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Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has revealed that becoming a parent has given her a totally ‘new perspective’ on life and her career in football.
It’s been six months since she and her partner, Kristie Mewis, announced that they had welcomed a baby boy, Jagger, into the world.
The couple, who are also due to get married in December, regularly share updates from their lives as new parents on social media, with Kerr stating that it's been a 'lot of fun'.
‘It’s actually interesting - I don’t think it’s changed my perspective on football,’ Kerr said when asked, during an interview with CBA Newsroom, what it’s been like becoming a new parent.
‘I still love the game and I’m all in when I’m there. But it has changed my home life. When I come home, I’m not watching clips of myself anymore. I have better separation now, and it’s been healthy.’
The Chelsea star, who currently lives in London with former West Ham and US Women’s National Team midfielder, Mewis, has jetted back to Australia and is set to feature in her first international match on home soil for the first time in two years, having only recently overcome an ACL injury.
Sam Kerr (pictured with fiancee Kristie Mewis and their baby Jagger) has revealed that becoming a parent has given her a new perspective on life
Kerr and Mewis became parents back in May, but the Matildas striker revealed that she no longer comes home and 'stews about games'
‘I don’t stew over games,’ Kerr added. ‘I come home, take care of him, and it gives me a new perspective. It’s been so much fun, more fun than people prepare you for.’
With Jagger being born in the UK to Australian and American parents, Kerr was also quizzed on what national side she thinks her son would choose to represent, should he follow in the footsteps of his superstar parents.
‘Probably Australia, he’s got an Aussie passport,’ the Matildas star said.
‘But I’ll let him decide. We were laughing about what accent he’ll have - probably a hybrid of English, American and Aussie.’
It comes after Kerr revealed to the We Are Chelsea podcast in September that becoming a parent ‘hadn’t really set in’ yet for the couple. She added that she hoped Jagger would, one day, follow a different career path to her and Mewis.
'I hope he gets into being a scientist or a surgeon – makes heaps of money,' she joked.
Kerr also revealed her favourite thing about being a mum during the podcast.
'I think he's just at a cool stage now where when I come home, he's so excited to see me. It's just a nice feeling,' she said.
Kerr revealed that being a parent 'was so much more fun that people prepare you for'
The Australian is in line to make her 131st appearance for the Matildas on Friday night against New Zealand
The Australian is in line to make her 131st appearance for the Matildas on Friday night against New Zealand at the Polytec Stadium, before both sides play again the following Tuesday at the Coopers Stadium in Adelaide.
It’ll be a momentous moment for the Aussie skipper, who was ruled out of action in January 2024 after she ruptured her ACL. She’d come back with a bang, scoring on her return to the pitch for Chelsea during their game against Aston Villa on September 14.
The upcoming matches against New Zealand will be the final two games the Matildas will play before next year’s Asian Cup, which is set to be hosted Down Under. The tournament is set to commence in Kerr's home state of Western Australia.
‘Being back in Australia is amazing, being back with the girls,’ Kerr said. ‘There's a different buzz around the team when we're back in Oz compared to overseas, so I'm feeling really excited and just trying to enjoy every moment being back with the girls.’
Australia take on the Philippines, Iran and Korea Republic in the group stages of the tournament, and Kerr, who won the Asian Cup back in 2010 at the age of 16, is dreaming the Matildas can win again in front of their home fans.
‘That would be a dream come true,’ Kerr, who has scored four goals for Chelsea since her injury return, said. ‘When we won in 2010, I thought it would happen every time we played the Asian Cup - but we haven’t done it since.
‘So, this would be a full-circle moment. It shows how important this tournament is, not only to me, but to the whole group. It would be massive for us, for the fans, and for everyone involved.’
