"Waking A Sleeping Giant": Shaun Harris’ Vision for CONIFA’s Future

Operating under the radar in an environment far removed from the glitz and glamour of elite-level soccer, CONIFA assumes a rather special role. Founded in 2013 with the support of incumbent President Per-Anders Blind, CONIFA’s main objective is to use soccer as a vehicle for social and cultural emancipation.

For those ‘nations’ unable to convince FIFA of their credentials, the CONIFA arena provides an opportunity to compete at a continental and international level. Unlike FIFA, which primarily caters to established nations and territories, CONIFA creates a platform for de facto states, diaspora groups, and isolated regions, offering them a chance to showcase their cultural and sporting identities. This serves as a vehicle for cultural pride and political expression, giving a voice to communities often excluded from mainstream geopolitical and sporting discourse.

As a grassroots organization, purely funded by sponsorship and charitable donations, it’s perhaps unsurprising that CONIFA’s members endure periods of inactivity. There’s also a disproportionate number of European teams, with the likes of Africa, Asia, and North/Central America particularly under-represented.

Shaun Harris, the newly-appointed President of CONIFA’s North, Central America & Caribbean region, is eager to address this imbalance. Having previously held senior coaching roles with Everton in the EPL and five-time MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy, Harris is now hoping to leverage his considerable experience in more modest surroundings.

CONIFA’s Expansion To Canada

One of his key priorities is to expand CONIFA’s presence across the Americas. For him, this process had to begin north of the 49th parallel.

"When I agreed to take on this role, we didn’t have any teams in Canada," stated Harris in his opening remarks to RG reporter Ryan Murray. "This seemed crazy given the huge indigenous population we have in this part of the world, and the recent surge in soccer’s popularity."

Formerly the Technical Director and Head Coach of Ottawa-based Capital City FC and a contributor to the establishment of the groundbreaking Canadian Premier League, Harris is extremely familiar with Canada’s rather turbulent soccer landscape.

As a result, he’s been able to quickly enrol a new CONIFA outfit, located in Alberta in Canada’s central belt. The plan is for a further two associations – British Columbia in the West, as well as Toronto and Ottawa in the east – to be incorporated in early 2025.

As Harris explains, this will provide CONIFA with ‘full geographical coverage’ in Canada, and likely embolden other groups to join the party.

Although it presides over a melting pot of cultures, identities, and indigenous groups, the United States of America has also historically lacked presence and profile within the global CONIFA framework.

However, Harris believes that bolstering the number of associations in this part of the world will awaken a sleeping giant from its slumber. Consequently, the ex-Everton Academy boss has made it his mission to identify areas of ‘cultural significance’ within his home country.  

The U.S currently provides residence to just one CONIFA member; the Cascadia Association Football Federation (CAFF). Composed of a colossal expanse of land which stretches over the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, northern California and Southern Alaska (and Canada’s British Columbia), the ‘bioregion’ of Cascadia has its own distinct regional identity. This is the blueprint that Harris wants to see rolled-out across the United States.

After an initial wave of furor, Cascadia has since slid into a state of dormancy. Six years before the association fielded a team for the very first time – lining up against European minnows Ellan Vannin (Isle of Man) in the opening fixture of the ultra-successful 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup – Adidas released a concept shirt for the prospective ‘national’ side.

Many fans affiliated to the bioregion’s native MLS clubs purchased the shirt, with Cascadia’s colours regularly seen at Portland Timbers’ Providence Park, Seattle Sounders’ Lumen Field, and Vancouver Whitecaps’ BC Place. Having not participated in a competitive fixture since suffering a sobering 8-1 defeat to UK-based Kernow (Cornwall) in May 2021, Cascadia are in desperate need of further match practice. However, their efforts in this regard aren’t helped by a severe lack of nearby sparring partners.

But, this situation could soon change.

Sparking A Movement

After helping to consolidate Canada’s presence within the CONIFA theatre, Harris will attempt to quickly broaden his region’s operational scope.

There are already several potential candidates in the cross-hairs. A first-generation Mexican-U.S team has been mooted, with the southern states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona earmarked as its potential home. Another Latino-led association may also flourish in Florida, with the Sunshine State’s Cuban community being considered as a prospective CONIFA force. There is also talk of championing a ‘Great Lakes’ outfit in the north, unifying eight states and 30 million people that reside in close proximity to the giant basin watershed.

The concept of a first ‘affiliate’ association is also being explored, which would see a new U.S-based association (identity currently unknown) attach itself to a current CONIFA member. This would unite local and diaspora populations of the same cultural group, as two teams – operating under the banner of rival continental federations – assume a shared identity and representative audience.

Harris – who also previously worked as a technical analyst for UEFA at several European Championships – is also committed to strengthening the region’s existing four associations. On top of attempting to rejuvenate Cascadia’s fortunes, the Los Angeles native intends to help Mexico City-based ANBM, Hispaniola Island’s Kiskeya, and El Salvador locals Kuskatan.

Whilst ANBM created the very first CONIFA-sanctioned domestic league (the semi-professional ‘Liga de Balompié Mexicano’) and were granted hosting rights to the 2023 North America Football Cup, Kiskeya and Kuskatan have struggled to facilitate a consistent flow of fixtures despite receiving the support of several soccer-focused stakeholders in America.

With the next instalment of the FIFA World Cup set to take place on North American soil, the expansion of CONIFA’s footprint in this region comes at a poignant moment in the global soccer calendar.

Although it’s extremely unlikely a current or former CONIFA-affiliated player will be involved in one of sport’s most-prestigious international tournaments, a handful of new associations – hailing from host nations Mexico, United States, and Canada – may well have joined the ranks of soccer’s second-largest governing body by 2026.  

"The culmination of our regional plan will hopefully arrive in 2026, when Canada, Mexico, and the United States host the FIFA World Cup. This gives us a great target to aim for, and provides us with a decent barometer to measure our performance."

Harris has plenty of work to do between then and now if his ambitious vision is to become a reality. Assuming his efforts are successful, they will pre-empt an entirely new chapter in the short and rather unique history of the CONIFA project. Exciting times lay ahead.