Canada Soccer Hall of Fame celebrates early legends of the Women’s National Team

Canada Soccer has honoured eight legends from the early days of its Women’s National Team with induction to the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. Marking the 35th anniversary of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team, the eight legends represent Canada’s landmark first decade in international football from the original selections in 1986 through to Canada’s first participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 1995.
 
The Class of 2021 inductees are Sue Brand, Annie Caron, Carla Chin Baker, Janet Lemieux, Luce Mongrain, Suzanne Muir, Cathy Ross and Sue Simon. Collectively, they won 18 national titles from 1982 to 1995, eight Concacaf silver medals from 1991 and 1994, and the Concacaf Women’s Championship in 1998. Five of them were original members of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986 and six of them featured at either the FIFA Women’s Invitational Tournament in 1988 or the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 1995.

The eight legends will be celebrated with a special video event on Thursday 6 May 2021 on Canada Soccer’s digital channels. The celebration will continue with weekly player features in May and June ahead of Canada Day 2021, which will mark 35 years since the first Women’s National Team camp in Winnipeg in 1986, then continue with a further spotlight on the program’s legacy during Women’s History Month in October.
 
“Canada Soccer congratulates this group of first-class athletes who have been honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame for their incredible impact on the game at both the national and international levels,” said Dr. Nick Bontis, Canada Soccer President. “This group features some of the pioneers and champions of women’s soccer from our first National Championships and Women’s National Team to the FIFA Women’s Invitational Tournament in 1988, the first Concacaf Women’s Championship in 1991, and our first participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1995.”
 
Canada Soccer have been pioneers and leaders in women’s soccer over the past 40 years, from the adoption of its first National Championships in 1982, the inauguration of the Women’s National Team in 1986, and hosting back-to-back Concacaf Women’s Championships in 1994 and 1998. Canada has since hosted the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship in 2002, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, and the record-setting FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. As part of the Canada 2015 legacy, Canada Soccer helped co-found the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013 and established the Regional EXCEL and Super EXCEL Centres from coast to coast across Canada, with already more than 500 youth players featured in the program since 2013.
 
Canada are one of nine nations that have qualified for the past seven editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ since 1995 and one of just five nations that have qualified for the past four editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament since 2008. Canada are also the only nation in the world to reach the podium at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 in women’s football.
 
It all started back on 1 July 1986 when the first Women’s National Team camp opened in Winnipeg, with Canada’s first two international “A” matches a week later against USA in Blaine, Minnesota (Canada won their first-ever match on 9 July 1986). Since then, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team have played over 400 international “A” matches while the Women’s National Team Program has featured more than 900 players from the Youth National Teams to the National Team.
 
The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours Canadian players that have played the game with excellence at the international and club level. With the eight new selections for 2021, the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame now features 202 honoured members: 137 players, 13 coaches/managers, 10 referees, and 42 builders. As a priority established by Canada Soccer, players now make up two-thirds of the honoured members in the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame.
 
The special 2021 class is also an integral part of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame’s priority to establish equity within the Modern Canadian Players category from both the Men’s and Women’s National Team Programs. Since the first FIFA Women’s World Cup was played in 1991, football at the very highest level has provided the same number of starting positions in the international game for both Men’s and Women’s National Teams. Under the same principle for Canadian players from the 1990s forward, the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame will honour an equal number of players from both the Men’s National Team and Women’s National Team.

CANADA SOCCER HALL OF FAME
Sue Brand, Canadian fullback from Edmonton, Alberta
A five-time National Championships Jubilee Trophy winner, Sue Brand was Canada’s top player at the FIFA Women’s Invitational Tournament in 1988 and then won a silver medal at the 1991 Concacaf Women’s Championship. She was the only player that featured in every Canada international minute from December 1987 to April 1991.
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Annie Caron, Canadian attacking midfield from Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Québec
A National Championships Jubilee Trophy winner, Annie Caron was one six original members from Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986 that also represented Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sweden 1995. She was Canada’s joint goalscoring leader after the Women’s National Team Program’s first six seasons.
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Carla Chin Baker, Canadian goalkeeper from Scarborough & Aurora, Ontario
A two-time runner up at Canada Soccer’s National Championships, Carla Chin Baker was one of six original members from Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986 that also represented Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sweden 1995. She was Canada’s all-time goalkeeper leader in international “A” appearances from 1986 to 1997.
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Janet Lemieux, Canadian sweeper from Edmonton, Alberta
A four-time National Championships Jubilee Trophy winner, Janet Lemieux was an original member of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986. She played for Canada in every international minute in 1986 and 1987 until she was forced out through injury.
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Luce Mongrain, Canadian centre back from Trois-Rivières, Québec
A third-place finisher at Canada Soccer’s National Championships in 1998, Luce Mongrain was in fact Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team’s youngest international at age 16 in 1987. She won two Concacaf silver medals and featured for Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sweden 1995.
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Suzanne Muir, Canadian fullback from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
A National Championships Jubilee Trophy winner, Suzanne Muir was one of seven Canadians that featured at the FIFA Women’s World Cup at Sweden 1995 and USA 1999. The first Nova Scotia player inducted to the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, she helped Canada win the 1998 Concacaf Women’s Championship.
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Cathy Ross, Canadian centre back from Coquitlam, British Columbia
A National Championships Jubilee Trophy winner, Cathy Ross was one of six original members from Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986 that also represented Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sweden 1995. She was the only player to feature in every Women’s National Team international “A” match from 1986 to 1991.
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Sue Simon, Canadian goalkeeper from Edmonton, Alberta
A joint-record six-time National Championships Jubilee Trophy winner, Sue Simon was Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team original starting goalkeeper in 1986, including an MVP performance in Canada’s first international win against USA. She once held Canada Soccer’s all-time record for clean sheets at the National Championships.
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