Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith has revealed his ambitions for his footballing future, including taking over as Brisbane Roar’s head coach.
Brisbane Roar captain Matt Smith has revealed his ambitions for his footballing future, including taking over as Brisbane Roar’s head coach.
Smith only recently signed a new three year extension with the club, which he has revealed includes the option of a two-year coaching deal.
“I want to try and play for as long as I can,” the English-born central defender said.
“That might be three years, five years, eight years – who knows?
“My biggest priority is making sure I can still be competitive within the first team squad.
“I-m 29 now and I think I can certainly go throughout those five years and we-ll see what happens after that.
“The option of continuing to build the culture of this club, not only from a playing perspective but from a coaching perspective, really appealed to me.
“When the club asked if I-d be interested in coaching here after my playing career, it was something I was very excited about.”
Smith aims to start studying for his licences now, so he will be ready to take the next step when he hangs up his boots.
“While I-m still playing, the aim is to get my C, B, A and Pro Licenses so that when I finish playing football, I can jump straight into a coaching position,” Smith said.
“I do some coaching externally through the SAP [Skills Acquisition Program] and I do coaching, particularly in the off-season, at local clubs around Brisbane.
“I enjoy coaching kids who want to learn, I enjoy coaching kids who have that passion and that determination and want to get better.
“I-ve learnt a lot from the management over the past two years with Ange [Postecoglou]-s style, Rado [Vidosic]-s style and even the way Kenny [Stead] works,” he said.
“Every single day, I go home and I write down everything we do in training.
“For all players, you-re only one game away from an injury so it-s important to try and plan your future.
“Ideally, one day, I-d love to be the first team coach here.”
