PETER BAXTER APPOINTED TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CHAIR

TORONTO & VANCOUVER – Football Canada is proud to announce the appointment of Peter Baxter of Waterloo, Ontario as the newest member of the Board of Directors. The appointment was passed at the July board meeting and Mr. Baxter will serve a term to the completion of the 2024-25 term. In addition, he was selected unanimously to assume the duties as chairperson of the board of directors of Football Canada until the completion of the 2024-25 season.

“In recent years, Football Canada as a Board of Directors, has built a strong foundation to move to higher levels of growth and development within football across Canada from grass roots to high performance,” Baxter said.

“I want to be part of continuing that progress, setting a bold strategic plan for the future of our sport with the inclusive participation of all stakeholders from across Canada,” stated Baxter.

Baxter served as Laurier’s director of Athletics and Recreation for more than 23 years, retiring in the summer of 2022. Throughout his tenure, he has been integral to the growth of many facets of Laurier’s athletics program. He has contributed to the further development of interuniversity sport offerings, particularly Golden Hawk women’s teams; the diversification of recreation, club, and intramural offerings; entrepreneurial revenue growth; and the expansion, renovation, and construction of new athletic facilities, including Alumni Field, the Athletic Complex Fitness Centre, and the Laurier Brantford YMCA.

During his time as director, 45 (of 75 total) Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships and 10 (of 14 total) national U Sports championships have been won by Golden Hawk teams.

“We are extremely fortunate to have one of the most respected and effective athletic directors in Canada step up to provide his experience and leadership to Football Canada,” said Football Canada president Jim Mullin. “He is the kind of individual we need at the board level as we build on a new foundation focused on growth.” 

As a Laurier grad, Football Canada Executive Director Kevin McDonald knows well of the legacy fostered by Baxter at his alma matter.

“Peter’s ability to build relationships along with the experience he brings from an amazing career in University athletics (including extensive work in football), allow us to move forward with an insightful, seasoned leader who is going to contribute greatly to the dynamic at the boardroom table while providing strong support and leadership for the National Office and for our membership ”

Baxter joined Laurier in May 1998 when Laurier had just 5,800 students on one campus. The Athletics portfolio has grown to oversee multiple campuses with a student population exceeding 20,000. To accommodate these changes, Baxter implemented a student leadership model, which annually provides over 300 experiential learning opportunities for Laurier students passionate about recreation, intramural and interuniversity programs, facilities, marketing, communications, sports medicine, and event operations.

Baxter’s passion for student development has also influenced Laurier’s approach to developing Golden Hawk varsity athletes through the student-athlete development model focusing on the three pillars of excellence: academics, athletics, and community service. The student-athlete development model was the first of its kind in Canada.

Baxter has influenced every facet of the Athletics and Recreation program with an innovative approach and winning tradition during his career. This includes partnering and working closely with the Students’ Union and the Graduate Students’ Association to invest in capital facility projects and program enhancements to enhance the Athletics and Recreation programs and services; creating and implementing the Golden Hawk brand logo; Laurier Hawk Talk, the first one-hour weekly radio news program in Canada dedicated to a university Athletics program; and being the first in Canada to show video highlights of Golden Hawk games on the web and the first university athletic department in Canada to stream games live on the internet with the creation of “Laurier Hawk TV.” Baxter also initiated peer education and community partner educational workshops to affect social change, addressing systemic racism, doping and drug abuse, homophobia, masculinity issues, and sexual violence, and beginning discussions to support reconciliation.

In addition to his work at Laurier, Baxter was president of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and vice-president of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports). He also served for 16 years as the OUA football convenor and served as chair of the Football Rules Committee for Football Canada. In 2010, Swim Ontario honored Baxter with the Omni Friend of Swimming Award for enriching the sport of high-performance swimming. He was selected to serve as Chef de Mission for Team Canada at two World University Games: 2009 Harbin, China (winter) and 2011 in Shenzhen, China (summer).

“With the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles inclusion of Flag, Football Canada has a tremendous opportunity to showcase and grow our sport and there is a commitment by the leadership of Football Canada to achieve new heights for football in Canada,” Baxter said.

For more information, please contact
Braydon Satchel
bstachel@footballcanada.com

-30-