SAM Kerr stole the show in London at EA Sports’ first 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 of women’s football past and present gathered at the EA event, including Kerr’s Chelsea teammate Lauren James, Aston Villa’s Alisha Lehmann, and England legends Karen Carney, Fara Williams, and Kelly Smith.
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The first huge step was making Chelsea and Australia forward Sam Kerr a global cover star.
She couldn’t believe it when she found out she was going to feature, alongside PSG’s Kylian Mbappé.
“I was like, ‘No way, this isn’t gonna happen.’
“I just thought this one could never be,” Kerr told GLHF on the red carpet.
Asked for her thoughts on her in-game avatar, Kerr was delighted with her rating.
“Well, I have the highest rating – everyone that has played has said that I’m a little bit of a cheat code!”
Surprisingly though, it’s a Chelsea teammate that takes the title as best FIFA player in the dressing room.
“Erin Cuthbert is the best at FIFA for sure,” Kerr explained.
“She’s a gamer. I’m not a gamer – I love FIFA, but she’s into the Fortnites, the Call of Dutys, and she loves FIFA!”
Joining Sam Kerr on the red carpet was another Chelsea teammate, Lauren James.
She was delighted that young girls could see themselves represented in-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 now – I could only play with men.
“Now the young girls are able to play with us, and I think it’s an inspiration to them.”
Another Women’s Super League star in attendance was Aston Villa’s Alisha Lehmann.
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She was thrilled to see herself in the game.
“Everyone dreams of it,” she said.
“Since I was a child playing football, you want to be on FIFA, it’s the biggest thing!
“I played as a kid with my brother, with my cousin, but I didn’t have much time as I played outside with the ball.
“But now they’ve put the women’s clubs on, it’s amazing.”
Lehmann’s partner, Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is also in the game.
He is 78-rated, whilst Lehmann is 82-rated.
“We don’t have time to play much, [but] I reckon I’m better than him!” she commented
The FIFA developer took huge strides in this year’s chart-topping title to improve female representation, including Barclays Women’s Super League and Ligue D1 Feminine.
HyperMotion2 technology has made playing with women’s teams feel like women – the in-game animation developments finally reflect realistic movement, rather than women’s designs on male players, which was the way it worked when women’s international teams debuted in FIFA 16.
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During the panel discussion on the future of women’s football, EA Sports announced a partnership which will see the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) in-game for the first time.
For now, the UEFA Women’s Champions League will only include the knockout stage of the competition and clubs such as Juventus Women, Real Madrid Feminino, Manchester City Women, Chelsea Women, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, Paris Saint-Germain Féminine.
Whilst no new leagues have been announced, adding top clubs from the Frauen-Bundesliga, Liga F, and Serie A could naturally lead to these divisions being added into the game.
“We are delighted to see the UEFA Women’s Champions League being integrated into EA SPORTS FIFA 23,” said Nadine Kessler, Chief of Women’s Football for UEFA.
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“It feels like a natural fit for the world’s best women’s club competition to be part of the world’s leading football simulation game.
“This is another major step in the women’s game and an ideal additional platform for the female athletes contributing to its success.”
This free UWCL content update will come to FIFA 23 in early 2023.
Fans will also get their hands on the Women’s World Cup content coming next summer, to experience the pinnacle of women’s football.
FIFA 23 is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Written by Alex Bugg on behalf of GLHF.
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