Longtime Ottawa Senators executive Erin Crowe joins Canada Soccer as COO, CFO

Erin Crowe smiles in this undated handout photo. Crowe is joining Canada Soccer as its chief operating officer and chief financial officer. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Andre Ringuette, Canada Soccer)

Longtime Ottawa Senators executive Erin Crowe is joining Canada Soccer as its chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

Crowe, an Ottawa native who is currently the Senators executive vice-president, COO and CFO, is expected to start her new job in April.

Mathieu Chamberland, Canada Soccer’s former COO, is moving to the role of chief of soccer operations and associate general secretary, where he will oversee the ‘soccer operations and soccer administration portfolio,’ according to the governing body. Chamberland joined as COO in February 2023, coming from Soccer Québec.

Sean Heffernan, who had served as CFO for 18 years, left the organization in May 2024.

The revamped Canada Soccer executive team includes CEO and general secretary Kevin Blue, Crowe, Chamberland, Crowe, chief communications and content officer Paulo Senra and vice-president of philanthropy Samantha Rogers.

Canada Soccer says the search for a senior technical leader to oversee the organization’s high-performance components will start soon.

Crowe joined the Senators in 1996 as vice-president of finance and was promoted to CFO in 2003. She added the title of executive vice-president in 2009.

She left the hockey team in 2015, returning in February 2022 as executive vice-president and CFO. The COO title was added in September 2023.

“Erin is an accomplished and experienced executive with a track record of success in sports, private sector finance, and organizational operations,” Blue said in a statement. “In addition, her passion for grassroots soccer makes her an ideal leader to join our dedicated senior staff.”

Crowe has also served as CFO of a venture-listed technology company and COO and CFO of a real estate developer. She holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Queen’s University and is a chartered professional accountant.

She was recognized as one of Sports Business Journal’s “Game Changers: ​ Women in Sports Business” in 2024 and named the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal’s 2022 CFO of the year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press