Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Charmaine Hooper

2015 marks the Year of Sport and the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In recognition of these important milestones, OLM will be featuring Honoured Members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in a weekly Profile piece.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and achievements of its Honoured Members to inspire Canadians in all aspects of life.

Charmaine Hooper: Athlete, Soccer

Known as one of the most exceptional soccer players to come out of Canada, Charmaine Hooper is an inspiration to a whole new generation of players. Her athletic journey is one of risk, persistence and ceaseless passion.

Hooper was born in Guyana in 1968. She began playing soccer as an 8-year-old when her diplomat father was posted in Zambia. After playing soccer exclusively with boys for years, she was quick to join an all-girl team when her family moved to Ottawa.

Hooper made the earliest women’s national soccer team in Canada in 1986 and was the first player to be capped 100 times. Over the course of her 20-year career, which ended in 2006, Hooper represented Canada 129 times and scored 71 goals. Both of these were national records at the time.

Three of her appearances were at FIFA Women’s World Cups. The most recent was in 2003 when she helped lead Canada to its best finish ever in the international tournament. She scored the only goal in the team’s 1-0 win over China, qualifying them for the semi-finals.

Besides winning Canada’s Female Player of the Year in 1994, 1995 and 2002, Hooper was named honorary ambassador to the first-ever FIFA Under-19 World Cup, held in Canada in 2002.

At club level, Hooper played professionally in the United States, Norway, Italy and Japan.

Hooper now lives in Waco, Texas, where her husband, Chuck Codd, is an assistant coach for the Baylor women’s soccer team. She continues to stay involved with the sport by coaching her 9-year-old daughter Charlie. Hooper also gives her time to the FIFA Task Force.

To learn more about Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, visit sportshall.ca.