrin Ivanov

Coordinator, Communications 

Canadian Premier League and Canadian Soccer Business 

katrin.ivanov@canpl.ca

Adam Lynn

Marketing Manager

Team Town Sports

alynn@sportinglifegroup.ca

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Costa Smyrniotis

Costa Smyrniotis is a seasoned Canadian executive with nearly 20 years of experience driving the growth of soccer domestically and internationally. Currently serving in the Canadian Premier League Commissioner’s Office, Smyrniotis previously spent five years as Director of Football and Business at Forge FC. Under his leadership, Forge became a dominant domestic force and a respected organization within the Concacaf region.

As a co-founder of Sigma FC, one of North America’s premier development academies, Smyrniotis has been instrumental in cultivating top-tier talent. Sigma has produced a steady pipeline of professional players and technical staff, most notably Cyle Larin, the Canadian Men’s National Team’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Beyond club management, Smyrniotis established a prominent North American player agency, managing the careers of numerous international and Canadian stars. His professional foundation is rooted in business, having held senior roles at several multinational corporations before transitioning to soccer full-time. This unique blend of corporate expertise and deep footballing knowledge makes him a pivotal figure in the evolution of the Canadian game.

Laura Armstrong

Laura Armstrong is Vice President, Communications & Business Integration at Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment, where she leads strategic communications, public relations, and key stakeholder engagement across the company’s corporate functions, leagues, and media assets.

In this role, Laura works closely with executive leadership to align organizational strategy and priorities, supporting the delivery of the company’s long-term vision through coordinated planning and execution across teams.

Prior to joining CSME, Laura spent nearly a decade as a journalist with the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper, where she led the paper’s soccer coverage beginning in 2015. A leading voice in Canadian soccer — particularly in the women’s game — she covered major milestones including the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Toronto FC’s treble-winning 2017 season, and Canada’s men’s national team qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Laura regularly appeared across national and international broadcast platforms including OneSoccer, Sportsnet, CBC, CTV, the BBC and more

A bilingual native of Barrhaven, Ont., Laura holds a combined honours degree in Journalism and English Literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Dylan Hewko

Dylan Hewko is a finance executive with extensive experience in professional sports, specializing in financial strategy, governance, and organizational oversight. He currently serves as Senior Vice President, Finance, supporting the continued growth and financial stewardship of Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment.

In this corporate leadership role, Dylan is responsible for financial planning, reporting, and governance, as well as people operations and organizational policies, supporting the company’s overall business objectives across its leagues and properties.

Prior to joining the Canadian Premier League in 2021, Dylan spent three years with New York City FC as Controller and held finance roles with the Toronto Blue Jays. He began his professional career at Deloitte Canada in the Assurance & Advisory practice, building a strong foundation in corporate accounting and financial management.

A graduate of Queen’s University, Dylan holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and a Graduate Diploma in Accounting, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada) and Certified Public Accountant (USA). He has long been engaged in the intersection of sport and business, including through leadership roles with the Queen’s Sports Industry Conference.

Marni Dicker

Marni Dicker is a senior executive and governance leader with deep experience in corporate law, infrastructure development, and organizational leadership across complex public- and private-sector environments.

In her dual role as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President, Infrastructure, Marni oversees legal strategy, corporate governance, risk management, and compliance, while also leading infrastructure planning and expansion strategy and execution for the Canadian Premier League.

Her career includes senior roles such as Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel at Infrastructure Ontario, where she led legal and commercial oversight for major infrastructure and venue development projects, including facilities for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. She has also served as Executive Vice President at Live Work Learn Play Inc. and held board positions with organizations including CreateTO, Tarion, and Habitat for Humanity GTA.

A nationally recognized leader, Marni has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers. Her honours include the Canadian General Counsel Award for Business Achievement and induction into the Urban Land Institute’s Hall of Champions. She lectures at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Law and holds degrees from Western and McGill, along with the ICD.D designation. Marni is a proud wife and mother of two.

Shaun Guest

Shaun Guest is a senior sports business executive with more than a decade of experience driving commercial growth through sponsorships, partnerships, and revenue strategy. He currently serves as Vice President, Commercial Operations, working within the commercial leadership team to support partner growth across Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment and its properties.

In his role, Shaun leads corporate partnerships and sponsorship initiatives, while also overseeing ticketing, and licensing operations. He works closely with internal teams and external partners to deliver integrated commercial programs that support long-term business objectives.

Prior to joining CSME, Shaun served as Vice President, Business Operations for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Forge FC, where he played a key role in Forge FC’s launch and oversaw corporate partnerships, ticket sales, community engagement, and marketing initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Shaun held roles with the 2007 Grey Cup Festival and the Toronto Rock, building a strong foundation in ticket sales, sponsorship development and revenue generation across multiple sports and event platforms. He is a graduate of Brock University’s Sport Management program and holds a Master’s degree in Sport & Leisure Commerce from the University of Memphis.

Michael Beckerman

Michael Beckerman is a seasoned marketing and business leader with more than two decades of global experience across sports, media, and consumer brands. He brings a strategic, partner-first approach to growing audiences, brands, and commercial impact within the soccer ecosystem.

Beckerman’s career spans three continents and includes senior leadership roles as Director of Advertising for Nike Europe, Vice President of Marketing at Canadian Airlines, Chief Marketing Officer at the Bank of Montreal, and CEO of sponsorship agency MKTG Canada. He also led Ariad Communications, an award-winning marketing and digital agency, and most recently served as Chief Client Officer at Torstar Corporation.

A recognized voice in sponsorship and brand strategy, Beckerman is a frequent speaker on marketing trends, consumer engagement, and the evolving business of sport.

At CSME, Mike leads partner strategy, helping organizations — including Canada Soccer, the Canadian Premier League, Premier Soccer Leagues Canada, OneSoccer, and other media and properties — connect meaningfully with fans to achieve their business objectives while advancing the growth of soccer in Canada.

James Johnson 

James Johnson is a globally recognized sport and entertainment executive with more than two decades of leadership experience across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. He was appointed Group CEO of Canadian Soccer Media & Entertainment (CSME) and Commissioner of the Canadian Premier League in July 2025 to accelerate the growth and transformation of Canadian soccer ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Johnson previously served as CEO of Football Australia, leading a period of transformation marked by record commercial growth, strong national team performance, increased participation, and the successful hosting of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The tournament delivered a lasting legacy, unlocking $389 million in government investment to support the sport’s growth in Australia. He also secured record broadcast agreements with Paramount+, Disney+, and Fox Sports.

His career includes senior executive roles with FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and City Football Group, where he built a reputation as a commercially driven, innovative leader advancing sport on and off the pitch.

Johnson leads the group’s overall strategic direction, aligning commercial growth, media innovation, and sporting performance to strengthen the business of Canadian soccer. He serves on the board of OneSoccer.