Sam Kerr, a role model for women and girls wins the Women’s FA cup for Chelsea

Women participation in sports has become a normal thing in the world today. Despite girls and women, all over the world not being given equal opportunities and the right to live without discrimination and violence, sport is changing lives of many of them.

The modern day Olympics started as an all-male competition, with women making gradual appearances to compete in different disciplines. The females are very visible in sports today compared to the past. They are making history now more than ever.

A good example of women changing the world using sports is Chelsea’s Sam Kerr who just helped Chelsea Women Football team in winning the 2022’s Women’s FA Cup final, beating Man City 3:2 at the Wembly Stadium on 15th May, 2022.

A proven goal scoring machine throughout her career, prior to joining Chelsea Kerr was named the NWSL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the year 2019 after scoring a record 19 goals in 23 games, securing a third-consecutive golden boot.

With her self-confessed “Indian complexion” Kerr has always believed that by winning many games especially the big leagues, she could empower girls to take up the game in her country, India that has repeatedly under-performed on the international level, failing to even qualify for their continental championship, the AFC Asian Cup, since 2003.

Sports and gender and development research says that girls and women participation in sports benefits them by challenging stereotypes around gender, building self-esteem, giving them leadership opportunities and improving health and well -being.

Sport is a tool in which we can leverage our engagement and cooperation and with different parties to inform and teach everyone that gender-based violence has no place in our lives.

It is our responsibility and challenge to ensure the attainment of gender equality in sports and supporting women participation in sports. Sports events are our opportunity to enhance the values in the 2030 Agenda and outlined in the 17 sustainable development goals.

This brings us back to the fact that gender equality and girls and women empowerment are essential to the achievement of the SDGs.

I never thought about being a role model and it’s something I don’t take lightly but I also value that I can be a role model. I felt that when I was growing up, young female athletes didn’t have many role models; mine was Cathy Freeman. ~ Sam Kerr