Western United head coach Kat Smith speaks to aleagues.com.au about landing on her feet in the Liberty A-League and how a heart-breaking life experience has shaped her.
How do you respond to adversity?
But life and its challenges have shaped one of the most highly-rated coaches in Australian football to help deal with adversity like her sudden Western Sydney Wanderers departure back in October.
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“Look, it was a surprise,” Smith told aleagues.com.au as she loosely drew on a Winston Churchill quote. “But there’s been life circumstances that have certainly developed a huge amount of resiliency across my 40 years of existence. I think that allows me to continue on through failures with continued enthusiasm.
“There’s been elements of my personal life – like losing my father at 19 from a stroke that was unpredictable but obviously very shocking at the time.
“To have that happen at such a young age and then find so much passion, joy and connection to a game of football – it’s always been an incredible vehicle to navigate life’s challenges.
“Whilst the game itself is challenging, I think I’ve been able to put the tools in the tool box a long the way to be able to when these things happen, to lose a job, there’s been a lot of work in terms of self-development, industry development and knowledge, growth and education, to master a craft which enables a very intimate knowledge of self.
“Knowing myself allows me to navigate whatever sort of stages in my coaches career I have or in my personal life that I’ll face.”
She became the first female coach in the club’s short history and her return to Melbourne was a full circle moment having been part of the first ever Western United women’s development squad.
Smith has transformed the 2022-23 runners-up since her arrival.
Western were eighth in the standings when she took over, but they are now second and just three points adrift of league-leading Melbourne City heading into Round 16.
“Coming in, I felt there was a lot to offer the league. I had earned a lot experience at Western Sydney. I did a lot of travel, learning and development over the off-season,” said Smith.
“Personally and professionally (I’m) in a really good space to continue on this self-discovery through a mastery of craft which happens to be coaching and coaching in football. That’s where I was from a mindset and confidence standpoint. An incredible desire and passion to continue in the game.
“Just fortunate circumstances to step into another club with that package behind me, and some familiarity with the club and personnel – on and off the field.
“I knew values would align, that would be another positive step in my coaching career. Hopefully I’m rewarding the club for their faith in me.”
Smith has worked across various positions in domestic and international football.
She’s gone from skill acquisition level, to NPL Technical Director, to NPL head coach and A-League Women assistant to opposition analyst for the Matildas at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and Junior Matildas assistant coach and performance analyst.
Smith also worked as a teacher at SEDA Group, dating back to 2010. The SEDA curriculum focuses on practical hands-on education for talented footballers while completing year 11 and 12, gaining nationally recognised VET qualifications.
She worked with David Edmondson, Joe Montemurro (now in charge of Juventus Women) and the league’s most successful coach – Jeff Hopkins – during her time with Melbourne Victory, while she “sat next to” Australian legend Ange Postecoglou at Football Victoria while he was without a job back in 2008.
It has helped her create an ideology and mindset on the football pitch based on two key principles.
When she was appointed by the Wanderers, they were coming off a one-win season in 2021-22. In her season with Western Sydney, the club claimed five wins and 19 points.
At the other end of the spectrum, Smith inherited a Western United team that reached last season’s Liberty A-League Grand Final.
“My philosophy will always be around connection and kindness to enhance human potential,” Smith said when asked if there was a difference in mindset approaching the two jobs.
“And I purposely say human potential rather than a footballer or a player and usually I have to clarify what I mean about kindness – connection pretty much speaks to itself. It has it’s underlying value of trust.
“But kindness is around developing this clarity in a player’s or a human’s mindset and, for me, that connection through kindness and truth telling.
“There was a group of players that given their past experience could win football matches and wanted to go one step better. A winning mentality and an ability to be resolute through a season and the pressures of winning.
“It was harnessing that to bring it out again. It maybe looked different from a style (point of view) or feel different for particular players from a playing position.
“But for me, years of experience not only in football clubs in coaching but education, I’m quite used to a former Matilda now a current Matilda finding form to a young gun coming through and trying to find their first minutes in the A-Leagues.
“They all need something different but it’s very clear that what they need is to get them to where they all need to be on the same page. That direct feedback and clarity, that’s no different. I’ve just found ways to do that better.”
Smith continues to enhance her reputation within the Liberty A-League and throughout Australian football and it comes after a busy off-season that saw her travel to Europe.
She spent time with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and PSV. It left her with an overriding belief regarding football Down Under.
“We can compete and produce,” Smith said.
Smith, who spent time with Arsenal Women’s Aussie assistant Aaron D’Antino along with Matildas trio Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross, added: “It’s the opportunity to maybe validate what we’re doing in our environments.
“The knowledge we do have as Australian-based coaches or to credit some of our education opportunities we’ve had here on shore, it’s not all that different. Sometimes building might look a little newer, the paint’s a different colour. The quality of player is a lot greater because of the access to a bigger talent pool.
“But in terms of X’s and O’s and I guess in the application certainly in results-driven football, I can’t speak to development side, very similar. Modes and methods in terms of what I’ve experienced here in three different clubs and observations of A-League Men teams as well, and national teams… we aren’t doing anything different or indifferent. That’s probably the biggest highlight to validate what we’re doing here.
“From a Matildas or women’s football standpoint that the development of our Matildas and their ability to perform at international level or international domestic clubs, we can compete and produce. They are born out of the A-Leagues.”
