Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: Wilf Thorne/isiphotos.com
From Pro to Coach: Christine Nairn
7/13/2026 2:31:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Nairn spent 10 years in the professional soccer field, wrapping her career with the Houston Dash.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - From the moment Christine Nairn stepped on the pitch as a young girl, she knew her place was in the world of soccer.
"I saw very early on that professional soccer was for me," she says. "I remember when I first told people my dream, and there were some laughs because there was no women's professional soccer. It was just MLS and English Premier League."
A native of Annapolis, Md., Nairn grew up surrounded by soccer, thanks to the participation of her two older brothers in the sport. First starting at four years old, her love for the game grew exponentially from there.
"Pretty much whatever they did I wanted to do," said Nairn. "My parents took me to all their training and I thought it was cool to hang out with the boys and even just go grab soccer balls."
She spent her early club years prior to college with Maryland United, before signing with Penn State. In the back of her mind, however, she always knew the professional path was in her future.
The young athlete spent multiple years competing with the U.S Youth National Teams before entering the college stage. In 2008, she became a FIFA World Cup U-20 Champion in 2008 and in 2010 became CONCACAF U-20 Champion in 2010.
While at Happy Valley, Nairn made a name for herself in the record books, earning TopDrawerSoccer Rookie of the Year and unanimous Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2009. Across four years, the midfielder started 64 of 67 matches, tallied 17 goals, 29 assists and 63 points as a Nittany Lion. The star player was also named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List for three consecutive years.
Entering her senior year, Nairn knew her best option at the time was to prepare to play overseas in a German league, and took classes in preparation for the move.
"I had a great time at Penn State, but I got to my senior year, and figured I was going to play in Germany. Professional soccer didn't exist in the US, so I thought, all right, I'm going to Europe."
Luckily for the Nittany Lion, she was picked in the first-ever National Women's Soccer League draft in 2013, trading in her German classes for an apartment in Seattle, Washington.
"I found out through Twitter that I had been picked up by Seattle. The beginning of the league was very messy and chaotic," said Nairn. "But at the time, I knew that I wanted to be in this professional world by any means necessary."
With the league still in its formative years, the young pro took responsibility as one of many to help build the league from the ground up. The midfielder adds that while the league was a bit "grassroots" at the time, it was so much fun, and she still keeps in contact with her first roommate in Seattle to this day.
In her first season as a professional player, Nairn led her team in assists and was a leading scorer for the squad, netting the Reign's first goal as a team. As a starting member of the NWSL, Nairn was the league's first player to reach 150 appearances.
After spending her rookie year in Seattle, Nairn would return to the Reign for a year in 2017. From 2014-2016, she played for the Washington Spirit, serving as captain in 2016 when defender Ali Krieger joined the U.S Olympic team in Rio. Nairn was then traded to the Orlando Pride in 2018, and in 2019 made her final move to the Houston Dash until her retirement in 2021.
Throughout her years in the NWSL, the Baltimore, Md.-native spent her offseasons on loan to the Melbourne Victory for five years, making history in 2019 as the first international player to win Australia's W-League player of the year award.
Her eventual departure from the league occurred due to an injury in 2020, which, although scary, she adds ended up being a blessing in disguise. "This was my first big injury after so many years of playing," said Nairn. "I had to really take a bird's eye view and really look at what my career would be like going forward because I didn't know what recovery would look like."
Despite the career hurdle that the injury presented, Nairn was ready for a life outside of the soccer world and wanted to know what life looked like beyond the pitch.
Her next career jump led her to the Houston Fire Department after watching one of her teammates in Seattle go through the process of joining the service. Nairn made a full recovery from her injury, although still experiences numbness in her legs. As a player, she knew things would be different returning to soccer after recovery. But for the former Spirit MVP, it was important to go out on her own terms.
"Some say I retired too early, but for me it was about my quality of life," said Nairn.
Thus began her next journey, as she threw her name into another kind of draft. Training and becoming part of the fire department reminded the former NWSL pro of what it meant to be part of something bigger than herself.
"I loved the training. I loved the guys, and I was one of nine women in my class which was one of the largest female classes in the department. I really enjoyed it," she says.
But as all things do, Nairn says her time in service ran its course and she began volunteering at the University of Houston as a coach. "I knew I would miss the sport," she says. "It was weird to come back to it. But it's just like riding a bike. I can look back now and say that I tried something outside of the soccer world, but I know now it's where I'm happiest."
Once her time was up at Houston, Nairn took her coaching talents to the University of Alabama for a year, and joined the Wake staff as an assistant coach in Feb. 2026. With a combined ten years of professional experience both in the US and Australia, Nairn brings a wealth of knowledge to Spry, specifically to the midfield.
Ultimately, the decision to move to Winston-Salem came after a conversation with Wake Forest associate head coach and former NWSL goalkeeper Brittany Cameron. Through their connection as players in the NWSL, Nairn was sold on joining the Demon Deacons. Not only did the prospect of coaching alongside other former pros intrigue her, but Nairn's style of play aligns perfectly with ACC soccer.
"What Britt, Tony [da Luz] and Taylor [Culp] want to build here is a feeder to the NWSL and with Britt and I's experience, I believe we can help a lot of players bridge that gap, along with what Tony has already done in the past," replied Nairn.
As she reflects on her time as a player and how it impacts her coaching style now, she notes how different the student-athlete load is now compared to her time at Penn State. "There's so much change now, between the transfer stuff and the road travel. It's about incorporating what I know already and being able to learn and get better throughout the days."
At the end of the day, Nairn's goal is to give back to the sport of soccer that gave so much to her. To those still in college and to a young Christine, she emphasizes the importance of enjoying your time while you can.
"As an athlete you're so focused on the next thing, and it's so important to enjoy the time you have," she shares. "I think in a sense I took for granted the fact that I played for ten years and was part of that 1% that made it into the league. It's so cliche to say, but just look up."
"I saw very early on that professional soccer was for me," she says. "I remember when I first told people my dream, and there were some laughs because there was no women's professional soccer. It was just MLS and English Premier League."
A native of Annapolis, Md., Nairn grew up surrounded by soccer, thanks to the participation of her two older brothers in the sport. First starting at four years old, her love for the game grew exponentially from there.
"Pretty much whatever they did I wanted to do," said Nairn. "My parents took me to all their training and I thought it was cool to hang out with the boys and even just go grab soccer balls."
She spent her early club years prior to college with Maryland United, before signing with Penn State. In the back of her mind, however, she always knew the professional path was in her future.
The young athlete spent multiple years competing with the U.S Youth National Teams before entering the college stage. In 2008, she became a FIFA World Cup U-20 Champion in 2008 and in 2010 became CONCACAF U-20 Champion in 2010.
While at Happy Valley, Nairn made a name for herself in the record books, earning TopDrawerSoccer Rookie of the Year and unanimous Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2009. Across four years, the midfielder started 64 of 67 matches, tallied 17 goals, 29 assists and 63 points as a Nittany Lion. The star player was also named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List for three consecutive years.
Entering her senior year, Nairn knew her best option at the time was to prepare to play overseas in a German league, and took classes in preparation for the move.
"I had a great time at Penn State, but I got to my senior year, and figured I was going to play in Germany. Professional soccer didn't exist in the US, so I thought, all right, I'm going to Europe."
Luckily for the Nittany Lion, she was picked in the first-ever National Women's Soccer League draft in 2013, trading in her German classes for an apartment in Seattle, Washington.
"I found out through Twitter that I had been picked up by Seattle. The beginning of the league was very messy and chaotic," said Nairn. "But at the time, I knew that I wanted to be in this professional world by any means necessary."
With the league still in its formative years, the young pro took responsibility as one of many to help build the league from the ground up. The midfielder adds that while the league was a bit "grassroots" at the time, it was so much fun, and she still keeps in contact with her first roommate in Seattle to this day.
In her first season as a professional player, Nairn led her team in assists and was a leading scorer for the squad, netting the Reign's first goal as a team. As a starting member of the NWSL, Nairn was the league's first player to reach 150 appearances.
After spending her rookie year in Seattle, Nairn would return to the Reign for a year in 2017. From 2014-2016, she played for the Washington Spirit, serving as captain in 2016 when defender Ali Krieger joined the U.S Olympic team in Rio. Nairn was then traded to the Orlando Pride in 2018, and in 2019 made her final move to the Houston Dash until her retirement in 2021.
Throughout her years in the NWSL, the Baltimore, Md.-native spent her offseasons on loan to the Melbourne Victory for five years, making history in 2019 as the first international player to win Australia's W-League player of the year award.
Her eventual departure from the league occurred due to an injury in 2020, which, although scary, she adds ended up being a blessing in disguise. "This was my first big injury after so many years of playing," said Nairn. "I had to really take a bird's eye view and really look at what my career would be like going forward because I didn't know what recovery would look like."
Despite the career hurdle that the injury presented, Nairn was ready for a life outside of the soccer world and wanted to know what life looked like beyond the pitch.
Her next career jump led her to the Houston Fire Department after watching one of her teammates in Seattle go through the process of joining the service. Nairn made a full recovery from her injury, although still experiences numbness in her legs. As a player, she knew things would be different returning to soccer after recovery. But for the former Spirit MVP, it was important to go out on her own terms.
"Some say I retired too early, but for me it was about my quality of life," said Nairn.
Thus began her next journey, as she threw her name into another kind of draft. Training and becoming part of the fire department reminded the former NWSL pro of what it meant to be part of something bigger than herself.
"I loved the training. I loved the guys, and I was one of nine women in my class which was one of the largest female classes in the department. I really enjoyed it," she says.
But as all things do, Nairn says her time in service ran its course and she began volunteering at the University of Houston as a coach. "I knew I would miss the sport," she says. "It was weird to come back to it. But it's just like riding a bike. I can look back now and say that I tried something outside of the soccer world, but I know now it's where I'm happiest."
Once her time was up at Houston, Nairn took her coaching talents to the University of Alabama for a year, and joined the Wake staff as an assistant coach in Feb. 2026. With a combined ten years of professional experience both in the US and Australia, Nairn brings a wealth of knowledge to Spry, specifically to the midfield.
Ultimately, the decision to move to Winston-Salem came after a conversation with Wake Forest associate head coach and former NWSL goalkeeper Brittany Cameron. Through their connection as players in the NWSL, Nairn was sold on joining the Demon Deacons. Not only did the prospect of coaching alongside other former pros intrigue her, but Nairn's style of play aligns perfectly with ACC soccer.
"What Britt, Tony [da Luz] and Taylor [Culp] want to build here is a feeder to the NWSL and with Britt and I's experience, I believe we can help a lot of players bridge that gap, along with what Tony has already done in the past," replied Nairn.
As she reflects on her time as a player and how it impacts her coaching style now, she notes how different the student-athlete load is now compared to her time at Penn State. "There's so much change now, between the transfer stuff and the road travel. It's about incorporating what I know already and being able to learn and get better throughout the days."
At the end of the day, Nairn's goal is to give back to the sport of soccer that gave so much to her. To those still in college and to a young Christine, she emphasizes the importance of enjoying your time while you can.
"As an athlete you're so focused on the next thing, and it's so important to enjoy the time you have," she shares. "I think in a sense I took for granted the fact that I played for ten years and was part of that 1% that made it into the league. It's so cliche to say, but just look up."
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