Carol Anne Chénard... speaks English, French, Spanish... she was two years old when her family moved from Summerside to Ottawa; growing up, her family also lived in Moose Jaw, Scarborough, Ottawa while her father was stationed on different military bases... she grew up competing in short-track speed skating, soccer, basketball and volleyball... both of her parents were also international speed skating officials... she enjoys camping, canoeing, kayaking, traveling, cooking, reading... she was 15 years old when she started refereeing at Ottawa Gloucester SC... earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology from McGill University...

named in her honour, Ontario Soccer’s Carol Anne Chénard Award was first presented in 2017 (the first recipient was Mariene Ford)... recipient of the Ray Morgan Memorial Award in 2009 and 2017...

she was just the fourth Canadian referee to serve 15 or more years on the FIFA List of Referees and Assistant Referees (from 2006 to 2020), following in the footsteps of Harry Sadler, Tony Evangelista and Héctor Vergara... she was appointed as a referee to three FIFA Women’s World Cups and two Olympic Games, although she missed her last FIFA Women’s World Cup after being diagnosed with cancer... on 18 June 2009, she was the first female referee appointed to the final match in the men’s Canadian Championship...

said Canada Soccer President Steven Reed in 2020, ““Carol Anne Chénard has long been at the pinnacle of international refereeing, breaking barriers over an impressive career that placed her as an inspiration for aspiring referees from coast-to-coast-to-coast. We are proud of and celebrate Carol Anne’s professional achievements and know that she will continue to be a leader for young referees in Canada and abroad”...

said Chénard in 2020, “refereeing is a lot of hard work, a lot of the time is spent out of the spotlight, but the rewards and opportunities are worth it, but you have to stay humble. You do the work, surround yourself with the right people and be ready to seize your opportunity”...

For Sport

served on the FIFA List of Referees and Assistant Referees for 15 years from 2006 to 2020, including two FIFA Women’s World Cups (2011 and 2015) and two Olympic Games (2012 and 2016)... served on the Canada Soccer List of Referees and Assistant Referees for 16 years from 2005 to 2020)... over the course of her career as a Referee, she was appointed to matches in leagues including the USL W-League, the Canadian Premier League (starting in 2019) and Major League Soccer... was appointed as a Referee and Assistant Referee at Canada Soccer’s National Championships (men’s Challenge Trophy and women’s Jubilee Trophy finals)... was appointed as an Referee for Canada Soccer’s Canadian Championship (including five matches as Referee from 2008 to 2018)...

she was appointed as a referee at the 2008 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament... she was appointed as a referee at the 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship... she was appointed as a referee at the 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship... she was appointed as a referee at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Chile 2008, including the tournament’s Semi-final round (Korea DPR v France)...

she was appointed as a referee for the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship... she was appointed as a referee at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010, including the tournament’s Final (Germany v Nigeria)... she was appointed as a referee at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011, including the tournament’s Semi-final round (Japan v Sweden)... she was appointed as a referee at the 2012 Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver… she was appointed as a Referee at the London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament...

she was appointed as Referee for the 2013 Algarve Women’s Cup, including the tournament’s Final (USA v Germany)... she was appointed as a referee at the 2014 Concacaf Women's Under-20 Championship... she was appointed as a referee for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, including the Final Match in Montréal on 24 August 2014 (Germany v Nigeria)... she was appointed as a referee for the 2014 Concacaf Women’s Championship... she was appointed as a referee for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015... she was appointed as a referee at the 2016 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament... she was appointed as a referee to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, including the tournament’s Final gold medal match on 19 August 2016 (Germany v Sweden)...

she was appointed as a support referee for the men’s FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017... she was appointed as a referee for the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship... she was appointed as a referee for the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship... she was appointed as a referee to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018... she was appointed as a referee to the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, but did not participate after she was diagnosed with cancer...

was appointed as a Video Assistant Referee for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Championship... was appointed as a Referee for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022, including the Final on 30 October 2022...

was appointed as an Assistant Referee for Canada Soccer’s 2004 National Championships Jubilee Trophy Final in Charlottetown on 11 October 2004 (Edmonton Victoria SC won 1:0 over Halifax Athens United)... was appointed as Referee for Canada Soccer’s 2005 National Championships Jubilee Trophy Final in Calgary on 10 October 2005 (Edmonton Victoria SC won 3:0 over Eliot River)... was appointed as Referee to the 2006 USL W-League Championship Final in Burnaby on 6 August 2006 (Vancouver Whitecaps won 3:0 over Ottawa Fury)...