Blaze of glory
Star midfielder Nairn retires from soccer to chase another dream as Houston firefighter in training
Christine Nairn always wanted to be a professional soccer player.
She grew up scoring goals in her backyard alongside two older brothers, also soccer players, and dreamed of her future on the pitch well before the first women’s pro league was founded.
She starred at Penn State, became one of the original members of the NWSL as the seventh overall pick in 2013’s inaugural draft, played in 167 league matches across all competitions and made two international appearances for the senior U.S. women’s national team.
She found herself within soccer but also found the
strength to exist without it, which led the Houston Dash midfielder to simultaneously announce her retirement from professional soccer and her new career aspiration: She is joining the Houston Fire Department Academy.
Sunday’s friendly match against Liga MX’s Tigres Femenil, a 5-1 Dash win, was Nairn’s last. Monday was her first day in the fire academy.
“I don’t think that there was ever going to be a right time to step away from the game,” she said. “Fortunately, my body feels great. I’m healthy — knock on wood. I think I can play for another 10 years, but I think in the back of my mind, I was kind of ready for a new adventure, a new challenge, and kind of searching for that next step. And I think until I had mentally accepted that, I was kind of half in, half out .”
Nairn, 30, said she had not seriously considered hanging up her cleats until about six months ago. A former Seattle Reign FC teammate, Keelin Pattillo (nee Winters), became a firefighter following her retirement from soccer. Nairn had always wanted to be a first responder, and the more she talked to Pattillo, the more she felt drawn to firefighting.
“I think it just kind of fit the perfect mold for me because she described it as, ‘Just think of being a professional athlete, except now, instead of working toward winning games and stuff like that, you’re just hopefully saving lives and changing your community and being a positive light in that regard,’ ” Nairn said. “It was pretty easy when she painted that picture for me to walk right into.”
Coincidentally, Nairn’s father, Tommy, works for Safeware, Inc., a distributor of safety equipment for first responders, including fire and rescue personnel. Nairn worked for the company during one offseason, though she said that connection didn’t necessarily inspire her new career choice.
The application process for the firefighter’s academy included written and physical tests and interviews. Nairn’s teammates began to suspect something was up when they spotted her wearing business attire following her interviews. The academy program will take eight to nine months to complete. Nairn said she is scheduled to graduate in 2022.
The parallels between her former and soon-to-be jobs are many. Firefighting, like soccer, requires teamwork, physical fortitude and a certain level of unselfishness.
Nairn’s mother, Danamarie, said her daughter has always been extremely driven. Christine decides what she wants, and she goes for it. She played on boys teams as a child, studied German and Spanish while in college to prepare for what she thought would be a playing career in Europe and pushed through the heartbreak of injuries and tough losses.
“She expects a lot of herself,” Danamarie said. “There are times when we had to talk her off a ledge, so to speak.”
Nairn’s numerous sacrifices allowed her to sustain one of the longest playing careers in the NWSL. She logged two stints in Seattle and played for the Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride before arriving to the Dash via a trade in 2019. Her 155 appearances rank fourth in league history.
Dash coach James Clarkson described Nairn, who was his first player signing in Houston, as someone he trusts to find the first solution to any problem.
“She’s a joy to coach,” Clarkson said. “To watch the way she plays, the way she sees the game is fantastic, and it’s a nice way for her to end. She’s one of the founding members of the league. She’s been around the whole time. She was the first player to earn 150 appearances. She means a lot to us, she means a lot to the league, and I think it’s really important that she’s able to go out like this and we can honor her.
“Then Monday the reality hits, and she’s a firewoman in training. Pardon the pun, but out of the frying pan into the fire by the looks of things. So the reality is going to hit, but we know she’s going to be a success, and we’re excited for this next chapter of her life, of her career, and we’re really supportive of it, and we wish her nothing but the best.”
Nairn said her retirement decision has been met with nothing but support from Dash players. In the week leading up to her final match, she cried “more than I ever have in my life.”
She walked into the locker room Sunday afternoon to find a farewell basket containing cards, flowers and cookies. She informed her teammates she was not going to read the cards yet to avoid another overflow of emotion.
“It’s been very emotional, very sad, nervous, all those kind of things that you get from your friends and support groups,” she said. “But at the end of the day, they’ve been the most supportive and loving group of girls that I’ve had the pleasure of playing with and knowing. And I think that whenever I’m second-guessing what I’m doing or, you know, ‘Hey, should I be done, or should I do this, should I do that?’ they’ve been a complete support staff for me, saying, ‘No, this is something that you can do. You’ll be great at it.’ ”
Many professional athletes struggle with finding an identity separate from their sport. Nairn was no different. When she was 25 or 26, a question began eating away at her: What was she without soccer? She didn’t know, and it was terrifying.
Now she has an answer. Nairn’s parents flew in from Maryland to be at BBVA Stadium on Sunday to witness the bittersweet closing of the dominant chapter in their daughter’s life. Nairn’s mother spent the afternoon ironing her fire academy uniforms. Behind the south goal sat a group of young girls in blue jerseys, part of a local youth team Nairn used to coach on the side.
“The nicest thing for me is when you see the outreach and the love from players on other teams and the community,” Tommy Nairn said. “Soccer is fun, but when you see your child is a good person and that people admire what she has done, that means more than anything else.”
It was only fitting that after years of giving her love to soccer, Nairn was repaid by the game in kind.
“I want to walk away from soccer while I still love it, while it’s still my first love,” she said. “And while it kind of feels like a breakup, as weird as that is, I think that soccer will always be a part of my life. But I think in order for me to truly appreciate it and get back into the sport, I need to walk away while I still love and care about it.”
She paused briefly to laugh at herself.
“I’m acting like soccer is a person right now,” she said. “So that’s kind of weird, but you know what I mean.”
Nairn started for the Dash on Sunday, an anchor in the midfield for the last time. When she was subbed off in the 78th minute, her teammates first encircled her in a group hug on the field. A full moon lit up the sky overhead. Nairn walked off with tears welling in her eyes, pulling her orange jersey up over her face.
The 2,510 fans in attendance provided a soundtrack for her exit with cheers. She paused briefly before reaching the sideline to return their applause. She hugged Clarkson and everyone on the bench before reaching up to embrace her father over the railing.
The sun set on Nairn’s first career at 7:57 p.m. Sunday. At 5:45 a.m. Monday, her new one began.
“It was the perfect night for me,” she said. “A part of my heart will always be on the field at BBVA.”
You never forget your first love.