Connie Marshall’s passion for soccer has never been just about the game—it has been about creating opportunities, breaking barriers, and shaping the future of Canadian soccer.
From her early days as a player to her influential roles in coach development, Marshall’s career has been defined by dedication and a commitment to ensuring women coaches and coach developers have a place at the highest levels of the sport.
Marshall joined Canada Soccer in 2021 as a Coach Developer, quickly making an impact by facilitating licensing courses that helped develop the next generations. She played a crucial role in programs such as the former Youth Licence program (Atlantic cohort), B Diploma, and C Licence courses. In 2021, she also stepped into a mentorship role, guiding women Coach Developers as they led the C Licence program for League One Ontario players. This dedication to mentorship would become a cornerstone of her contributions to Canadian soccer.
Her influence and great achievements extended further in 2024 when she took on the role of Master Coach Developer for the FIFA/Canada Soccer Coach Educator Development Project, a landmark initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for women coach developers. As part of this project, she mentored the first group of women coaches undertaking the new Concacaf C Diploma in Ontario, reinforcing her long-standing mission to elevate women in the coaching ecosystem.
Marshall’s expertise and reputation as a leader in coach education recently led to an exciting new opportunity. In 2024, she was approached by FIFA to serve as a Female Health and Performance Education Consultant, a role that aligns with both her coaching background and her expertise as a pharmacist and healthcare educator. This consultancy role allows her to integrate health, performance, and education to support the development of female footballers and coaches on a global scale.
Despite these major achievements, Marshall’s path has not been without challenges. She has often had to fight for opportunities that were readily available to others.
“On numerous occasions, I was only considered for the Assistant Coach role when I possessed the required qualifications for the Head Coach role,” she said. “For many years, opportunities within the coach education ecosystem were limited for female Coach Developers.”
Overcoming these barriers required both personal resilience and systemic change. Marshall committed herself to continuous learning—observing matches, attending coaching conferences, completing licensing courses, and developing her skills as an educator. At the same time, organizations like Ontario Soccer and Canada Soccer took steps to empower women coaches through mentorship programs and initiatives such as the FIFA/Canada Soccer Coach Educator Development Project. Thanks to these efforts, pathways for women in coaching and coach development have expanded significantly in recent years.
Looking at the broader landscape of women’s soccer in Canada, Marshall has witnessed a big shift. “The idea of a professional Women’s League would have seemed impossible when I was playing,” she said. “Even the notion of a female coach becoming the Head Coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team would have seemed unimaginable.”
Now, with the launch of the Northern Super League (NSL) and a growing emphasis on female leadership, she sees an era of opportunity ahead. “It is my dream that the NSL will provide Canada’s best women’s soccer players, coaches, and leaders a platform to excel, and that Canada Soccer remains committed to developing and empowering female coaches and coach developers.”
Among her many accomplishments, two moments stand out as particularly meaningful for Marshall. In 2015, she was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association (NLSA) Hall of Fame, joining her father as a Player/Builder—a recognition of both her playing career and her impact on the sport. Equally significant was her role as the Head Mentor for the Ontario Soccer Female Coaches Mentorship Program from 2012 to 2019. The first structured program of its kind in Canada, which prepared over 150 women coaches for licensing courses, many of whom are now working with Canada Soccer.
As she looks to the future, Marshall’s hope is simple yet powerful: to see the movement she helped build continue to grow. “I hope more female coaches strive to obtain higher qualifications and that the pool of female Coach Developers and Master Coach Developers at Canada Soccer continues to expand.”
With her legacy already firmly established, there is no doubt that her impact will be felt for generations to come.
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