When Katherine Smith made the move from Melbourne to Western Sydney in 2021, the last thing she expected to find was home.

The inaugural AFLW player, a defender and now GIANTS vice-captain, grew up in the centre of the footy universe, picking up the game at just three-years-old.

“Footy begins for me at Laburnum Auskick, following my brother around,” Smith recalls.

“Dad was always coaching, mum was always there and involved so it’s always been a part of my family and my life, and I’ve been pretty lucky to have such a long journey with it.”

Smith’s obsession with the game extended so far that when her parents informed her that women couldn’t play the game as professionals, she switched her dream career trajectory to do something about it.

“Mum and Dad told me I’d used to say to them that I’d become Prime Minister, to change the rules so that women could play in the AFL,” Smith says.

“We’re all thankful that I’m not!

“But all my childhood AFL heroes were men obviously and then my female sporting hero was Erin Phillips as a basketballer, which was very cool that she then became Adelaide’s first signing.”

A natural athlete with immense skill and precision, Smith split her time between AFL and basketball, fortunate enough to be coming along the pathway for women’s football as it was being laid.

Representing Vic Metro in AFLW National Championships from 2013-2016, before moving into the VFLW with the Eastern Devils in 2016, the moment came where she had to choose between a tangible opportunity and one she hoped would emerge, a professional women’s game.

“That decision was a really hard one,” Smith says.

“Basketball had a pathway, there was a game and a future, but I was betting on the AFL eventually having a W competition.

“My heart was always in footy and I think the last year I played, I fouled out every single game because that was who I was as a footballer, aggressive and a tackler, all in.

“When Gillon [McLauchlan] made the decision to make it earlier, it was almost perfect timing, the stars aligned for me.

“It was my year 12, I was 17 turning 18 and I became one of the youngest drafted in the inaugural draft.

“But thank god I was never Prime Minister.”

Smith was taken by the Melbourne Demons at pick 56 in the inaugural draft, the gamble paying off far earlier than she’d expected.

Footy, which had always been a ‘sentimental’ part of her life and attached to her family, became a profession, a switch that had a far bigger impact on her than she could have anticipated, as she struggled to balance the professional and personal sides of her identity.

From a football perspective, Smith flew, playing every game across her first three seasons at Melbourne, establishing herself as a lockdown defender capable of playing well above her 165cm frame and often tasked with such a challenge.

An ACL injury kept her out of the 2020 season and eventually saw her land, as part of a three-way trade, at GIANTS HQ, a part of the world completely foreign to the Melbournite.

 “The decision to move the GIANTS was a really big one,” Smith says.

“I love Melbourne Football Club and loved the coach and the girls, I never thought I would leave. I thought I’d be a one-club player.

“But I had my football life which I loved and then my life outside of football, where I wasn’t happy.

Smith now looks at her ACL recovery as fortuitous, a fork in time which gave her the opportunity to reflect on what was impacting that happiness, and how she might go about re-focusing on mental strength and finding joy outside of football.

“I realised I could leave Melbourne,” Smith says.

“That was scary.

“I was very lucky my family supported me, but you do miss a lot of personal things in life whether it’s friends’ marriages, birthdays and all these big events for your family.

“But I realised I had this desire to go and live somewhere different, warmer, live on the beaches and challenge myself in life rather than sticking to this bubble that I’d been in my whole life.”

The move itself was a challenging one.

Smith landed at the GIANTS off the back of her knee reconstruction, in the middle of the pandemic, and going straight into the Hub.

The go-home factor well and truly tugged at her through the early days of 2021.

“I remember Pep [Randall] saying to me ‘I can’t believe you stayed,’” Smith says.

“I stayed because of the group; they felt like family to me. I immediately felt like this was home.”

Smith reclaimed herself on the football field as well, with a post-ACL return to play in round 5 of the 2021 season, making her club debut against the Western Bulldogs.

She’s missed just one game of football for the club since.

Elevated to the leadership squad ahead of the 2024 season, Smith admits that the move to Sydney made her a more rounded, happier person that had a greater appreciation of who she is off the field.

Voted into the position by her teammates, Smith was recognised for an embodiment of the team value; All In.

It’s a mantle she wears proudly but one she doesn’t necessarily intend to portray, it’s just become part of giving back to the club that helped her regain a sense of self away from the game and for her fierce, competitive approach in-game.

“In Melbourne, I was very much ‘Katherine Smith the footballer’ but here it’s been nice to challenge and explore who I am outside of football as well,” Smith says.

“Coming in, the players didn’t really care about the Melbourne football bubble or what I’d achieved as a junior with footy.

“They wanted to know who I was as a person, what I did outside of footy, what I studied, my weekends, which made me realise, ‘hey, I am a really interesting person.”

“The GIANTS challenged me to show more people a vulnerable, authentic me, which I struggled with in Melbourne.

“Whether it’s surfing with Tarni or my partner on the weekend, exploring different parts of Sydney, progressing my career and coaching, building relationships based on me as a person, not just a footballer.

“That balance means that now when I’m out there I’m having the most fun in the world.

“There’s so much internal pressure as an athlete, to be the best you can be.

“All your thinking is about how you can be the best athlete possible, but to be the best athlete I can be, I’ve found I have to also be happy.

“For me it was finding the connection of joy that I got when I was kicking the ball around with my brother or tackling him in the backyard and having the best time in my life, so if I can’t replicate that feeling of love and happiness when I’m playing, then I’m not playing my best football.

“It was a blessing, the move to Sydney fundamentally made me happy and feel at home.”

The GIANTS historic 10th season of AFLW is kicking off this August, and we don’t want you to miss a moment! 

This year, we're turning up the value with ‘10 Seasons, 10 Perks’ - featuring 10 member exclusive benefits that deliver real value and elevate your season. 

in 2025, we will be introducing members exclusive seating! Sit back Relax and enjoy AFLW from the comfort of the member's lounge. We can't wait to see you at the W!