SAM Kerr grabbed the spotlight in London at EA Sports’ inaugural Women’s Football Summit, where the FIFA 23 developer announced new partnerships and initiatives to grow the women’s game both on and off the pitch.
Stars women’s football past and present came together at an EA event, including Kerr Chelsea teammate Lauren James, Aston Villa’s Alicia Lehmann and England legends Karen Carney, Farrah Williams and Kelly Smith.
The first huge step was the promotion of Chelsea and Australia Sam Kerr is a global cover star.
She couldn’t believe it when she found out that she would be performing next to her PSGKylian Mbappe.
“I said, ‘No way, that’s not going to happen.’
“I just thought it could never happen,” Kerr said GLHF on the red carpet.
When asked about her opinion on her in-game avatar, Kerr was enthusiastic about her assessment.
“Well I have the highest rating – everyone who played said I was a bit of a cheat!”
Surprisingly, though, it’s a Chelsea team-mate who takes the title as the best FIFA player in the locker room.
“Erin Cuthbert is definitely the best in FIFA,” Kerr explained.
“She’s a gamer. I’m not a gamer – I love FIFA, but she’s into Fortnites, Call of Dutys and she loves FIFA!”
Along with Sam Kerr on the red carpet was another Chelsea teammate, Lauren James.
She was thrilled that young girls could see themselves represented in the game.
“It just shows how far the women’s game has come,” she told GLHF.
“Even when I was growing up – I’m still young – I could only play with men.
“Now the young girls can play with us and I think it’s an inspiration for them.”
Another star of the Women’s Super League was Aston Villa’s Alisha Lehmann.
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She was thrilled to see herself in the game.
“Everybody dreams of it,” she said.
“I’ve been playing football since I was a child, you want to be in FIFA, that’s the most important thing!
“I played as a child with my brother, with my cousin, but I didn’t have much time, I played outside with a ball.
“But now they’ve put women’s clubs in, it’s amazing.”
Lehmann’s partner, Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, is also in the game.
He has a 78th rating, while Lehman has an 82nd rating.
“We don’t have time to play much, [but] I think I’m better than him!” she commented
Developer FIFA has made huge strides in this year’s charts to improve the representation of women, including in the Barclays Women’s Super League and the Women’s D1 League.
HyperMotion2 technology has made the game with women’s teams look like women – the game’s animation designs finally depict realistic movements, rather than female drawings on male players, which worked when the women’s international teams debuted in FIFA 16.
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During a panel discussion on the future of women’s football, EA Sports announced a partnership that will bring the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) to the game for the first time.
At the moment, the UEFA Women’s Champions League will only include the knockout stage and clubs such as Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain.
While no new leagues have been announced, the addition of the top clubs from the Frauen Bundesliga, Ligue F and Serie A could naturally lead to the addition of these divisions to the game.
“We are very excited to see the UEFA Women’s Champions League integrated into EA SPORTS FIFA 23,” said Nadine Kessler, Head of UEFA Women’s Football.
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“It looks like a competition between the best women’s clubs in the world will be part of the world’s leading soccer simulation game.
“This is another important step in the women’s game and the perfect additional platform for female athletes to contribute to its success.”
This free UWCL content update will arrive in FIFA 23 in early 2023.
Fans will also get their hands on next summer’s Women’s World Cup content to experience the pinnacle of women’s football.
FIFA 23 is already out on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Posted by Alex Bagg on behalf of GLHF.
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