Houston, Harris County leaders call for ‘new leadership’ at Sports Authority | Houston Public Media

City and county leaders called for leadership change at the Houston-Harris County Sports Authority (HHCSA) ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a Friday morning press conference, hours before the authority’s board was slated to oust CEO Janis Burke.

“All the stakeholders that go about putting on major events and running their franchises have come to me, individually and collectively, saying we have to do something about the Sports Authority — they are away from their core mission,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.

HHCSA is charged with overseeing and financing the area’s sporting venues and marketing and promoting events. Whitmire said leaders in Houston’s sports industry had expressed concerns about the authority’s lack of communication and needed improvements to venues.

“The owner of the Dynamo was in my office, they said ‘We need help, the Sports Authority’s not collaborating with us, the World Cup teams want to use our stadium as a practice facility, we can’t get the communication going with the Sports Authority in the right direction,'” Whitmire said.

The Houston Business Journal first reported on the expected ouster of Burke, who had been in the position for about two decades.

On Friday, Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia called for “new leadership.”

“It’s time for some new voices at this very important time,” Garcia said. “I appreciate the outgoing CEO for her service, but with the World Cup approaching and the city and the county soon to be on a global stage, there has never been a more critical time for us collectively to get it right.”

The move comes after HHCSA’s board saw a shakeup. On Wednesday, Houston City Council approved Whitmire’s recommendation to appoint Christopher Newport and John Arnold to the board.

Newport and Arnold didn’t speak at the press conference. But other board members, introduced by Whitmire as those “that support this move,” spoke about the upcoming FIFA World Cup matches in Houston.

“With (the city’s and county’s) support, we’ll continue to prioritize transparency, growth and innovation in every project and initiative,” said HHCSA board member Linda Morales.

Board member Martye Kendrick said she was “excited about the direction and the future of this organization.”

The HHCSA board will finalize the decision at a Friday afternoon board meeting. HHSCA declined to comment.