Annie Caron

Annie Caron... speaks French, English, Italian... both her mother Huguette Levasseur and father Michel Caron were born in Québec, QC... she grew up participating in soccer and alpine skiing... she was six years old when she started playing soccer at Dollard-des-Ormeaux... earned BFA, Design from Concordia University in 1992...

honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021... honoured by the Québec Soccer Hall of Fame (Temple de la renommée du soccer québecoise) and the Concordia University Sports Hall of Fame... she was part of the first Canadian team to play at the FIFA Women’s World Cup (Sweden 1995), recognised as a Canada Soccer Team of Distinction... she was part of the 1988 Concordia women’s team honoured by the Concordia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2011...

represented Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sweden 1995... won two Concacaf medals with Canada (1991 silver and 1994 silver)... represented Canada at the World Invitational Women’s Tournament (Chinese Cup 1987) and International Women’s Football Tournament (China 1988)... one of six original members of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986 that also participated in Canada’s first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1995 (Annie Caron, Carla Chin, Geri Donnelly, Charmaine Hooper, Michelle Ring and Cathy Ross)... career 34 international “A” appearances across 10 years from 1986 to 1995 with Canada Soccer's Women's National Team... when she left international football, she ranked tied for fourth in international “A” appearances (34) with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team... across Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team’s early years, twice held or shared the program’s goalscoring record (in 1988, became first Canadian with three international goals; in 1991, became second Canadian with seven international goals)...

in the program’s early years, was often part of Canada’s “Marvelous Midfield” (Joan McEachern on the right, Connie Cant and Geri Donnelly in the centre, Annie Caron on the left)...

club career in Canada and Italy... with Dorval United SC, a Canada Soccer National Championships winner (Jubilee Trophy in 1989)... a one-time Top Scorer at Canada Soccer’s National Championships (1989)... a runner up at Canada Soccer’s Women’s All-Star Championship (1986)... a three-time Coupe du Québec provincial championship winner (1989, 1992, 1993)... a three-time CIAU First All-Canadian Team and one-time CIAU Second All-Canadian Team...

as noted in 1987, “one of the West Island’s most gifted players”... wrote Scott Howarth for the Gazette in 1988, “Caron’s wizardry on the field is more the result of knowing where the ball is going before it gets there”... said coach Rod Falasconi in 1990, “Annie is so small you’d think she’d get pushed around a lot, but she’s very aggressive. She doesn’t take anything from anyone and it intimidates a lot of opposing players. Most girls, soon as they get the ball, they want to get rid of it, but Annie is more relaxed. She lets the play develop around her”... said Sylvie Béliveau in the Gazette in 1994, “Annie is a very aggressive player and very fast; you notice her out there”... said Annie Caron in the Gazette in 1994, “I was really miniature when I played peewee, but I always found a way to compensate for that, either by using a wider stance of by being faster than everyone else”... wrote Sylvie Béliveau in 1995, “Annie’s speed is very good... she is aggressive but has been very disciplined in her role... she was a player of a different class this year with which I was really impressed”...

said Debbie Doyle in 1989 in Québec Soccer magazine, “Annie travaille, pioche et obtient toujours le ballon. Elle n’arrête jamais, même a la 89e minute; elle continue de piocher pour essayer de mettre le ballon dans le filet”...

said Luce Mongrain in 2021, “Annie could run forever. She was a player that could make you laugh and she brought energy the group. She had a smaller frame, but she could go against a 200-pound opponent with no problem, she would just welcome the challenge”...

said Caron in 2021, “the Canada shirt of course was an honour. I was ecstatic the first time I got to put it on, but I think my most memorable time was my second selection. My first selection was 1986 and we managed to play two games. Then we were sent home with a package for training. We were expected to hopefully make a commitment to women’s soccer for the following years and I was quick to take on. It was in 1987 that I was given that shirt for a second time, I put it on and this time, unlike the first time where I felt like possibly I was just at the right place at the right time, the second time I had worked hard for it. I was driven, supported by family members, and was given the go ahead by everybody who was around me to go for it and try to reach this incredible journey”...

said Caron in 2021, “my journey started when I was six years old and I took it upon myself to sign myself up for soccer. I walked home and told my parents that they had to pay $100 for this new surprise I took on. From my first game, I was hooked”... said Caron in 2021, “I was told that one of my strengths was being aggressive, going for every ball that others may have thought was impossible to get”... said Caron in 2021, “I worked hard when no one was looking. I spent a lot of my free time with a soccer ball. I thought, if I could be as close as perfect as possible, then what could my team accomplish. I think it clicked in when I realised my teammates thought the same. The ones that I met on the Women’s National Team had already put in a lot of effort in just being the best that they could be and now found themselves surrounded by others who could share a new goal of bringing women’s soccer to another level”...

said Caron of the 1988 International Women’s Football Tournament, “with the 45,000 fans at the opening game, we realised how far we had come together, but we also realised that this tournament marked a real change for the future of our sport. Women’s soccer was welcome on the world stage”... said Caron of the 1991 Concacaf Women’s Championship, “the Concacaf silver medal was incredibly rewarding because it was a very difficult competition. Our teammates were hit with some food poisoning, but through these hard times I saw my teammates come together and show so much strength of character. I also have fond memories of my performance in that competition: I was on fire and was able to celebrate this with a group of incredible ladies”... said Caron of the 1994 Concacaf Women’s Championship, “this one was special because I got to play on my home fields with my special friends and family in the stands. It gives you strength, it is humbling, so I am taking the opportunity to thank everyone who rallied behind me”... said Caron of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Sweden 1995, “the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup was my last highlight as I had finally reached my goal to play in a World Cup, but I also realised that I was leaving the sport in a better place. We had really developed as a team and we were able to prove that we were able to play on the international stage. I was confident that my teammates would keep the ball rolling and push the sport even further”...