Andrea Neil
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Andrea Neil (born October 26, 1971, in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
) is a pioneer of women's soccer in Canada. Neil retired from the game after representing Canada more than any other Canadian player in history. With a career spanning 18 years she went on to play for her country 132 times, and was the first Canadian to participate in four
FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), the sport's international governing bo ...
s as a player (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007), including Canada's best ever finish at a FIFA World Cup, when the Canadian women's national team finished fourth in 2003.


Early career

Neil started her athletic career with badminton at the junior national level. After almost losing her leg to
gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...
due to a motorcycle accident in the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
, Neil decided to focus her career on soccer. Neil attended the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
where she earned a degree in
human kinetics Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...
.


Canada and UBC

In 1991, at 19, she made her international debut against
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
in
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
. In 1993 she was named UBC's female athlete of the year and the winner of the Marilyn Pomfret Award. In 1994 Neil returned to the #1 ranked Thunderbirds under coac
Dick Mosher
UBC outscored its opposition at a six to one ratio through the Conference season while Neil played a key role in UBC's winning of the CIAU National Championship. "She was not only an outstanding player but one of the finest leaders that I have experienced in the entire athletic program." Dick Mosher, coach of men's and women's soccer at UBC for more than 20 years. In 2001, Neil was named Canadian Player of the Year. From 2001 to 2006 Neil played for the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...
and set records for games played, minutes played and assists. While captain of the team she led them to two W-League championships in 2004 and 2006. Neil made her 100th appearance against
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
on April 21, 2004, becoming the second player to do so in Canadian history. On April 21, 2007, prior to the World Cup in China, she represented Canada at the World All Star Game. Neil played her last game for Canada on September 15, 2007, against
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
during the
FIFA Women's World Cup The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), the sport's international governing bo ...
in China. Neil retired with the most appearances in Canadian soccer history and fifth overall for goals.


Retirement

On May 28, 2008, the Vancouver Whitecaps retired the #5 jersey in honour of her career. "Andrea Neil is the ultimate pioneer and ambassador. Her relentless commitment to growing women's soccer in Canada is second to none. She is a natural leader and was instrumental during the Whitecaps two W-League championships, 2004 and 2006." Bob Lenarduzzi, Vancouver Whitecaps FC President- In 2008, Neil was one of three women recognized at the annual In Her Footsteps ... Celebrating B.C. Women in Sport gala at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The permanent exhibit celebrates women who have made a difference through sports for girls and women in the province of British Columbia. In April 2009 Neil was inducted into the UBC Sport Hall of Fame. On November 8, 2011, Neil became the first woman and third player overall to be inducted for soccer into the Canada's Sport Hall of Fame. In June 2012, Neil was further recognized for her contributions to soccer. She was inducted into the
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2019, the Canada Soccer Ha ...
. As part of the Canadian Soccer Association's centennial celebrations, Neil was selected as a member of th
All-Time Canada XI - Women's Team
In September 2012, Neil was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. On August 10, 2014, a
BC Place
in Vancouver BC, Neil was inducted into the Vancouver Whitecap
Ring of Honour
as part of the club's 40th anniversary. This acclaim acknowledges exemplary players and figures who have embodied "Our all. Our honour" and who represent the club's three core values: Unity, Winning, and Honour. Her fellow 2014 inductees were
Bob Lenarduzzi Robert Italo Lenarduzzi, OBC (born May 1, 1955) is a former North American Soccer League player, Canadian international, and coach of the Canadian national and Olympic soccer teams. He is currently club liaison for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. H ...
,
Carl Valentine Carl Howard Valentine (born 4 July 1958) is a former professional soccer player and coach who has had a long association with soccer in the Vancouver area. Born in England, he represented the Canada national team at international level. He w ...
and
Domenic Mobilio Domenic Mobilio (January 14, 1969 – November 13, 2004) was a Canadian professional soccer player who played as a striker. Club career Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mobilio was a long-time member of the Vancouver 86ers turned Vancouv ...
.


Coaching

During her playing years, Neil was also involved with the sport as a soccer coach. From 1997 to 1999 she was the assistant coach for the UBC Thunderbirds Women's Team. From 2004 to 2006 she was an assistant coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC women's team and their Youth Academy Girls Head Coach. Neil earned her USSF National "B" Coaching License in Carson, CA, USA in April 2009 and her UEFA Coaching A License (Coverciano) in Florence, ITA in July 2010. After officially retiring as a player, Neil went on to be one of Canadian women's national team's assistant coaches, helping the team to win the Cyprus Cup twice (2010, 2011), the Brazil Four Nations Tournament (2010) and the second CONCACAF Women's Championship during World Cup Qualifying in 2010. On November 10, 2014, after two seasons as head coach of the UBC Thunderbird's women's soccer program and a career record of 15-8-5, Neil resigned to pursue other opportunities. "I am very proud of my time here at the university, both as a coach and as a player," Neil said. "I think the program has a very bright future, and I'm very excited that UBC was able to secure the 2015 CIS Women's Soccer Championship. I think the program is headed in a great direction and will continue to do well." In May 2015 it was announced that Neil would be an Analyst on TSN Radio as part of their coverage of the FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CANADA 2015™.


References


External links

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Canada Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2019, the Canada Soccer Hal ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neil, Andrea 1971 births Living people Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Canadian women's soccer players U Sports coaches Canada women's international soccer players 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup players 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games University of British Columbia alumni Soccer players from Vancouver FIFA Century Club UBC Thunderbirds soccer players Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in football Women's association football midfielders Vancouver Whitecaps FC (women) players Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games