A look at James Johnson, head of Canadian Soccer Business and Canadian Premier League

A look at James Johnson, group CEO of Canadian Soccer Business:

Job Description: Johnson heads up both Canadian Soccer Business and the Canadian Premier League.

Personal: Born in England to an English father and Australian mother, Johnson was a baby when his family moved to Australia. Now 43, he is a father of three.

Playing Career: A midfielder/winger, he represented Australia at youth level and attended Boston University on a soccer scholarship from 2002 to 2006. After a brief pro career with his hometown Brisbane Strikers and Vietnam’s Da Nang FC, he got his law degree.

Resume: Johnson spent 5 1/2 years as CEO of Football Australia, the sport’s governing body Down Under, before coming to Canada. He previously served as senior vice-president of external affairs with the City Football Group (which operates 13 teams worldwide including Manchester City, New York City FC and Melbourne City), head of professional football for FIFA (where he worked under Canadian Victor Montagliani), director of international relations and development with the Asian Football Confederation, and player relations executive with the Professional Footballers Australia, the union representing Australian players.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2025