Ash, Redmond honoured in Newfoundland Labrador

Sandy Faulkner Ash, a CONCACAF silver medal winner and Canada Soccer champion, has joined her hockey-playing father in the Newfoundland Labrador Sports Hall of Fame. Both were pioneers for their province in their respective sports, with Alex the first from Newfoundland Labrador in the National Hockey League and Sandy the first selected to Canada’s national “A” team for a CONCACAF tournament.

Ash and Nigel Facey, a two-sport athlete, were the two soccer players among this year’s honoured members to the Newfoundland Labrador Sports Hall of Fame. The duo were honoured on Saturday 16 April 2016, the same night Sport NL honoured Doug Redmond as Newfoundland Labrador’s Executive of the Year for his work on the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™.

Redmond, the president of the Newfoundland Labrador Soccer Association for more than 40 years, served as a National Organising Committee member for the record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. The global finals, which were hosted from coast to coast across Canada from 30 June to 5 July, drew 1,353,506 cumulative spectators over 52 matches to set both a record for the competition as well as a record for any FIFA competition other than the men’s FIFA World Cup™. The event supported an economic impact of $493.6 million industry output, $241.1 million in gross domestic product, and $97 million in taxes. It also drew a worldwide television audience of more than 750 million viewers.

As for former player Ash (née Faulkner), she was “known for her exceptional pace, quickness, and technical ability, making her an inspiration and motivation for her teammates and those who have watched her play.” In 1991, wearing number 4, she helped Canada finish second at the inaugural CONCACAF Women’s Championship in Haiti. A Memorial University graduate, she starred at the club level in Edmonton, winning the Jubilee Trophy with Edmonton Victoria SC in both 2005 and 2009. She became an honoured member of the Newfoundland Labrador Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011.