Charmaine Hooper facts for kids

Charmaine Elizabeth Hooper (born January 15, 1968) is a Canadian retired soccer player. She was a fantastic forward, known for scoring many goals. Charmaine played for the Canada women's national soccer team for 20 years, from 1986 to 2006. She was even Canada's top player for appearances and goals when she stopped playing!

Charmaine Hooper won the Canadian Players of the Year award four times. She is also a member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. She played in three big FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments: in 1995, 1999, and 2003. She also played professionally for clubs in Norway, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Charmaine Hooper's Early Life and School

Charmaine Hooper was born in Georgetown, Guyana, on January 15, 1968. When she was 6 years old, her family moved to Zambia. A few years later, at age 9, they moved to Ottawa, Canada. She went to J. S. Woodsworth Secondary School.

After high school, Charmaine went to North Carolina State University. There, she played on the NC State Wolfpack women's soccer team. She was an amazing player, setting records for the most goals and points in a season and in her whole college career. Her team won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 1988. They also did very well in national tournaments, reaching the finals in 1988. Charmaine played in 89 games and scored 58 goals for the Wolfpack. She studied food science in college. In 2014, she was honored by being added to the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Charmaine Hooper's Club Soccer Career

In 1993, Charmaine Hooper started her professional soccer career. She played for FK Donn in Norway, where she scored 17 goals in just 13 games! After a short time with Lazio in Italy, she moved to Japan. There, she played for Prima Ham FC Kunoichi. She was a very important player in Japan and won many awards.

After four seasons in Japan, she decided to return to North America. She played for the Rockford Dactyls and the Chicago Cobras in the USL W-League. In 2002, she was part of the first group of players to be added to the United Soccer League's Hall of Fame.

Later, when the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) professional league started in America, Charmaine joined the Atlanta Beat. She played for them for all three years the league existed. Her team even played in the championship games in 2001 and 2003.

After the WUSA, she played for the Chicago Cobras again in 2004. Then, in 2006, she played for the New Jersey Wildcats. Her last season playing club soccer was in 2008 for the Fort Worth FC.

Charmaine Hooper's International Soccer Career

Charmaine Hooper's display at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame

Charmaine Hooper played 128 games and scored 71 goals for the Canadian national team. For a long time, these were both national records! Her first game for Canada was on July 7, 1986, against the United States. She proudly represented Canada in three FIFA Women's World Cups: in Sweden (1995) and twice in the USA (1999 and 2003).

In June 2012, Charmaine Hooper was honored by being added to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. Later that year, in October, she was also inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary. These honors show how important she was to Canadian soccer.

Charmaine Hooper's Personal Life

Charmaine Hooper comes from a family of soccer players. Her brother, Lyndon Hooper, was also a Canadian soccer player. Another brother, Ian Hooper, works in baseball. Charmaine grew up in Nepean, Ontario.

In 2002, Charmaine married Chuck Codd, who used to be a college soccer coach. They have a daughter together. In 2014, Charmaine and her husband were on a TV show called Fixer Upper. They chose and fixed up their home, which later became a child care center and then an Airbnb.

Images for kids

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  Charmaine Hooper's display at the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame