SEDA College (SA) alumni member, Bella Smith who currently plays in the AFLW with the Collingwood Football club, attributes much of her success to her learning at SEDA College (SA) and in particular, her involvement with the Adelaide Crows Football Club.

Bella said, “The hands-on learning provided by SEDA is the way I learned best, but the highlight of my SEDA journey was the work placement with the Adelaide Crows, where I spent ten days running clinics around the Eyre Peninsula, which was my hometown. It was exciting to be able to give something back to the community that helped me in so many ways achieve my football dream.”

Bella said that the Adelaide Crows welcomed her so well and provided experiences that were pivotal towards her own learning while at the same time, exposed her more fully to the industry.

During her final year at SEDA, Bella was also part of the Norwood FC women’s team for the 2019/2020 season under coach at the time, Steve Symonds who now coaches her at Collingwood. Bella credits much of her success to SEDA and said, “The pathway of hands-on learning combined with the partnership with the Adelaide Crows has assisted in setting up my football career and to now take these skills into the AFLW.”

In addition, another highlight from Bella’s SEDA journey was her involvement in the annual SEDA Cup, which was held in Sydney. She said, “It was awesome to see so many like-minded students from other SEDA’s from across the country, and to see we were not alone; but at the SEDA Cup, we came together as one!”

Bella finished up by saying that she highly recommends the SEDA program if you love your sport. “For me it was so beneficial in leading me down the pathways that helped me get to where I am today. Being aligned with elite organisations like the Adelaide Crows, SEDA enables your passion for sport and this then drives everything you do in your day to day activities.”