Sayer headed to hall of fame
Bob Sayer was an early champion and promoter of Canadian women's soccer.
When the Lunenburg resident and former Canada Soccer vice-president reflects upon his distinguished career, he's proud of how much the women's game has grown nationally and on the international stage.
“In 1981, I was elected president of Soccer Nova Scotia and I was already on the executive of the Canadian youth soccer association and I was preaching the need to develop the women's game,” the 79-year-old Sayer recalled in an interview on Monday.
“I guess I put my money where my mouth was and got our province to host a national women's soccer conference. There were delegates from B.C. and right across the country. We developed proposals that there must be equity, a national women's team and full national club championships for girls and women and programs to get more girls and women involved in coaching and refereeing.
“That led to Lunenburg to hosting the first Eastern Canadian women's championship and then the first national women's championship. I remember in 1986 when we got the first women's national team off the ground and as they walked out for the first time and I was watching the flag, I was thinking at least we made a start.
“When you look at what's happened with the national women's team, players are known by everybody, they have won medals at the Olympics and the World Cup, that has been a tremendous boost for me and the game.”
Canada Soccer will honour Sayer with an induction into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame this spring. He will enter as part of the class of 2020, joining previouslyannounced player inductees Karina Leblanc and Brittany Timko Baxter.
“Bob Sayer helped guide our vision for women's soccer in Canada,” Canada Soccer president Dr. Nick Bontis said in a news release.
“And part of his legacy has been the success of players like Karina Leblanc and Brittany Timko Baxter, from winning a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games to each representing their country more than 100 times.”
Sayer, a Canada Soccer life member who became the first Atlantic Canadian to serve as vice-president of soccer’s national body from 1986 to 1992, will be inducted into the builders section at the 2021 Canada Soccer awards banquet during the organization’s annual general meeting in Saint John, N.B.
“I’m tremendously excited and everybody is crossing their fingers and hoping to set a date,” Sayer said. The 2020 Canada Soccer AGM was cancelled because of the COVID19 pandemic.
“I think back of 30-plus years of meetings and late nights and persuading people in what needed to be done, it’s all been worth it. Mind you, the game has been good to me. I have travelled the world because of Canadian soccer, from Chile to China, from North Africa to Denmark. So, it was worth it. And to have made a difference provincially and nationally, it’s a great honour.”
Sayer, who left England for Canada in 1968 to take a teaching position in Lockeport, founded the Lunenburg District Youth Soccer Association in the 1970s.
During his first year as Canada Soccer vice-president, Sayer was head of the delegation for the women’s national team’s first international matches against the United States.
That was 1986, the same year Canada’s men’s squad competed in its first – and, to date, only – FIFA World Cup.
“The other brilliant time for me was as vice-president in 1986 in Mexico when the men’s team, the one and only time, made the World Cup. We fought all the opposition and got there and it was a huge celebration across Canada,” said Sayer, a Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inductee in 1992.
Forty years later, Canada will co-host the 2026 World Cup with the U.S. and Mexico. Host countries traditionally get an automatic berth into the tournament. Sayer is already making plans to attend and watch Canada in the World Cup again.
“In 2026, 40 years later, we will co-host,” he said. “I should start a 40 Years Club. If you were in Mexico in ’86, be there in 2026. I think there will be very few of us in the club.
“I’ll be with a walker but I’ll be there with bells on. Nothing will stop me.”