Soccer icon Christine Sinclair honours late mother in new short animated film

Nearly 40 years ago, Sandra Sinclair became her only daughter Christine’s first soccer coach. About 10 years later, she watched the little girl from Burnaby, B.C., debut with Canada’s senior women’s national team at 16 and grow into a sporting legend.

Sandra witnessed her daughter earn her first Olympic medal, a bronze in 2012, another bronze four years later and 2021 gold, a thrilling penalty-kick battle against Sweden in Tokyo.

Christine was the 2012 Northern Star Award recipient as Canada’s top athlete and a 14-time winner of Canada Soccer’s player of the year award.

She also scored more goals on the international soccer stage than any woman or man (190 in 331 appearances) before retiring from international play in 2023.

“If my mom was here, she’d say, ‘Yeah, I was the one who taught you everything,’” said an emotional Sinclair. “My mom played such an important role in my life [and] not just as a mom.

“She gave me a lot of perspective in life. About what truly matters, what a hard day looks like.”

The 42-year-old watched Sandra “battle” 40 years with multiple sclerosis, keeping her diagnosis and discomfort hidden from Christine and her older brother Mike for 12 years.

After Christine captained Canada to Olympic gold, she was inspired by her mother to write her memoir Playing the Long Game, which was released a few months after Sandra died in February 2022.

Sandra now plays a prominent role in Christine’s short animated film, Christine Sinclair: Kind of a Big Deal, a seven-minute documentary about her life and career. It will launch before the start of the Men’s World Cup next month on Burnaby-based public broadcaster Knowledge Network’s television and streaming platforms.

Christine Sinclair discusses new film