Brisbane Roar welcomes former women’s goalkeeper coach Brody Sams back into the fold for the 2022/23 Liberty A-League season.
On a break from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Sams will act as assistant coach to Dale Hill while he is back at in Australia.
As the NJ/NY Gotham goalkeeper coach, Sams has been overwhelmed by the opportunities and support he has received since joining the club earlier this year.
“It was life changing, to go over there and work with some of the best players in the world, see some of the cool stadiums and to get to that level was eye opening,” he said.
“The first game at Red Bull Arena at home, knowing that was our home to play in and that’s where I get to do my job, I was like ‘wow this is great, this is really cool!’.”
“I had to pinch myself.”
Sams spent the best part of a decade in the Roar setup, initially as a coach with the men’s youth and first teams before working in the women’s program.
Since relocating to the United States, he has worked with the likes of two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner Ashlyn Harris, NWSL veteran Michelle Betos and Roar’s own Hensley Hancuff.
Sams believes his experience abroad has developed his coaching skills, something he hopes to share with his short time back in Brisbane.
“Having to jump in the deep end and learn how to scout players and ways in which to beat the opponents…, that got me to think about how to do things here,” he said.
“I really enjoy empowering players and I think getting players to understand themselves, then owning what they do and why they do it is really important to me, it’s what I want to bring back here.”
And while the United States has the allure of big city life, Sams said there’s nowhere like home.
“It’s awesome to be back, these are familiar faces, Brisbane Roar is my family and what I’ve known for 10 years, it’s really nice and to be welcomed back… I’m the luckiest person alive,” he said.
Sams will return to his position with Gotham FC ahead of the NWSL season.
