Like just about everything Christine Sinclair has done in her soccer career, it’s about the bigger picture. And the bigger picture has been about growing the game in Canada.

In the process of growing the game's reputation at the women's level, she’s become one of the best women soccer players of all time.

The national team is now ranked No. 5 in the world and considered a threat to win no matter who they play. Sinclair is one reason why.

The other reason was coach John Herdman. Herdman took over a team that finished last in the 2011 World Cup and took them to a gold medal at the Pan American Games along with two bronze medals in consecutive Summer Olympic Games. He also allowed young players to develop.

With that kind of success, it would be easy for any member of the women's national team to want to keep Herdman where he is and be upset that Soccer Canada decided to move him to be head coach of Canada’s men’s national team.

But Sinclair knows that for soccer to move along at both the men’s and women’s level in Canada, the men’s team must find success rather than the black hole it is now.

“Before John came on board we were sixth, seventh in the world and we would occasionally beat one of the top teams in the world,” Sinclair said. “Now we are consistently on the podium. He’s changed the women’s game in this country, and he told me on the phone that in order to continue to change the women’s game, he has to change the men’s game.

"In terms of budgeting and things like that, he stretched every nickel and dime out of the program. For our women’s program to continue to succeed, we need our men to qualify for the World Cup. He’s got a good (challenge).”

Sinclair is in London as a head table guest at Monday’s Start.ca London Sports Celebrity Dinner and Auction at the London Convention Centre. It’s the 62nd dinner with the proceeds going to the Thames Valley Children’s Centre.

The head table has two members of Canada’s national women’s soccer team. The second is Londoner Shelina Zadorsky.

Both Zadorsky and Sinclair were surprised at the news that Herdman was leaving for the men’s program.

“I was actually working out and when I was done I saw that my phone was blowing up,” Sinclair said. “There were phone calls from John and different members of our staff, and he said he had good news, bad news.

"The good news was that he was staying in Canada and the bad news was that he was moving over to the men’s side. It was a shock, but life goes on.”

Kenneth Heiner-Moller, who was an assistant with Herdman, will take over the women’s national team. He was also the head coach of the Danish women’s team from 2006-13. It will be Sinclair’s fourth national team head coach.

Herdman gave Zadorsky a chance to become a fixture on the national team. She took the opportunity and ran with it.

“It’s a great loss because of his character and his ability to motivate and to tactically run an entire program,” Zadorsky said. “John was one of the people who truly believed in me and that really helped me believe in myself.

“I wish him the best with the men. He’s going to be great. He wanted a challenge and he took that on with us. He has a good opportunity to bring some John Herdman to the men’s side.”

Zadorsky is excited to be able to work with Heiner-Moller.

“I’ve been working with him for two years,” she said. “He’s a very sophisticated and amazing person on and off the field.”

Zadorsky is also headed to a new league team. After two years with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL she was traded to the Orlando Pride.

Sinclair is second on the list of women international goalscorers. A lot of people make a big deal of her chasing down Abby Wambach. The American who is No. 1 on list has 184 goals with Sinclair second at 169.

“I’ve never paid any attention to the record from when I scored my first goal to when I scored my last goal, and look where’s it gotten me,” she said. “If it happens, it happens. As long as the team is succeeding, hopefully I’m scoring goals for it.”

She was more emotional when she passed Mia Hamm for No. 2 on the list. Hamm had 158.

“When I scored my first five goals or so, I remember Mia Hamm had the record and I thought, ‘That’s so many goals; that’s impossible,’ ” Sinclair said. “But when I passed Mia in Olympic qualifiers, that one hit me. That one was even bigger than possibly beating Abby. Mia was a hero growing up. She was the face of the women’s game and put women’s soccer on the map and that was pretty special.”

Without question that’s something generations of women soccer players will say about Sinclair.