Mary Fowler has crossed the threshold from athlete to cultural icon

Matildas star Mary Fowler wants to make an impact and have fun along the wayABy Amanda Shalala Link copiedShareShare articleMary Fowler is magnetic. An instinctual player who can pull the strings and with vision few possess. That magnetism extends off the field too. She's become a ubiquitous presence over the past year, gracing the fashion runway, signing a record multi-million-dollar endorsement deal, and writing a deeply personal memoir. The 23-year-old is one of the biggest stars in Australian sport right now, and certainly one of the most marketable. But she accepts it with grace and a willingness to leverage her platform and profile, while still staying true to Mary. When we meet, she's fresh off a long haul flight from the UK, just a couple of days after Manchester City's FA Cup win. That followed the team's triumph in the Women's Super League a few weeks earlier, both the first major trophies she's won in her booming career. She featured largely as an impact player off the bench since making her comeback from an ACL injury earlier this year. Fowler celebrates winning the FA Cup. (Getty Images: Rob Newell/CameraSport) She's now back in Australia for the Matildas' two-match friendly series against Mexico, as the long road to next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil officially begins. But for a season that started on the sidelines, she is taking time to soak up the success. "My rehab made up the majority of my season. So I think in that sense, I kind of separated myself a little bit from the team and enjoyed really being a spectator," she tells ABC Sport. "And I have so much love for the group of girls there and it was really nice to just be able to watch and not feel envious at all. Fowler has enjoyed her time since returning to the pitch in 2026. (Getty Images: Martin Rickett) "I think either way I would have had the same feelings for the team, but on a personal level it was really nice to share that moment with them when I did come back, because they did celebrate me really nicely and it was just a moment that I'll cherish for a long time." Fowler speaks highly of Manchester City, her teammates, and the environment there, which has helped her thrive, returning just 10 months after rupturing her ACL. "We've been out a few times [to celebrate]. I'm not built for the life of the party," she says with a smile. Fowler's return was quick by ACL recovery standards. But it was still a significant period to be sidelined and she embraced her time away from football, reinforcing her need to have a balanced life and pursue passion projects. She has now reached a level reserved for few Australian athletes, effectively crossing from sport star to broader cultural figurehead. That's been highlighted by becoming the first professional footballer to walk the runway at Paris Fashion Week, releasing a memoir, signing a $10 million endorsement deal to make her one of the highest paid women's footballers in the world, and the increased scrutiny over her personal life. Fowler walking the runway at Paris Fashion Week. (Getty Images: Dominique Maitre) Super-stardom isn't something she has actively sought out, but having been in the spotlight since she debuted for the Matildas as a 15-year-old, she understands how to handle it. "I see myself as someone that is very capable and I do like to put my best foot forward when I'm trying new things like walking the runway and getting to write a book," she says. "I really enjoy doing those things because it also opens my own eyes to seeing myself in a different way. "But I never really attach those things to my identity and how I value myself. So in that sense, I don't think that those things make it any more difficult to deal with being Mary. "I think what does become a bit more challenging is managing expectations of people around you, like access and being able to have time for myself and not changing how I show up for people around me. "I think as long as I have that guiding me, then I won't really hopefully lose my way or not be grounded anymore, staying true to how I actually want to be for people." Part of Fowler's appeal is her relatability and her willingness to share her own frailties. Fowler shared deeply personal stories in her memoir, Bloom. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer) In her memoir, Bloom, released last year, she shared challenging anecdotes about racism she's faced and her own mental health struggles, framed as a journal, asking the reader to reflect on their own experiences and write them down. "It just felt more authentic to me to make it feel like my journal because I haven't lived my whole life yet. I didn't want it to be like an autobiography," she says. "And so in framing it like that, I just thought of a book that might have been useful for myself to read. "It didn't need to be everyone's cup of tea, but I think for myself as a teenager moving into young adulthood, there were quite a lot of lessons for me to learn. "And it's

Mary Fowler has crossed the threshold from athlete to cultural icon

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