Craig Forrest

Craig Lorne Forrest... grew up playing soccer and lacrosse... he was 12 years old when he started playing soccer at Coquitlam Bel-Aire City... favourites have included Bruce Grobbelaar... underwent surgery for testicular cancer... served as Canada’s FIFA for SOS Children Ambassador... in 2012 as part of the Canadian Soccer Association’s Centennial Celebration, was honoured on the All-Time Canada XI men’s team...

honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2007... honoured by the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia, and the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame... part of the Canadian team that won a gold medal at the 1989 Jeux de la Francophonie, recognised as a Canada Soccer Team of Distinction... part of the Canadian team that won the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup, recognised as a Canada Soccer Team of Distinction... a two-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year (1994 an 2000)... recipient of Canada Soccer’s Aubrey Sanford Meritorious Service Award in 2005...

Concacaf champion (2000)... represented Canada at the FIFA Confederations Cup Korea/Japan 2001... represented Canada in two cycles of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and four editions of the Concacaf Gold Cup, including the inaugural edition in 1991... career 61 international appearances across 14 years from 1988 to 2001 with Canada Soccer's Men's National Team as a goalkeeper, including 56 international "A" appearances… when he left international football in 2001, he ranked first all-time with 61 international goalkeeper appearances (ninth overall)... represented Canada at one FIFA youth tournament (U-19 at Chile 1987)...

club career in Canada and England, including appearances in UEFA Cup... with Ipswich Town FC, won the Football League Second Division...

was part of Canada Soccer’s post-match Guard of Honour on 27 March 2022 to celebrate Canada’s qualification to the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup (along with nine other former players)...

said Forrest in 1988 of missing FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, “I wanted to go, but I wasn’t happy about giving up my newly won place in the Ipswich team. As it turned out, manager John Duncan took the matter into his own hands and said I wouldn’t be released”... said Forrest in 1995, Frank Yallop “was like a big brother, really. He just took me in and looked after me. I’m very lucky to be able to have played as many years as we have at Ipswich together”... said Forrest in 2000 after the Concacaf Gold Cup, “the game against Mexico was the turning point. We defended so well and scored every chance we had. After that, it felt like destiny. In the final against Colombia, we knew we were up against an outstanding team, so our approach was, ‘well, we’ve got nothing to lose’”.... wrote Neil Davidson in 2002, Forrest was “a big man (but) moved with elegance and grace as he patrolled the penalty box”... said Jason deVos in 2007, in Craig Forrest in 2000, ”we had the best goalkeeper in CONCACAF, bar none. He was immense for us, especially in the semi-final. He thoroughly deserved the MVP of the tournament”...

in 2007, he was the second goalkeeper inducted as an athlete honoured member in the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame (after Ken Pears)... in 2015, he was the first goalkeeper inducted as an athlete honoured member in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame...

said Craig Forrest of one of his highlights in the Premier League, “walking out with Bruce Grobbelaar next to me was just incredible; to think he was my idol and then (I got) to walk out on Anfield next him”...