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Alex Smith never had an interest in football before meeting her husband Hamish Smith in 2019. But now the 31-year-old is Selwyn United’s first female president after taking over from Stan de Rooy.
Smith said it was a huge honour to have been elected. She had been on the board for two years prior.
“I’m not a footballer myself, so I can’t go out there and win a cup to show women that they can be something in the sport, but I can be elected by my community to be on the board, and then elected by that board to sit at the highest level.
“If that shows little girls who maybe can’t kick a ball to save themselves like me, that perhaps they can still be involved in sport, that there’s so many more avenues to be a part of this community other than playing, that to me is the absolute greatest honour.”
Smith confessed to being a ‘footballer’s wife’ who got involved in the club through Hamish, a long-time player and coach who is with one of Selwyn’s senior social teams.
“I haven’t got an athletic bone in my body, unfortunately, but I don’t sit at home and twiddle my thumbs,” said Smith.
“I’ve always found a way to be involved somehow, coaching, volunteering, reffing, managing, doing a sausage sizzle or packing up, anything like that. I’ve just always rolled up my sleeves and helped.”
The couple have a one-year-old son, Cooper, who was bought a pair of boots for his birthday recently. They hope he will play football when he is older.
“We have our fingers and toes crossed he takes after his father,” said Smith.
She works full-time for Foodstuffs South Island, as head of wholesale categories, a job she ‘absolutely loves’.
Outside of football, she and Hamish play golf. He plays off a 14 handicap and used to be a member at Avondale, while she does not have a handicap.
“I’m a bit of a hacker, but I give everything a go, whether I’m very good or not,” she said.
“But I’m married, good or bad, to someone who just picks up everything like he’s done it his whole life. Sometimes that’s really good, sometimes that pisses me the hell off, he’s good at everything he does but he drags me along, so that’s all I can ask.”
Selwyn is undergoing a transitional phase. Former first-team head coach and director of football Chris Brown left mid-season to take up a job with the Wellington Phoenix.
The club are still advertising his roles.
In addition, the men’s first team finished last in the Southern League for the second consecutive season.
The makeup of next year’s competition is still to be confirmed as New Zealand Football implements a winter National League which will chance the picture of the Southern League.
“What that looks like could have some pretty significant flow-on effects for our senior space,” said Smith.
“So we’re very keen to get those plans for 2027 locked in, but just working through that.”
She said her priorities in the role were handling the growth of the club, which at 1700 members is the second largest in the South Island, and dealing with the financial pressures involved in community sport.
“Funding grants and things like that are drying up, more and more clubs are in need of support and sponsors, marketing budgets are drying up and everything like that.
“But we don’t want to put anyone in a position where they can’t afford to play football and have that outlet.”
Smith said she was hoping to be able to stay in the role for a long period of time.
“I would love to, I’ve got lots that I would like to do, and not the kind of things that you can achieve overnight.
“Whether I’m president, on the board, yelling out on the sidelines, I’ll be at Selwyn United. As long as I can be there and people trust me to do the right thing, I’ll continue doing it.”