Sam Kerr is set to become the first Australian female soccer player to earn more than AUS$1 million in a year having been selected to become the face of Nike in her home country, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

According the report, Nike will make Kerr the main feature of its Australian marketing and advertising campaigns this year as part of its strategic push into women's sport and the promotion of the women’s national team, of which the 25-year-old is captain.

Kerr will reportedly front Nike’s billboard and TV campaigns in a deal that, combined with other marketing income and playing salary, will apparently push her total earnings into the region of AUS$1 million.

Last October Kerr became the first female marquee player in Australian soccer, signing a AUS$400,000 contract with Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Perth Glory to remain in the domestic W-League. She also commands a salary nearing the US$44,000-a-year National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) cap with her US club Chicago Red Stars.

According to the Herald, a contributing factor behind Nike’s decision to back Kerr is her availability for promotion.

The 25-year-old has apparently been selected to front Nike’s Australian campaigns ahead of National Basketball Association (NBA) all-star Ben Simmons, golfer Jason Day, as well as Premier League soccer players Aaron Mooy and Mathew Ryan.

While Simmons is a high-profile Nike athlete with a big social media following his commitments in the US restrict his time in Australia, and the case is similar with globetrotting golfer Day and UK-based soccer players, Ryan and Mooy.

Kerr splits her time between playing in the US with the Red Stars and Perth Glory in the W-League, with regular Australian national team camps interspersed.

Nike are reportedly putting more financial resources into the Matildas this year through endorsement deals than it is with the men’s team. Striker Kyah Simon and full-back Ellie Carpenter are earning more from their Nike sponsorships than Socceroos captain Mark Milligan.

According to the Herald, the Australian women’s team are also getting a kit independently designed from the men’s side ahead of the Fifa Women’s World Cup in France this summer.