Ferruccio Susin founded North America Sports in 1976 as a ski-boot retailer. After several snowless winters hurt ski sales, he switched to selling soccer gear in 1978, capitalizing on the sport’s rising popularity in Vancouver and Canada [1, 2].
In 1983, Susin moved the store to East Hastings Street after noticing crowds of Vancouver Whitecaps fans queued outside the club’s former ticket office. When the Whitecaps relocated to Gastown, Susin took over the space, and North America Sports has operated there for nearly 50 years [1, 2].
Soccer is now Canada’s fastest-growing sport, with nearly one million registered players nationwide. The sport attracts especially strong youth participation despite traditional Canadian dominance by ice hockey and other sports [1, 2].
Susin said the store caters to Vancouver’s diverse immigrant community, stocking gear from global stars like Lionel Messi and clubs like Real Madrid. He explained, "Soccer has been played in Vancouver since the early 50s ... The immigrants that came were good soccer players. Therefore, they built soccer in Vancouver. It's always been a hub" [2].
Although Susin and partners considered expanding into Surrey, Edmonton, and Toronto, Susin chose to keep the business rooted in one location. "We thought that we would expand, but if you expand, you become a manager and you're not involved in soccer. My passion is soccer—dealing with boots and shirts, dealing with people," he said [2].
Canada co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the United States and Mexico. Susin called it "wonderful" and "a dream come true" to see the sport reach that milestone at home [1].