Skipper Sam Kerr awarded Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to football

Commonwealth Bank Matildas captain Samantha Kerr has today been recognised in the Honours List by the Council for the Order of Australia.   

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Kerr, who last Friday became Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer, has been awarded the Order of Australia medal for services to football.   

The latest award for the Commonwealth Bank Matildas striker follows an incredible 12 months that saw the 28-year-old named as a finalist for world football’s top prizes; FIFA’s The Best and the Ballon d’Or.   

In 2021, Kerr also captained Australia to a history making run at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the Commonwealth Bank Matildas finished fourth. 

Sam Kerr celebrates her goal against New Zealand at the Olympics


On the pitch, the West Australian has evolved into a global superstar and is widely considered one of the best and most influential players in women’s football.  Off the pitch, Kerr’s capacity to connect genuinely with supporters has empowered a new generation of girls and boys to become active in sport and in football.     

“This is such a great honour.  To be recognised alongside so many great Australians is very humbling, especially for doing what you love,” Kerr said.  

“In receiving this honour I’d like to take the opportunity to thank my family, my teammates, past and present, for both club and country, for all the support that they have given me over my career to date.”   

The 2018 Young Australian of the Year, Kerr’s accomplishments on the field are substantial.  The forward has been nominated for FIFA’s The Best award for the past four years and has been named the Asian Football Confederation’s Women’s Player of the Year (2017).    


With her clubs Perth Glory, Sky Blue FC, Chicago Red Stars and Chelsea WFC, Kerr has collected six Golden Boot awards in the last five years and has been twice awarded the Julie Dolan Medal for the W-League Player of the Year.  In 2017 she was named the ABC Sport Personality of the Year.  

Kerr spoke about how important it was as a woman, to receive such accolades.

"It's really important that females get recognition for whatever they're doing. I think now the times have change and we're getting more and more recognition, but we've got to keep breaking down barriers," she said.

"That's what awards like this are for, to give people belief and give females that confidence to do what they love and do what they're passionate about and do it with conviction.

"I feel like for so long, people haven't been recognized female sports, so it's nice to break down those barriers and hopefully there are many more females to be recognized for the work they're doing."


The Aussie captain also shared her desire to play her part in the growth of women's football both in Australia and internationally.

"There's so much that I want to achieve. I want to win more trophies with the Matildas and with my club. But I want to continue to grow the game and change the game.

"I want to reach different people in different walks of life and I have the opportunity to do that in Australia. There are so many communities that don't have the resources to have young girls and boys grow up and play sports, so I would love to get into that," she said.

"Even in Asia, being here in India [for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup], it's been amazing to see the growth and how interested people are in women's sports. 

Sam Kerr of the Matildas interacts with fans following game one of the series International Friendly series between the Australia Matildas and the United States of America Women's National Team at Stadium Australia on November 27, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)


I would love to tap into my my Indian heritage, and help Asian girls but also in Australia, I'd love to help give access to more pathways for young girls and boys in football."

Football Australia Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson, congratulated Kerr and acknowledged the contribution she has made to Australian football.  

“The Australian football community has always been incredibly proud of the exploits and leadership of Sam and now she has received formal recognition that is richly deserved,” Johnson said.  “I warmly congratulate her on yet another accolade that cements the pride Australians have in Sam and the Commonwealth Bank Matildas.” 

“Australian football continues to grow and that is in large part due to the rise of women's football in the past decade.  The Commonwealth Bank Matildas have evolved into a truly iconic Australia team and Sam, now as captain of the team and Australia's greatest goal-scorer, has played her part in that transformation.  Importantly, Sam and her teammates have demonstrated how their actions on the pitch can have a positive societal impact off the pitch, transforming the perception of women in sport with their championing of gender equality.”    

“Football is committed to becoming Australia’s largest community sport to reach gender parity by 2027.  With the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ next year, we know that Sam and the Commonwealth Bank Matildas have the ability to inspire more women and girls into participating in football at all levels.”