Kelly Smith will work with Arsenal Women's attacking players after returning as first-team assistant coach; Smith had three spells as a player at Arsenal, scoring 130 goals and winning five league titles, five FA Cups and the UEFA Women's Cup; Gunners begin WSL season on Sunday October 1
Thursday 21 September 2023 09:13, UK
Kelly Smith has returned to Arsenal as women's first-team assistant coach.
Smith, who spent time coaching with Arsenal during the second half of last season, will work with the club's attacking players.
The 44-year-old had three previous spells with the Gunners as a player, scoring 130 goals in 156 games.
Smith won five league titles, five FA Cups and the UEFA Women's Cup - now the Champions League - with Arsenal.
After agreeing her return to north London, Smith said: "I grew up an Arsenal fan and was fortunate enough to play for the club for a number of years, so I'm delighted to be back in this capacity.
"It's a dream come true for me to be back in this environment. I'm really excited to be working with the attacking players in the squad and I want to draw on my experience both at Arsenal and across the game to contribute to us achieving our goals together."
Discussing the return of Smith - who also played over 100 times for England - Clare Wheatley, Arsenal's head of women's football, said: "There are few people who understand what it means to represent Arsenal Women like Kelly Smith, so we are delighted to confirm that she has joined us as assistant coach.
"She will bring a breadth of experience at the highest level of the women's game and we believe our players will benefit greatly from her input on the training ground, with Kelly focusing specifically on our attacking group."
Smith's first task will be to help Jonas Eidevall prepare his side for the start of the WSL season on Sunday October 1, with Arsenal hosting Liverpool at 2pm.
The Gunners are then live on Sky Sports on Friday October 6 when they travel to Manchester United - kick-off 7.30pm.
Follow all the latest from the Women's Super League across the Sky Sports website and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage and in-game clips from games live on Sky Sports.
You can also watch free match highlights from every WSL game this season on Sky Sports' digital platforms and YouTube channel, while matches will continue to be shown on both Sky Sports Football and on Sky Showcase - available in all Sky homes even without a Sky Sports package - giving the competition greater visibility.
Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports' main social media channels, the bespoke X channel @SkySportsWSL will continue to be the home of all WSL content on Sky Sports.
The Sky Sports WSL TikTok account gives fans 360° coverage of the league and grants them exclusive access to their new favourite players. Through fun challenges and interviews, along with behind-the-scenes footage, viewers will get to know the WSL's array of personalities and see the sport from a new set of angles.
Meanwhile, fans can also keep up to date with everything on and off the pitch with the return of Three Players and a Podcast, hosted by Caroline Barker.
