Bella Smith facts for kids

Bella R. Smith (born 20 September 2001) is a professional Australian rules football player. She plays for Fremantle in the AFL Women's (AFLW) league. Before joining Fremantle, she played for the Sydney Swans and Collingwood. Bella started her career playing for Norwood in the SANFL Women's League (SANFLW).

Bella's Early Life and State Football

Bella Smith was born in Port Lincoln, South Australia. This town is located on the Eyre Peninsula. She began playing junior football for the Ports Netball Football Club.

In 2016, Bella represented her home state, South Australia. She played in the Australian Football Under 15 Championship. This competition took place in Maroochydore. She wore the number 20 jersey, just like her father. After this, she joined Norwood's under-16 team. Bella played three seasons for Norwood in the SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The SANFLW is a top women's football league in South Australia. After playing 10 games in 2019, she decided to focus completely on football.

Bella also played for South Australia in other big championships. She played for the Central Allies team in the 2018 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships. She was injured in the final game of that tournament. The next year, she played for the Central Allies again. This was during the 2019 AFL Women's Under 18 Championships. She scored a goal in a win against the Eastern Allies. She was also one of the best players in a game against Western Australia.

In September 2020, Bella played in a special SANFLW All-Stars match. She played very well in defence. She stopped many goals and took strong marks. 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. She played junior cricket at a national level for three years.

Bella's AFLW Career Journey

Bella Smith joined Collingwood after the 2020 AFL Women's draft. She was signed as an undrafted free agent. This means she was not chosen in the draft but was signed directly by a club. She reunited with her former coach, Stephen Symonds, from Norwood.

Bella played her first official game for Collingwood in a practice match. This was against North Melbourne at Ikon Park. Less than two weeks later, she made her official debut. This was in the first game of the 2021 AFL Women's season. Collingwood played against Carlton at Ikon Park. She played as a forward in this game.

In May 2022, Bella left Collingwood. She moved to Sydney, which was a new team joining the AFLW. Sydney became part of the league in the 2023 AFL Women's season. Bella was traded to Fremantle in December 2024. She is now a key player for the Fremantle Dockers.

How Bella Plays Football

Bella Smith is known for her strong defensive skills. She often plays as a rebounding defender. This means she wins the ball in defence and moves it quickly forward. She can also play as a forward, helping to score goals. Collingwood used her in this role when she first started in the 2021 AFL Women's season. Bella has strong hands, which helps her take good marks. She also has a powerful left foot for kicking the ball far.

Bella's Life Outside Football

Bella Smith has a famous uncle, Darren Smith. He played 302 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 used to live in Melbourne with her former teammate, Ebony O'Dea. She has also worked as a teacher's aide at SEDA College.

Career Statistics

Here are some of Bella Smith's career statistics up to the end of the 2022 (Season 6) AFLW season.