How Matildas soccer star Sam Kerr found fame and fortune
As the verdict on the Matildas captain’s case is revealed, here is everything you need to know about Sam Kerr’s journey to global sporting stardom.
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Soccer sensation Sam Kerr has been making headlines after being accused of racially harassing a police officer in London in January 2023.
For the past week, Kerr has defended herself in a UK court against the charge, following an incident where she was caught on camera calling Metropolitan Police Constable Stephen Lovell “stupid and white”.
The jury verdict, which came out today, revealed Kerr to be not guilty of one count of aggravated racial harassment.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sam Kerr and how she became a global sporting star.
WHO IS SAM KERR?
The 31-year-old Aussie is one of the most talented footballers in the world, and holds Australia’s all-time goalscoring record. She has been one of the world’s best players since 2018.
Born in Western Australia, Kerr comes from a large sporting family, with her older brother Daniel playing for AFL team West Coast Eagles.
The soccer star attended Samson Primary School and Kennedy Baptist College, which was then known as Somerville Baptist College.
Sam Kerr and her fiancée Kristie Mewis both silent after leaving a London court on Tuesday afternoon after Ms Kerr was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a British police officer. @theheraldsun@dailytelegraph@couriermail@theTiser@SkyNewsAustpic.twitter.com/il8lRaOSjg
— Sophie Elsworth (@sophieelsworth) February 11, 2025
In 2009, at the age of just 15, she started playing for Perth Glory in the W-league and debuted for the Australian national team – the Matildas – that same year.
She has also played for the Sydney FC in the A-League Womens and the Chicago Red Stars.
Kerr has been captain of the Matildas since 2019 and now plays for Chelsea FC as a striker.
The Matildas famously united the country in footy fever when they played in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, landing in fourth place.
Sam Kerr picked up second place at the 2023 Ballon d’Or awards, her best finish for the prestigious award.
WHO IS SAM KERR’S PARTNER?
Kerr’s partner, American Kristie Mewis, is a midfielder for West Ham United and the couple have been together since 2021.
They were engaged in September 2023, and, in November last year, announced they were having a baby together.
WHAT IS SAM KERR’S NET WORTH?
Kerr’s estimated net worth, based on analysis from Forbes and BusinessInsider, is around $5 million.
This stems from her salaries for both the Matildas and Chelsea FC, as well as her highly lucrative sponsorship deals.
HOW MUCH REAL ESTATE DOES SAM KERR OWN?
Kerr purchased a vacant block of land in her home state of Perth for $940K in 2023, reports the West Australian.
The land, which is in the South Beach suburb of North Coogee, is close to Kerr’s parents’ four-bedroom house at North Coogee, which they purchased for $1.15 million in 2017.
The soccer star plans to build her “dream” three-storey townhouse with ocean views on the lot.
In 2023, realestate.com.au reported that Kerr’s modest childhood home in Fremantle suffered extensive fire damage worth over $250,000 after her brother Daniel set the home on fire.
Daniel was sentenced to two years in prison over the offence and has since said he has recovered from that tough period in his life.
[Kerr isn’t without her own controversies. In 2019, she caused a stir at the Women’s World Cup after telling critics to “suck on that” after the Matildas’ comeback to beat Brazil.]
Kerr’s parents, Roger and Roxy, subdivided the family property into two lots and sold one lot for $420K and the other for $440K.
They originally bought the property for $404K in 2001.
HOW MUCH DOES SAM KERR EARN WITH CHELSEA FC?
According to the Australian Financial Review, Kerr earns $600K a season at Chelsea FC.
HOW MUCH DOES SAM KERR EARN WITH THE MATILDAS?
While there is no exact figure on Kerr’s salary with the Matildas, the Fin Review has stated that Kerr’s pay packet is “estimated to be over 10 times more than her Australian teammates”.
She earned $3.3 million in 2022, but that is a cumulative figure from her roles at the Matildas and Chelsea FC, as well as her sporting brand deals.
WHO IS SAM KERR SPONSORED BY?
For more than a decade, Kerr has held a partnership with Nike that is reportedly worth $1 million. Nike is also a major sponsor of the Matildas.
Kerr also has deals with MasterCard, and is a brand ambassador for internet and mobile company Mate as well as the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
In 2022 she became the first female footballer to appear on the cover of FIFA’s premier sports video game.
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