• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 6

"Sure to score big with soccer fans, especially girls who play the sport themselves."
- Julie Chychota, CM Magazine

Soccer is the most popular sport for more than 350,000 Canadian girls, and their heroines and role models are the talented players profiled in Goals and Dreams: A Celebration of Canadian Women's Soccer.

Goals and Dreams is a detailed, in-depth look at how a diverse group of soccer-crazed Canadians developed into one of the world's best teams. Through unique access to the players' world--both on- and off-field--the authors reveal the passion and commitment these players have for the game and how they balance school, work and training. It follows their journey from the Edmonton Under-19 Women's World Championships-- where 50,000 fans plus a huge TV audience cheered them on--to the Women's World Cup--where they beat Argentina, Japan and China to capture fourth place--and concludes with the Under-19 World Championships held in Thailand in November 2004.

It features interviews with world-class stars like Charmaine Hooper and Christine Sinclair as well as up-and-coming teenagers like Brittany Timko, Kara Lang and Aysha Jamani. It also contains a brief history of women's soccer in Canada, as well as information on national team selection, chances for a professional career and training routines.

Goals and Dreams includes an introduction by stellar midfielder Andrea Neil, who helped the Canadian Women's soccer team to their fourth-place finish in the recent World Cup and is their longest-serving midfielder. She recently played in her one-hundredth match for Canada.

Award-winning North Vancouver journalist Bob Mackin's Olympic journey began in the fall of 1998 when he attended the news conference at BC Place Stadium announcing Vancouver's bid to become Canada's candidate for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Almost twelve years later, he was among the last people to leave the stadium after the Games closed. He even donned a pair of red mittens to carry the Olympic torch in Edmonton. Bob spent ten years as a sports columnist with the Vancouver Courier and reported for six years for 24 Hours Vancouver and the Sun Media chain. He is the author of three books on baseball trivia and one on soccer.

Bob Mackin's profile page

Shel Brødsgaard is Canada's national goalkeeping coach and the author of Soccer--Guarding the Goal. He has worked with the Canadian women's team for the past four years.

Shel Brødsgaard's profile page

"Goals and Dreams is sure to score big with soccer fans, especially girls who play the sport themselves... The athletes featured in Goals and Dreams will impress readers as extremely likeable, animated, hard-working, caring women who value family, friends, and sportsmanship. Canadians have every right to celebrate them!"
- Julie Chychota, CM Magazine

Canadian Review of Materials

Goals and Dreams