Katie Smith - 'They're people first, and players second'

Katie Smith, based in Memphis, Tennessee, started coaching straight out of high school, alongside playing at community college.

Now, in a situation that might sound familiar to a lot of coaches trying to make their way, Katie juggles numerous roles.

She coaches at Collierville High School and Collierville Middle School, has two youth teams at Lobos Rush, is a volunteer assistant at Northwest Mississippi Community College and also works with USL 2 club Tri-Cities FC. Katie is also a full-time student and, this semester, a student teacher.

SCW caught up with Katie at the United Soccer Coaches convention in January to talk about what is similar and different across her roles, her person-over-player philosophy, and some of the challenges she has faced…

Hey coaches — quick heads-up. If your team’s moving up a format this season — maybe to 7v7, 9v9, or even 11v11 — it’s not just ‘more players. and bigger pitches’ The game changes. That’s why we’re running the Prepare Your Players for the Move series. On August 20 we’ve got the 7v7 Transition Masterclass, and on August 27 we’ll cover 9v9 and 11v11. You’ll get the formations, tactics and strategies you need to give your team the edge helping you win more games and develop better players. Just h