Bella Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bella Smith |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Bella R. Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 20 September 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Port Lincoln, South Australia | ||
| Original team | Norwood (SANFLW) | ||
| Draft | undrafted free agency | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 2021, Collingwood v. Carlton, at Ikon Park |
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| Position(s) | Defender / Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Fremantle | ||
Bella R. Smith (born 20 September 2001) is a professional Australian rules football player. She plays for the Fremantle Dockers in the AFL Women's (AFLW) league. Before joining the AFLW, Bella played for Norwood in the SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). She was signed by Collingwood without being picked in the draft.
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Growing Up and Playing State Football
Bella Smith was born in Port Lincoln, a town in the Eyre Peninsula. She started playing junior football for the Ports Netball Football Club. In 2016, she played for South Australia in the Australian Football Under 15 Championship. She wore the number 20 jersey, just like her dad used to. After this, she joined Norwood's under-16 team. Bella played three seasons for Norwood in the SANFL Women's League (SANFLW), which is a top state league for women's football. After playing 10 games in 2019, she decided to focus completely on football.
During her time playing state football, Bella also represented South Australia. She played for the Central Allies team in the 2018 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships. The next year, she played for the Central Allies again in the 2019 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships. She even kicked a goal in their win against the Eastern Allies. She was also one of the best players in their game against Western Australia.
In September 2020, Bella played in the SANFLW All-Stars match. She played very well in defence, stopping goals and taking strong marks (catches). Besides football, Bella also played softball and cricket. She played cricket for the Port Neill Cricket Club and Kensington Cricket Club. From 2017, she also played for South Australia's under-18 cricket team.
Playing in the AFLW
Bella joined Collingwood in the AFLW after the 2020 AFL Women's draft. She reunited with her old coach, Stephen Symonds, who had coached her at Norwood. Bella played her first official game in a practice match against North Melbourne.
Less than two weeks later, she made her official debut in the first game of the 2021 AFL Women's season. This was against Carlton at Ikon Park. She played as a forward in this game. In May 2022, Bella left Collingwood to join Sydney. Sydney was one of the new teams joining the AFLW for the 2023 AFL Women's season. Later, she moved to play for Fremantle.
How Bella Plays
Bella Smith is known for being a "rebounding defender." This means she plays in defence, gets the ball, and then kicks it back towards her team's attacking end. She can also play as a forward, helping to score goals. She has strong hands for catching the ball and a powerful left foot for kicking.
Bella's Life Off the Field
Bella's uncle, Darren Smith, was also a famous Australian rules footballer. He played over 300 games for Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He won seven championships with them! He also played two seasons in the Australian Football League (AFL) for Adelaide. Bella lives in Melbourne with her teammate Ebony O'Dea. She also works as a teacher's aide at SEDA College.
Statistics
Bella has played 36 games and kicked 11 goals in her AFLW career up to the end of the 2024 season.
