Former Freedom Players Take Helm of Liberty Coaching Staff

Since its inception, the USA Liberty Development Squad has acted as a way to breed the next crop of players for the Freedom National Team.

For 2015, several former Freedom players will continue that push from the coach’s box, hoping to develop a new group of starlets ahead of International Cup 2017.

Judith Stein and Milli Bruce will platoon as head coaches for the Liberty starting this season, with each interchange roles at the helm as well as midfield coach.  Veteran midfielder Cristina Licata will be the backline coach, while American footy pioneer Kathryn Hogg will take charge of the forwards.  Lisa Arrendondo also joins the program as a coach’s assistant.

The new staff will be eyeing new recruits as the cycle for IC17 begins April 10-12 with the US Freedom and Liberty tryout sessions in Arizona.  Tryouts and games will be held at the soccer fields at South Valley Junior High in Gilbert, and are open to the public.

“The idea for the Liberty is to groom our future Freedom coaching staff and capture the knowledge and experience that these former Freedom players all have,” explained USAFL women’s coordinator Drea Casillas.  “These new coaches will be mentored not only by our Freedom staff but also by their counterparts in the Australia's VWFL and women's Academy programs.”

Stein has been a staple of the American footy scene for the better part of a decade, and in that time has sculpted a reputation as a versatile player who can show up just about anywhere on the ground.  She also has solidified herself as a leader, both on and off the pitch, serving as captain for the Freedom’s first International Cup appearance in 2011. 

Judith began her domestic career in Atlanta, and was an integral part of the Lady Kookaburras teams that won the first three USAFL Women’s National Championships.  Wayne Kraska, her coach in Atlanta, tapped her to be a part of the first Freedom squad in 2007, which led to her representing her country a total of 20 times.  Stein moved to the nation’s capital in 2009 to captain the Baltimore-Washington Lady Eagles, and has been a part of the growth of the game on the East Coast since then. 

Now, she brings that leadership to the bench to try and build for the future, while at the same time transitioning into the next phase of her footy career.

“I feel that my experience as a player, one who has played all over the field, will help me in coaching,” Stein remarked.  “It is my hope that I can mentor newer players and help them to develop their skills so that they can play to their highest potential.  And, in creating a strong development squad, which will feed into the Freedom, we can continue to advance the skills and progress the program in an effort to win the International Cup in 2017.

“I have seen the program grow tremendously in that time and have had the opportunity to learn from great coaches,” she continued.  “I am thrilled to be able to remain a part of that program in a new role, a coach.  I look forward to being able to give back to the Freedom program, to learn a new skill-set, and assist in the development of future players.”

Joining Stein on the bench in the head coaching role is native Melbournian Milli Bruce, whose passion for the game started at a very young age.  Bruce began her playing career at Latrobe University in 2005, and the following year saw her join the Deakin (now Eastern) Devils of the VWFL.  In 2010, she came stateside, settling in the Bay Area and forming part of the foundation of the San Francisco Iron Maidens in 2012.   The last two seasons have seen exponential growth for the Maidens; led by Bruce and fellow Freedom players Tara Salmon and Jessica Estrada, they were Nationals runners in 2013 and 2014.

Bruce’s coaching background comes in the sport of gymnastics, but she believes that her experience as a player on both sides of the Pacific will be a key ingredient for the future development of American footy players.

“I have been involved in footy in many capacities during my life, and I consider myself to be a huge proponent for women in the sport, be it players, coaches, umpires or committees,” Bruce stated.

“Being a part of the staff at IC2011 gave me a taste for coaching and was such a huge learning curve.  Coming from a player background, trying to contain and focus my energy (and anxiety!) on the sidelines was one of the hardest things in footy I've ever had to do!

“The Liberty Team creates such a unique intersection between development and experience, but all united by passion for the sport.  Being at the helm of such a special program will be an amazing challenge.”

Handling the defensive coaching duties is longtime New York Lady Magpie Cristina Licata, who is also making her transition from player to coach after a fruitful career as a player.  Beginning her career in Arizona, she moved to the Big Apple in 2008, where she plied her trade as a hard tackling midfielder, whose strength and tenacity made up for her lack of size.  The next year, she was named to the Freedom side which was the first to tour Australia.

“Taking on this role provides an opportunity to elevate the level of play for more women,” Licata explained, “preparing them to play at the most elite level in the US as they transition to the Freedom team, and in turn making their teammates in their home clubs across the United States better footy players.”

​Licata, who has been an integral part of the Magpies’ leadership on their Management Board, has done everything for the club from recruitment to webmaster, and will wear two coaching hats this year she takes over as coach of the Magpies.  But her role with the Freedom allows her to take the passion that has grown from meeting other women who love the game as much as she has, both at home and in Australia.

 “[I look] forward to helping foster these women's love of the game and connecting them with others at home and abroad who feel the same. [I am] honored to join the USA program and believes that together there is no limit to how much we can grow the game.”

Kathryn Hogg is very much a pioneer of American women’s footy, helping to organize the first women’s matches in 2003 leading up to the creation of the Women’s Division at USAFL Nationals in Milwaukee, two years later.  Now, she opens a new chapter of development as the Liberty’s forward’s coach.

Hogg, whose height and marking ability gave her a reputation as a dangerous forward for the Minnesota Freeze, played in the first women’s International Cup tournament in Melbourne in 2011.  She is a dedicated servant of the game, having been served as both Vice President of the Freeze, and as USAFL Executive Board Member-at-Large.  She was also the league’s first women’s director until 2009. 

She earned her AFL Level 1 Coaching certification in 2011, will also be pulling double duty on the coaching front, as she is already assistant coach to Dale Williams for Minnesota’s women’s team.  Hogg says that she is "excited to work with all the other coaches, players, and staff to develop player's skills and understanding of the game; with dedication, work, communication, feedback and resources that there are no limits on our players and program."

Joining the staff as Coaches’ Assistant is Boston’s Lisa Arrendondo, whose lifelong passion for sports eventually led her to try – and love – Aussie Rules Football.  A former BMX racer, track and field competitor, and swimmer, she was a foundation member of the Lady Demons in 2011 and rose quickly to its leadership group.  She helped lead her team to the Grand Final of the 2012 USAFL Nationals in just their second campaign.

A versatile player who is a fierce competitor in the ruck and up front, Arrendondo first represented the USA at the 2013 49th Parallel Cup in Edmonton, and was named to the International Cup squad the following year.  

Finally, Emily Smuder joins the program as Assistant Team Manager, assisting Team Manager and fellow Minnesotan Jess Whisney.  An Ausophile since birth, she first learned about footy in 2005 while studying in South Australia, but didn’t start playing until five years later when she found out about the Freeze through Ultimate Frisbee.  Smuder represented her country at IC14, but sadly found her tournament cut short due to a torn ACL.  Her road to recovery has been productive, however, and she has helped with the Freeze’s women’s leadership team, in addition to her work with the national teams.

These “old” familiar faces are supported by the two returning members of the Liberty staff; Tara Salmon who has taken on an expanded role in Player Development, and Fitness Manager Mike Murphy, who himself is known as a player who can run for days as captain of the New York Magpies.

The road to 2017 will not only see support form from this new group of mentors, but also from a partnership with clubs from the Victorian Women’s Football League (WVFL).  Last year, the St. Alban’s Spurs embarked on a ten day tour of America, playing teams on both coasts: first in California, then in New York.  The lessons learned from the matches, in addition to the camaraderie formed with the ladies from the travelling side, can only serve to improve and sharpen the future of the women’s game stateside.  It’s a system that Casillas states will be focused on building success quickly.

“Through monthly video sessions, we'll match various Freedom and Liberty coaches to their Australian counterparts of the partnership,” she said.  “This will fast-track the Liberty coaches and highlight how coaches in both countries manage and develop players. This will be coupled with ongoing mentoring from the Freedom coaches and build our next generation of women who are now coaches.“

Ultimately, the collaboration with the WVFL will complement the new staff coming in, and help build the next generation of coaches side-by-side with player development.

“Through being involved for so long, they all have been player-coaches for their home clubs. Having them coach on the Liberty and, ultimately, the Freedom, is a natural progression. However, we want to make sure that they have the right tools to make this transition.

“Learning from the VWFL helps make this possible.”

The growth of the Freedom and Liberty programs have come a long way in its first decade.  Freedom head coach Leigh Barnes and his staff are looking not just to hoist the Premiership trophy in Australia in two years’ time, but genuinely looking to build and sustain a successful women’s program.

“Following on from the great success of taking two teams to the IC 2014,” Barnes said, “the program has taken it one step further to install separate coaches for the Liberty team to work alongside the Freedom coaches and begin our transition plan for the next generation of Freedom and Liberty coaches. This natural progression also allows players to stay in the game longer than just their playing days and gives us many eyes and ears across the Country to further enhance the skill and development of all players regardless of whether they play at the elite level.”

With a fresh staff of experienced and passionate women at the helm of the Liberty, Barnsey’s group is in good hands, and so is the future of the women who take up footy in America.