Midfielder Kristie Mewis was full of pride after taking time out of her busy schedule on West Ham United women’s team’s tour to Perth to visit the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Named after Mewis’ fiancée, who is a national icon in Australia and plays her club football for the Hammers’ London rivals Chelsea, the world-class facility was opened ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted in the country.
A training base for teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti and Morocco during the World Cup, and set to be Perth Glory women’s team’s home ground for the 2024/25 season, the centre boasts two full-size elite pitches, three five-a-side pitches, and tiered seating for approximately 700 supporters.
Smiles were the order of the day for United States international Mewis as she was shown around by General Manager Jeremy Sims, before answering a FaceTime call from Kerr herself, who hails from the Perth suburb of Fremantle, is Australia’s all-time leading international female scorer, and has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or Feminin every year since its inception in 2018.
Mewis said: “It’s the first time I’ve ever been here, and it’s really special to see. It’s a beautiful place, and a reminder of the impact that Sam has had on the game, so I’m incredibly proud.
“Sam’s a role model for so many young girls, and for many of us in the game, and it is amazing that it’s been named in her honour. So many people will see that an Australian women’s player has done that, and be inspired to be a footballer.
“It’s been a bit hard being away from her this week, especially with the time difference, but I’ve spoken to her a lot and she sent me some flowers for the one-year anniversary of our engagement.
“She is obsessed with Perth and her family are out here, so I’ve managed to catch up with them and it is nice being around everything she loves.”
The Irons’ No15 is nearing the end of the ten-day trip Down Under with her teammates, which featured a narrow defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their Perth International Football Cup opener on Thursday, and will conclude with a third-place play-off clash against Leicester City on Sunday.
Having engaged in a number of on and off-field events throughout the course of the tour, and embraced the community and culture of a place she is already somewhat familiar with, she believes the team will take a number of positives into the fresh 2024/25 campaign back in the UK.
“It was a weird feeling when I found out the tour was going to be in Perth, because I was actually here with Sam during the off-season, and it’s obviously somewhere I hear a lot about,” Mewis added.
“It’s been great being here, and showing the other girls places around town. Australia is brilliant in terms of how they approach women’s football, and as a team I think we’ll take a lot from the team-bonding side of things as well as the two games.”
Tickets for West Ham’s Leicester City clash are available HERE.
