It’s been a tough few weeks for Matildas captain Sam Kerr ever since she was ruled out of their opening World Cup game on July 20 after sustaining a calf injury in training.
But Sam’s determination to rejoin the Tillies as they head into the knockout stages of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament has been a proud time for her family as they watch on.
Kerr is eager to rejoin her fellow Matildas on the field.
(Image: Getty)“[Mum and I] have always been extremely close and, growing up, she was my best friend. My dad, too. He taught me everything I know about sport,” Sam, 29, wrote in her book My Journey To The World Cup.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. They sacrificed everything for me.”
The family of six from Fremantle, WA, have always been very sporty – dad Roger was a professional AFL player, her brother Daniel played for the West Coast Eagles, and her grandfather was a featherweight boxer in India – so it wasn’t a surprise when Sam took up soccer in her early teens.
However, it wasn’t her first choice. Sam freely admits her first love was AFL and she was devastated when she was forced to give it up aged 12 when she could no longer continue playing with the boys’ side.
AFL’s loss was quickly a major blessing for Australian soccer.
“She always grounds me.”
(Image: Getty)“She didn’t really understand the rules, but she ended up winning the best and fairest award every year after that,” says Sam’s mum Roxanne.
“In her first year of playing, the coach of the Young Matildas came up and asked her to try out for their team, but she said, ‘No, thanks’ and walked away. “He looked at me and said, ‘No one has ever said that to me.'”
As her football career progressed, the Kerrs spent most of their time ferrying Sam across the country, with the family keenly watching on as she joined Perth Glory at the age of 15 and later the Matildas’ senior side.
“We knew she had something at a very young age… her hand-eye coordination was excellent with any kind of ball, even just playing cricket in the house,” dad Roger reflects.
“She always grounds me,” says mum Roxanne. “Sam’s attitude is if you lose a game, don’t stress. It’s over… and I love that about her.”
Sam with her father Roger and mother Roxanne.
(Image: Getty)It’s the mindset that led her to become one of the sport’s most recognisable faces, shattering records both for club and country.
She is the only female soccer player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues and on three different continents.
Despite this, the Chelsea FC player still makes time for family and is regularly pictured taking her adorable nieces and nephews on the pitch with her.
“Mum and I have long FaceTimes every day when I’m away,” says Sam.
The worldwide favourite also makes sure she has time for brekkie with her lovely nanna Coral, who is coincidentally her biggest fan!
Kerr and her grandmother Coral.
(Image: Instagram)“It’s hard to describe the feeling,” 88-year-old Coral told the Generations Of Australians documentary.
“It’s so much pride and yet she’s just my granddaughter.”
Coral, who migrated from India with her family in the 1960s, remembers Sam and her siblings were always very competitive as children.
“I kicked the ball with all of them [too]! I was much younger, so I could keep up with them,” she laughs.
“[Sam was] very competitive – whatever she did, she had to win. She loved winning. She was heart and soul into it.”
Adds Sam, “I’m so proud to be [her] granddaughter… and hopefully every time I step on the field and wear our last name, I represent our family well.”
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