Chelsea forward Sam Kerr has been honoured at this yearâs London Football Awards, along with Blues boss Emma Hayes. Kerr was named the FA Womenâs Super League Player of the Year, having scored nine goals in 11 WSL appearances so far this season. The Australian also finished as the Golden Boot winner in the last campaign, with 18 goals in 22 games. Itâs the second year in succession that a Chelsea player has scooped the award after Fran Kirby won the honour last time around. Only clubs based in London are eligible for the awards, meaning Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham players were the only ones considered. Nonetheless, Kerr still beat some distinguished opposition, including Arsenalâs Vivianne Miedema, who became the WSLâs all-time leading scorer in 2021. Meanwhile, Chelsea Womenâs manager Hayes won the Outstanding Contribution to London Football Award.Â
Hayes guided the Blues to a second consecutive WSL title and their fourth in total. She also masterminded victories in the Womenâs FA Cup and the Womenâs League Cup as Chelsea completed a historic treble.Â
There couldâve been even more success in Europe as the Blues reached the Champions League final, but they eventually came up short against an outstanding Barcelona side.
This season, the Blues are currently second in the WSL and play Manchester City tomorrow in the final of the Continental Cup.Â
Hayes and Kerr were not the only Chelsea award winners on the night. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was named the Goalkeeper of the Year, while Conor Gallagher, who is currently on loan at Crystal Palace, won the Young Player of the Year.
The rest of Chelseaâs menâs side were snubbed, however, with West Ham star Declan Rice winning the Premier League Player of the Year Award.
With Mark Noble content on the bench, Rice has been the on-field captain of the Hammers since last season and helped inspire the Irons to European football qualification. Â
Riceâs manager David Moyes was also honoured and won the Manager of the Year award. Moyes took over West Ham for the second time at the start of 2020 and has been credited with turning a relegation-threatened team into challenging for Champions League football.