Mary Fowler has reportedly signed a new $10 million deal with Adidas, a move that will see the Matildas star become one the highest-paid female athletes in football.
The deal is one of the largest contracts with a sportswear brand signed by a women’s football player and comes after a bidding war between Adidas, Nike and New Balance, according to Code Sports, who first revealed the deal. Adidas is yet to officially confirm the partnership.
Fowler has signed the deal just weeks after returning to the game at the Women’s Asian Cup after suffering an ACL injury.
Who is Mary Fowler?
The 23-year-old has risen through the ranks of women’s football in Australia to become one of the most talked about Matildas players in recent years. Alongside well-known names like Sam Kerr, Fowler has become one of the most marketable players in Australian football.
Alongside playing for the Matildas, Fowler also plays for Manchester City in the Women’s Super League. She is an attacking player, generally playing as a forward or midfielder.
She made her international debut with the Matildas at the age of 15 and by 18 had represented Australia at the Olympics. In 2022, she signed a four-year contract as a forward with Manchester City.
Off the field, Fowler has taken on a number of roles with brands, including walking the runway at Paris Fashion Week last year for L’Oréal Paris. In doing so, she became the first professional football player to walk in the Défilé L’Oréal Paris show at the Hotel de Ville. She walked in the show while she was out of the game recovering from her ACL injury.
“I hope every young woman watching, especially back home in Australia, felt that sense of empowerment and is inspired to embrace their individuality and walk with pride, knowing they are worth it,” Fowler said at the time.
She has already been working with Adidas for a number of years, including during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Other brands she’s worked with include Weet-Bix, CommBank, Samsung, Rebel Sport, and Barbie. In 2024, she was one of nine female athletes honoured with a Barbie doll in their image.
The new deal with Adidas is a significant milestone for women’s football in Australia, with the reported $10 million deal surpassing even Sam Kerr, who is being paid $13 million by Nike over 13 years.
While Fowler’s deal with Adidas is a major commercial milestone for women in Australian football, it’s still worth noting the pay gap that exists for women footballers more broadly, which was brought to light during the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup.
The prize money for the women’s tournament this year was only $1.8m USD, falling well short of the men’s Asian Cup tournament in 2023, where there was a prize money pool of $USD14.8m.
The Matildas each took home approximately $8,700 each for coming runner’s up in the Asian Cup, a fraction of what they Socceroos would have earned if they achieved the same.