Christine Sinclair uses philanthropy to break down gender barriers in sport

By Peggy Lam, headline photo courtesy of Canada Soccer

This story is featured in our 2024 Vancouver Foundation magazine. Read the magazine to explore other stories of innovation, transformation, and community-driven change. 

Christine Sinclair is one of Canada’s most beloved athletes. The soccer superstar earned that accolade after 20 years of play, having scored more international goals than any other player in the world — a whopping 190, in fact. But Sinclair isn’t just known for her talent and skills on the field. She’s widely recognized for her fight for gender equity off the pitch — one that continues, even after retiring from national play last year.

Sinclair wants to eliminate barriers for young women and girls in soccer, so she partnered with Vancouver Foundation to establish the Christine Sinclair Foundation as a donor-advised fund. It runs the Girls with Goals scholarship program, dedicated to young players who need mentorship and resources to stay in the sport. With Vancouver Foundation’s behind-the-scenes support, Sinclair and her team can focus on making an impact.

Sinclair understands the importance of grants and scholarships firsthand. She accepted a scholarship to the University of Portland after completing high school. “It took me through university. The four years I spent at the University of Portland were incredibly formative for my growth as a soccer player and as a person,” she said.

Why Sinclair chose philanthropy

“I started thinking more about my legacy and where I was uniquely positioned to affect change,” Sinclair said. “Girls and women have made incredible strides in the last couple of decades, but there are still many obstacles and inequalities.”

She started Girls with Goals to help teen girls realize their potential through soccer. “Far too many girls continue to drop out of soccer in their teen years,” said Sinclair. “I want to keep as many girls as possible focused on their goals, whatever they might be, and to find ways to support them along the way.”

Even Sinclair hadn’t always seen herself playing soccer professionally. She found it hard to see her full potential, and it didn’t help that women’s sports didn’t show up much in the news either. “Growing up, I never really thought being a professional athlete was a possibility for a girl until I attended some 1999 Women’s World Cup matches,” said Sinclair. Decades later, she’s now seen as a role model for many athletes — and it’s a role she doesn’t take lightly.

“I fill [it] proudly along with my peers in professional sport. I’m a firm believer in ‘seeing is believing’ because of how much it did for me to realize my dreams are possible,” she said.

Sinclair said some girls dream of playing professional soccer and representing Canada, while others might want to coach. Some might also use soccer to earn a university scholarship and develop leadership skills.

Whatever their ambitions are, Girls with Goals is designed to support them, she said. And because the Christine Sinclair Foundation is set up as a donor-advised fund with Vancouver Foundation, she can sustain this support for years to come and pivot as the needs of young women and girls change.

Pay equity is just the beginning

Many women and girls still face obstacles in soccer, like a lack of women coaches and pay inequity. “The level of compensation for women at the pro level remains a fraction of what men get,” said Sinclair, adding that fighting to close the pay gap was one of the biggest obstacles she faced in the sport.

In 2021, the year they won an Olympic gold medal, Canada’s women’s soccer team discovered they were paid just a fifth of what the men got. Sinclair and her teammates spent years advocating for equal treatment, team funding and pay.

The team’s fight included a strike and testimony in parliament. Sinclair spoke before MPs, giving a scathing review of Canada Soccer over its treatment of the women’s team. She and her teammates demanded the same World Cup budget as the men’s and pushed for explanations as to why their programs were being cut.

At the time, Canada Soccer said its proposed labour deal would pay both teams the same match rate, but it acknowledged that equal pay did not mean equal dollars when it came to team budgets. Last July, the women’s team and Canada Soccer reached an interim pay deal. “It’s taken a lot of advocacy work to get things moving in the right direction. I’m proud of where we’ve come from but there is more work to do to elevate women, and I hope the [Christine Sinclair] Foundation can play a role in that,” Sinclair said.

Christine Sinclair Foundation is B.C.-based, with a national impact

Sinclair was born and raised in Burnaby, B.C. She started soccer at the age of four, one of the youngest players on the Burnaby Bees team of mainly six-year-olds. This deep connection to her hometown influenced her decision to select a partner for her philanthropy; she said she wanted to pick an organization rooted in the place she calls home. “I grew up in a very tight-knit community, so that feeling of kindness and helping people out has carried throughout my life,” she said.

“What Christine Sinclair is doing will create a great deal of equity and inclusion for women and girls in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field,” said Kevin McCort, president and CEO of Vancouver Foundation. “Girls with Goals is a wonderful complement to what we’re doing here at Vancouver Foundation too, and we’re so happy to have her become part of our community.”

Follow in Christine Sinclair’s footsteps and start your legacy too.