Samantha May Kerr, the little girl who grew up in Fremantle and spent much of her childhood at the South Fremantle footy club, this week headlined the soccer frenzy that has engulfed our State and country.
Captaining the Matildas in this year’s Women’s World Cup, there is literally no bigger, global, Australian sports star than Sam Kerr. That is saying something.
When she was ruled out of the first two games of the World Cup with a calf injury, you could feel a collective gasp of disappointment from all of Australia: including me.
Injury aside, her, and her teammates’ talents, will be showcased through this 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand over the next month. In a word it is massive. Winning game number one is a great start. Can the girls dare to dream?
Having just returned from the UK, where football is a religion, this World Cup will be followed by millions in countries around the world.
For so many reasons, Sam Kerr, pictured far right, is a modern-day marvel. She has captured the hearts and imaginations of all Australians, and acts as an inspiration to so many.
What I love about Sam is that she has done all this by letting her feet and smile weave the magic. There is no BS about her, she is authentic, honest and lets her actions do the talking.
In a world of social platforming, Sam smiles her way through the pressures of her life and plays the game with a purity of spirit that all Australians can identify with. She is like a little bull terrier on the field. She is as tough and as skilful as any player in the game.
Like her brother Daniel, who, as an athlete, was one of the most courageous and finest AFL players I have seen, Sam’s competitive instinct is contagious, and she obviously loves to win.
Off the field, she seems like a young lady who is grateful for the opportunities her sport has given her. There is no pretence, no rubbish — just a person who is happy being her best self.
I often hear young people say: “I want to be rich one day. How can I become rich?”
My answer is always the same: “If you want to become rich, become great at your art. With greatness comes richness.”
In Sam Kerr’s case, I have no idea how much money she has made over the course of her career. It will be significant. But truthfully, I couldn’t care less.
She has transcended material riches.
We live in a world where athletes are often identified by how much money they make. My observations are, that a lot of those same athletes rate themselves on how much they earn, not how much they have achieved. In my opinion it is a mistake if you can’t differentiate between the two.
Sam has become a great player. All her awards back up this fact. But in Sam, I see richness, not in terms of money, but rather in what she is doing to inspire the masses.
I saw the same in Ash Barty and Cathy Freeman.
According to Sam: “The only sportswoman role model I had when I was growing up was Cathy Freeman. I loved her so much. She was so fast and strong, and she coped so well with the unbelievable pressure that was put on her. I watched her race in the Sydney 2000 Olympics over and over and over again. It was an amazing moment in sporting history.”
How could any of us forget that? What a legend. Another young woman, with the weight of the world, or at least Australia, on her shoulders. A young lady who ran her heart out, collapsed on the track through sheer relief, before lifting herself up and saluting the country with her smile and authenticity.
Sam went on to say: “Other than Cathy, all my sporting role models were male. They were all AFL and cricket players, and back then, those were all men.”
Thank goodness it’s different for young girls today. There are so many fantastic women in sport for girls to look up to and be inspired by now.
Cathy Freeman’s moment in the Sydney Olympics is timeless and will continue to inspire generations of athletes. Others such as Barty, Dawn Fraser, Margaret Court, Lauren Jackson and Minjee Lee, have had, and are having, the same impact.
When I was younger, a mate told me: “Champions are great, but legends never die.” These were powerful words that I have never forgotten. Few achieve this status. Sam Kerr has.
Regardless of the results of this World Cup, I have no doubt Sam and the Matildas will have an impact as great female role models. As women’s sport continues to explode across the world, this is a wonderful thing.
Talking about wonderful things — and individuals who are having an impact on their sport and mastering an art to become rich — Ange Postecoglou, pictured left, is another Australian who has found himself on the front and back pages of our papers this week.
His presence back in Australia, with the Matildas, has had soccer on everyone’s lips.
Even in Perth where AFL rules the airwaves and the Ashes is in full throttle, you must have been living under a rock if you hadn’t heard or seen Ange over the past few days.
Taking on the role as manager of Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, Ange has stepped into the realm of global stardom.
He is not an overnight sensation — if there is such a thing — but rather a master of his craft whose record speaks volumes for the man, not just the coach. He is a winning machine. Everywhere he goes he wins.
He steered Brisbane Roar to a 36-game winning streak — the longest of any Australian sports team in 2011 and 2012 which was an extraordinary achievement.
Then he led Australia to World Cup qualification in 2014 and 2018, before guiding Japanese club, Yokohama F. Marinos to their first title in 15 years.
In his last post, he won five trophies in two years in charge of Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.
Usually I’m not one for quoting statistics, but I share these results simply because they are extraordinary. Winning titles is hard in any sport and yet Ange seems to have found a blueprint that can be consistently replicated.
It is no wonder he is now in the big league as an EPL manager.
He is the first Australian to have accepted such a role.
The incredibly likeable Aussie underdog has had to claw and fight, learn through ups and downs and be meticulous in every move he has made to get to this point. For this we should be proud of another “Aussie doing good” overseas.
Like Sam Kerr, football and cricket were my two loves growing up in Perth. Having lived overseas for many years, I have seen the passion for the game of soccer, even though I have never really followed it. An English friend of mine Daz was at our house during the week, and we started talking about the “beautiful game” as the legend Pele once called it. His eyes lit up when he talked about his beloved Leicester City Football Club.
“They are playing in Bangkok on Sunday and I am thinking of flying there for the game,” he said. “Do you want to come?”
“To Bangkok, for a game of soccer?” I replied.
“Would be the greatest show on Earth. The mighty Foxes against your Ange’s Tottenham Hotspur. Nothing better,” he said with a laugh.
He must be a bit mad I reckon, but when it comes to our sport and our sporting heroes, I get it. What would we do without them?