Leveraging his nearly 30 years of experience as an international lawyer and business advisor and educator, Kalman Magyar has taken on legacy-building leadership and advisory roles for sporting organizations, athletes and sports executives over decades. He currently serves as an advisor to FC Naples, the first professional soccer team in Naples, Florida, which plays in the United Soccer League One, the third tier in the U.S. soccer pyramid.
The son of a former Long Island University men’s Hall of Fame soccer team player and 1966 NCAA Division I finalist, Kalman was exposed to soccer from a young age. He played in recreational and competitive leagues in New Jersey and in Toronto for decades. Throughout his experience coaching his children over a dozen years, he became a Soccer for Life U13+ youth competitive coach certified by Ontario Soccer. He coached and managed competitive youth teams at the regional level, and a number of the players he worked with moved on to playing at the semi-professional, university and college levels.
Kalman spent many years on the Board of Directors of Toronto High Park Football Club, one of the largest community soccer clubs in the Greater Toronto Area. He eventually took on the pivotal role of Vice President of Football as he helped guide the Club in joining the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) and receiving Ontario Soccer’s Club Excellence Award – Gold Level, while overseeing the building of the Club’s technical and player development programs.
Throughout his legal career, Kalman provided advice to sports-related organizations and leaders on a wide array of issues. His clients have included Olympic athletes; sports executives, coaches, clubs, associations and leagues; apparel and equipment manufacturers and suppliers; fitness professionals; and sports nutrition brands. The matters he worked on have encompassed corporate law and governance, complex transactions, intellectual property, marketing, leasing, sponsorships, licensing, privacy, and insurance.
Kalman remains actively involved in playing sports, now as a competitive tennis player. As in soccer, he has taken multiple leadership roles in tennis organizations, such as Vice President of Swansea Tennis Club (Toronto) and captaining several competitive Intercounty Tennis Association teams.