The USWNT’s Kristie Mewis and Australia captain Sam Kerr have announced they are expecting a baby next year.
The West Ham United midfielder and Chelsea striker announced the news on Instagram. The couple shared a collage of four black and white photos. In one, they are holding up an image of the ultrasound scan and, in another, Kerr is pointing to Mewis’ stomach.
Mewis, 33, and Kerr, 31, have been in a relationship since 2021. USA international Mewis confirmed the pair’s engagement last November.
Mewis joined West Ham in December 2023 on an 18-month contract, which is due to expire next summer. Her time in east London has been disrupted by injury, with a tendon issue in March and a calf injury in October limiting her to just four appearances. She has featured once in the Women’s Super League this season, making a substitute appearance in West Ham’s defeat to Manchester United on September 21.
The midfielder has been capped 53 times at senior international level and was part of the U.S. squad at the 2023 World Cup. Her last appearance for her country came in the round of 16 defeat to Sweden at the tournament, as she converted her spot kick as the U.S. were eliminated in a penalty shootout.
Kerr is also sidelined after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January while on a warm weather training camp in Morocco before the restart of the domestic season.
The two-time WSL golden boot winner is not expected to return to competitive action until after the new year. In June, she signed a new contract to keep her at the club until the summer of 2026.
Kerr is also facing charges over the alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer stemming from an incident in London in January 2023. She denies the charges and her trial is scheduled for February 2025.
In January 2022, the Football Association (FA) and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) agreed a new maternity policy which guaranteed players would receive 100 per cent of their weekly wage, plus any other benefits and remuneration, for the first 14 weeks of maternity leave. Players are also entitled to maternity pay regardless of how long they have been employed by their club.
This year, FIFA announced new maternity regulations for players and coaches, including 14 weeks of paid maternity leave at two-thirds of their contracted salary and a minimum of eight weeks of paid family leave for female players or coaches other than the biological mother.
There are currently no international or domestic regulations in place obligating a club to extend a contract upon the announcement of a pregnancy.
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