INSIGHT
Toronto Football Club ( TFC ) is experiencing a renaissance . We talk to its charismatic President , Bill Manning , about what it takes to lead and succeed in the fast-moving business of soccer
A FOOTBALL CLUB needs to win – success on the field is what attracts the top players and creates scenes of euphoria in packed stadiums . It took Toronto FC 11 years to achieve 100 regular-season wins , but that seems to have changed . With six title wins from the past nine , Toronto have gone on to virtually dominate the Canadian Championship .
The club is looking hard to beat , not just within Canada but across North America . The Reds were undefeated at home this season with six wins and two draws , their latest victory at the time of writing being a 2-0 win against DC United on June 17 , in which Sebastian Giovinco set up goals for Jozy Altidore and Jordan Hamilton in front of 28,627 ecstatic fans . That ’ s a sell-out at Toronto ’ s BMO Field , and another tick against Bill Manning ’ s to-do list .
Manning is a survivor in a notoriously ruthless environment .
A successful player at college and beyond who went on to become a US Soccer National “ A ” licensed coach , he went into sports management in 1993 , graduating to the MLS in 2000 as President and General Manager of Tampa Bay Mutiny ; named MLS Executive of the Year by the Washington Post .
Before coming to Toronto in 2015 Manning held leadership roles at Philadelphia Eagles , the National Basketball Association ’ s Houston Rockets and Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer ( MLS being the top tier of the sport across North America ). But it ’ s a mistake to think running sport is just like running any other business , he warns : “ I have seen a lot of very wealthy , smart people get into the sports business and try to run it like their other businesses – and fail miserably .” Manning arrived at TFC at a time when the club was trying to
8 September 2017