What’s the Buzz: How Mary Fowler became Australia’s most marketable athlete

Even before details of Sam Kerr’s drunken night was revealed this week, Matildas teammate Mary Fowler had already become the face of Australian football and our most marketable sporting star.

Matildas superstar Mary Fowler has become Australia’s most marketable athlete with a growing multimillion-dollar portfolio of endorsements.

Even before her teammate Sam Kerr self-destructed on a drunken night out in London, Fowler had become Australia’s global face of soccer with the support of major brands and international giants including Weet-Bix, CommBank, L’Oréal Paris, Samsung, Adidas, Rebel Sports, Cupra, Barbie and Rise & Shine Kindergarten.

This is a sponsorship portfolio to match any of Australia’s greatest athletes.

Fowler now earns even more than her partner, NRL champion Nathan Cleary, who is on a $1.2m deal at Penrith on top of his contracts with Adidas, Rexona and Channel 9.

Mary Fowler has become Australia's most marketable sporting athlete.

Obviously the love story has helped, as millions of fans follow their journey managing busy schedules on different continents, squeezing in time to see each other when they can.

Since the 2023 Women’s World Cup where the Matildas became our favourite sporting team, Fowler has catapulted herself into marketing territory where few Aussies have been.

It’s been driven by her agent Josh White, the CEO of sports and entertainment marketing agency Always Human Group, the company that also looks after Olympic champion Jess Fox and cricketer Ellyse Perry.

“Mary is the next-gen in global football icons,” White said.

“What makes Mary so marketable is not only how amazing an athlete she is on the field, but also her personal attributes; the authenticity she has, how she shows up through her social media, the engagement she has with audiences and how she handles herself in the media.

“Above all the fanfare and stardom that has come her way, Mary is still as humble and grounded as they come.

Fowler has become the newest Weet-Bix kids. Picture: Supplied

Fowler was even turned into a Barbie. Picture: Supplied

“She is purposeful, considered in her thoughts and she is always her authentic self. If brands can see consumers resonating with that, they know it will help move the needle.”

Your columnist understands that whilst White and his team get a lot of interest from companies wanting to get on board with the Manchester City star, the Always Human Group’s approach is to only seek out opportunities that strategically align with Fowler’s interests.

“Over the past 12 months we’ve driven Mary’s proposition to be a seven-figure athlete commercially, and this is only continuing to grow,” White said.

“We now have a tremendous opportunity to build and leverage Mary’s personal IP and brand equity. As her brand evolves, it’s also allowing us to unlock opportunities which provide Mary equity and create businesses she owns.”