Meet the million-dollar Matildas (both of them)
A world-leading female footballer’s salary and endorsements with Nike and EA Sports earned Matildas skipper Sam Kerr $3.3 million last year, a pay packet that is estimated to be over 10 times more than her Australian teammates.
The Chelsea WFC striker, who at 29 years old holds an all-time scoring record locally, made more than double the income of the next best-paid Matildas star, defender Ellie Carpenter. The rest of the squad made between $200,000 and $400,000 in the last financial year, according to an analysis by The Australian Financial Review.
The Matildas’ top earners Ellie Carpenter, Sam Kerr and Emily van Egmond.
The Matildas kick off Australia’s 2023 Women’s World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland at 8pm AEST on Thursday, before an expected crowd of 80,000 at Stadium Australia in Sydney and with the match broadcast free-to-air nationally.
Kerr’s 13-year partnership with Nike, which is also a major sponsor of the Matildas, is reportedly worth $1 million. She also has deals with Mastercard and in 2022 became the first female footballer to appear on the cover of FIFA’s premier sports video game. Those deals are on top of her Chelsea contract, reportedly worth more than $600,000 a season.
Sports marketing expert Tristan Hay said Kerr’s authenticity was key to her success.
“You want athletes who are performing in the best of the best competition,” he said. “Her pulling power isn’t just about where she comes from or her Aussie accent. It’s about what she does on the field, and that’s what marketers want.
“They want athletes who are genuine, that… connect with their audience. Sam Kerr has an amazing smile, she scores goals, and she caps it off with a backflip. Tick, tick, tick.”
Kerr is easily the
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