For Max Bonanno, soccer is not so much a hobby as a lifelong passion. After decades spent playing, coaching and following the beautiful game, he had the chance to turn that passion into Soccer Maxx, a specialty store devoted to serving Canada’s fast-growing community of footy fanatics.
“Growing a family of my own with two boys, I got involved in coaching, they got involved with soccer and my love of the sport just grew even further from there,” says Max. “We have a TV in the store and watch the games live, and when customers come in, that’s all they want to talk about.”
With two locations in Mississauga and Maple, Ont., Soccer Maxx carries everything from boots and shin guards to the latest Premier League shirts and teamwear for local leagues. Since opening in 2009, the business has grown into a go-to destination for players, coaches and fans across the country.
“We’re a one-stop shop for anybody who wants to play the game, watch the game or just dress the part,” says Max. “People know they can come in here and find virtually whatever they’re looking for.”
He points to the rapid growth of Canada’s soccer scene and how it has become richer through new Canadians bringing their own soccer cultures from around the world. Plus, the recent success of Canada’s own men’s and women’s national teams doesn’t exactly hurt.
“The kids have their own idols to look up to now—and they’re Canadian—which is really important,” says Max. “And now with the World Cup in Canada, the profile has gone through the roof. It helps grow the sport and bodes well for the future.”
Digital brings a change in tactics
Max points out that true soccer specialty stores remain scarce and says that diving into e-commerce has allowed Soccer Maxx to reach customers well beyond the Greater Toronto Area, where its two brick-and-mortar locations are based.
“We started up our online business, and I fell in love with it,” Max says. “It’s the part of the business that’s growing the fastest right now.”
Today, the company’s website, soccermaxx.ca, serves as much more than an online storefront. It helps Soccer Maxx tell its story, connect with customers nationwide and better understand what they’re looking for.
“Our online presence opens up new markets for us across Canada,” says Max. “There’s a lot of data-driven customer insight we get out of the pages they’re visiting and the products they’re looking at. It helps us develop and tell our story of who we are.”
.CA shows support for the home side
A key part of Soccer Maxx’s digital strategy has been establishing its online presence with a .CA domain.
For Max, choosing a .CA wasn’t so much a technical decision as a reflection of the company’s identity.
“The reason why we chose .CA is it gives us instant credibility,” he says. “People like the idea that we’re Canadian-owned, we’re rooted here in Canada and we support local business.”
Soccer Maxx works with local suppliers, employs local staff and maintains strong connections within the communities it serves. The .CA domain reinforces those relationships by making it immediately clear that customers are shopping with a Canadian business.
“We want everybody who’s shopping online to know we are Canadian,” says Max. “Having a .CA website was important. It projects the image we want to project.”
While customers have countless online shopping options, Max believes his .CA domain helps Soccer Maxx stand out from the pack while strengthening confidence among Canadian shoppers.
“We live, eat and breathe here in Canada, and we want everyone to know we appreciate their support and are also giving back to the Canadian economy,” he says.
Growing love for the game from coast to coast
Looking ahead, Max sees even more opportunity with his online store and .CA. While the company’s brick-and-mortar locations will continue to play an essential role, future growth will be driven by digital channels and their ability to reach soccer enthusiasts from coast to coast.
“The growth of the business is certainly coming from the web store,” he says. “It’s cost effective, it reaches a bigger marketplace for us and we’ll continue to explore that and maximize whatever potential that brings to our business.”
With soccer’s popularity continuing to surge—aided, no doubt, by Canada’s involvement in the 2026 FIFA World Cup—Max believes the future is especially bright for both the sport and the business he built around it.
He’s also keen to keep the company grounded in the same fundamentals that inspired Soccer Maxx from the beginning: passion for the sport, expertise and a commitment to serving Canada’s growing soccer communities wherever they might be.
“It’s a wonderful combination,” he says. “Business and the love of sport—it just works so well.”
