Sep 24, 2021
Oliver Gage is the Director of Football at the Canadian Premier
League and has a growing reputation for basing his footballing
philosophy on a successful evidence-based approach to the sport and
player development. Previously Head of Performance at the
University of Virginia and Head of Performance Analysis and
Technical Recruitment at Houston Dynamo, Oliver joined the Canadian
Premier League as Head of On-Field Performance and Recruitment in
2019 before becoming Director of Football a year later. Oliver is
also the son of former Aston Villa, Wimbledon and Sheffield United
defender Kevin Gage. Kevin is regarded as a legend at the latter
two clubs.
Oliver is among the most dynamic and forward-thinking sporting
figureheads in North America and has been credited with the
inception of an innovative transfer policy, overhauling player
recruitment and enhancing the quality of football within the
division.
The transfer policy implemented mandated teams sign four of their
seven allowed foreign footballers through a league-run recruitment
process that approved or rejected certain players, proactively
recruited on behalf of clubs and offered teams players the league
had secured. Although controversial and unique, other leagues have
started to consider introducing a similar strategy following
numerous success stories.
In our conversation today we cover talent identification, player recruitment, surviving COVID as a new league, and ensuring that players are not overlooked during the critical ages of 16-22.
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