Paul Beirne | |
|---|---|
| President of theCanadian Premier League | |
| In office January 23, 2018 – November 2, 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-04-16)April 16, 1966 (age 59) |
| Residence(s) | Toronto,Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | Neil McNeil High School York University |
Paul Beirne (born April 16, 1966) is aCanadian sports executive, who is currently the managing director ofPacific FC.
He has also worked with theToronto Raptors of theNational Basketball Association, theToronto Maple Leafs and theOttawa Senators of theNational Hockey League,Toronto FC ofMajor League Soccer, andBrighton & Hove Albion of thePremier League.
Beirne was appointed as director of ticketing for theToronto Raptors of theNational Basketball Association in August 1994. He spent two years in the role before being promoted withinMaple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.[1]
In September 1996, he became director of servicing for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment after two years – working with both theToronto Raptors and theToronto Maple Leafs. In 10 years with the team, Beirne handled all aspects of service, renewals, season tickets, group sales and single tickets for the Raptors and the Maple Leafs.[1]
In February 2006, Beirne became the first employee ofMajor League Soccer clubToronto FC as vice president for business operations. He was responsible for the launch and management of the team, overseeing brand development, positioning and launching.[2]
In April 2007, Beirne oversaw the opening ofBMO Field, and he later sold out international friendlies againstAston Villa,Bolton Wanderers,Benfica,Indepentiente,River Plate andPachuca. Later that year, he was awarded theDoug Hamilton Executive of the Year.[3]
In August 2008, he organised the2008 MLS All-Star Game againstWest Ham United, and in August 2009, sold Canada's highest grossing soccer game when Toronto hostedReal Madrid. Beirne later oversaw the design, acquisition and construction of Toronto's training ground for the senior andacademy teams.[4]
He was part of the local organizing committee for the2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and was appointed to MLS Technical Committee in 2008 and MLS Business Committee a year later.[4]
In November 2013, Beirne was hired as vice president for sales and service forNational Hockey League clubOttawa Senators.[4]
In April 2014, Beirne moved toEngland to become the Head of Commercial Development atPremier League clubBrighton & Hove Albion. He focused on managing and growing all commercial revenue for the club, community and charity. During his time at the club, Brighton were named finalists in four categories for the Football Business Awards – best matchday experience, best fan engagement by a club, best marketing of a football club, and best non-matchday use of a venue. Beirne left the club after two seasons to return toCanada in July 2016.[4]
In August 2016, Beirne was named as the first employee of theCanadian Premier League. In the temporary role ofproject manager, he spent 18 months developing the league and working with several emerging supporters groups.[5]
On January 23, 2018, it was announced that Beirne had been appointed as the league's first president.[6] He would handle the day-to-day league operations and focus on ensuring a successful launch in April 2019.[7]
In August 2022, Beirne was named as the managing director ofPacific FC.[8]
Beirne graduated fromNeil McNeil High School in 1984, and studied atYork University between 1986 and 1990.[4] He is married and lives inToronto,Ontario.
