NEED TO KNOW
- Matilda’s captain Sam Kerr is working on a new TV series.
- It’s based on her children’s book series Kicking Goals.
- Casting is underway for an actress to play Sam, aged 11.
- No acting experience is required for the series that’s set to film in Perth later this year.
- Sam has brokered a million dollar deal for the project.
Aussie football superstar and national treasure Sam Kerr is officially hitting the small screen!
The Sam Kerr TV show comes in a long line of lucrative off-the-field moves for Sam, whose net worth is estimated at $10 million.
TV insiders exclusively tell New Idea that Matildas captain Sam has brokered a million-dollar-plus deal to adapt her bestselling children’s book series, Kicking Goals, into a television show.
“The TV show will follow the book series and be more of a family show – it could be the biggest thing since Bluey,” teases the source.
A nationwide casting call has just launched for the series, with Nathan Lloyd Casting hunting for a 10 to 13-year-old Anglo-Indian or Indian girl to step into young Sam’s boots.
The series will film in Perth from December 2026 to February 2027.
Producers are also casting Sam’s two best friends – lovable goofball Dylan and cynical drama queen Indi.
The best part?
Absolutely no acting experience is required for this opportunity!
That’s right, mums and dads, your backyard sporting hero could be the next face of Aussie TV!
Co-written with Fiona Harris, Kicking Goals offers a heartwarming autobiographical look at Sam’s childhood.
The story follows a fiercely determined 11-year-old Sam, an Aussie Rules tragic who reluctantly switches to soccer when she can no longer play AFL.
Beyond the pitch, the series tackles school bullies, tween anxieties, and fitting in with trademark grit.
That resilience is something the real-life Sam knows all too well.
“My mum said, even as a kid, I didn’t understand why the boys didn’t want me to play with them, or why people thought it was weird that I looked like a little boy, but I’ve always believed that whoever it is, whatever they wear, whoever they want to be, is totally fine.”
Sam, who married wife Kristie Mewis last New Year’s Eve, previously shared how she overcame stereotyping.
That competitive fire remains core to the mentorship she provides aspiring athletes.
“My advice to any young girls playing soccer is, stay with the boys as long as you can. A 12-year-old boy is always going to be faster, quicker, and stronger. It’s a totally different game and it requires more from you.”
“I see young girls who train with us, and I say to them, ‘You guys think you’re working hard, but you’ve gotta give 10 times more.'”
Reviews praise the Kicking Goals books as an “uplifting read” centred on perseverance, teamwork, and family.
Fans and former officials are already celebrating the news, with former referee Ariane Howard sharing on Facebook:
“I refereed Sam when she was 13 at the Australian Nationals, and she was already a champion then.”
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