Matildas star Sam Kerr has delivered a heartfelt message to the Australian public as she reveals her plan to inspire the next generation of footballers.
The Australian women fell agonisingly short of their goal of winning a home World Cup with a 3-1 semifinal loss to England last week.
But in a message posted on social media, Kerr praised Australian football fans for supporting the Matildas in record numbers.
“Thank you for the memories Australia,” Kerr wrote ahead of her return to England and FA Women’s Super League club Chelsea.
“You allowed us to live out our dream of representing our country on home soil,” the forward added.
“I hope we have inspired a nation for many years to come.
In an effort to ensure Australia stays engaged with soccer, Kerr on Wednesday announced she is setting up a school to give young Australians access to the training and tools she didn’t have before going pro.
Sam Kerr Football is set to start up later this year and is designed for girls and boys aged between three and 14 years old.
The “progressive and holistic” football program will draw on Kerr’s football knowledge and expertise and will incorporate elements she wished she had when starting her career.
Not only will Kerr be sharing her football development journey, but she will touch on things like “skill acquisition to areas such as health and well-being, mental skills such as resilience and core areas of development such as nutrition and recovery”.
Overall, Sam Kerr Football will help support young players’ aspirations to become professional athletes and prepare them for elite development pathways.
Kerr said she was “thrilled” to announce Sam Kerr Football, which would give players the experience she didn’t have when she was younger.
“Growing up, there weren’t opportunities for me to develop my game in a way that allowed me to be my best,” Kerr said.
“It wasn’t until I turned pro, that I learnt things like how to nourish my body to perform at my best or how to manage my mental wellbeing. My hope is that delivering a comprehensive program that is more than just skill development will give young players the best chance to live out their potential as a player.”
She added that the program would be developed under her guidance and with help from some of the “best” in football from Australia and the world.
Sam Kerr hopes to provide children with things she didn’t have access to.
Sam Kerr Football will be launched through local partners with hopes it will grow “locally, nationally and then globally”.
Calls for more funding
Kerr has been the captain of the Matildas since 2019 and this year, the team progressed through to the semi-finals, a record in Australian football.
After the Matildas’ stunning World Cup run, which broke attendance and broadcast records, Kerr called for more funding and was hopeful the tournament would force change.
“I can only speak for the Matildas. We need funding in our development. We need funding in our grassroots. We need funding. We need funding everywhere,” she said.
“The comparison to other sports isn’t really good enough.
“Hopefully this tournament changes that, because that’s the legacy you leave — not what you do on the pitch. The legacy is what you do off the pitch.”
Vice-captain Steph Catley echoed Kerr’s words and hoped the World Cup could prove “just the beginning” for women’s football in Australia.
“When you look at football in general in Australia — football is very much not funded the way it should be,” she said.
“There’s no argument now that people aren’t interested. People are interested. The numbers are there. Kids are playing. People want to be watching the sport.”
