From First Touch to First Team is the podcast for young football players parents and coaches. Every episode, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional players, coaches, and people building lives around football, and unpacks the real journeys behind the game. The goal is simple: to give young players and their parents the education, the honest stories, and the perspective they need to navigate the pathway to professional football.

In this episode, Jan calls the US to sit down with Brody Sams, an Australian goalkeeper coach who never played at a professional level, but has spent over a decade coaching goalkeepers at the highest level in Australia and the US. From starting at the Brisbane Roar to signing with NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL, Brody proves that a full-time career in football does not have to go through a pro playing pathway.

Brody talks openly about the imposter syndrome that comes from never playing at the top level, and the advice from an Ajax mentor (who grew up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic) that shaped his entire coaching philosophy: outwork everyone. We cover his years at the Brisbane Roar Women's, the random WhatsApp text from Gotham FC that changed everything seven years after his resume was passed on, and what it takes to walk into what was then called the "laughing stock of the NWSL" and turn it around.

Brody is honest about the real differences between the A-League Women and the NWSL, why he thinks Australian football needs to be more open, and what the US does exceptionally well when it comes to marketing, community, and creating access. He closes with his best advice for every young goalkeeper: journal, reflect, watch the game like a student, and don't underestimate the mental game.

Whether you are a young player chasing the dream, a parent supporting one, or a coach shaping the next generation, this is essential listening for anyone who has ever wondered what a life in football can look like on the coaching side of the game.

Jan and the Eleade Fussball coaches help young Australian players bridge the gap between team training and individual development, so they can reach the highest level possible. Individual and group sessions with a cognitive focus, game analysis, and performance testing, all built around the individual player. Through this podcast, we share the real journeys of players who have reached the top, so young footballers can see just how different every path can look.

Find Eleade on Instagram or at www.eleadefussball.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome and meet Brody Sams
02:57 How the 2002 World Cup hooked him on football at 11
06:03 The Brisbane Roar years and being told to "get a real job"
08:49 How he silenced the imposter syndrome from an Ajax mentor
11:49 What matters most: the goalkeeper coach and player relationship
14:48 Why watching football is the goalkeeper's secret weapon
17:32 Why US players still don't watch enough football
20:29 The random WhatsApp from Gotham 7 years after Nadine passed on his resume
23:29 "Bring it on, let's go": accepting the NWSL's worst-ranked club
26:25 The real differences between the A-League Women and NWSL
29:20 Inside the daily life of an NWSL goalkeeper coach
32:14 How he tracks progress and development in his goalkeepers
37:51 Journaling and reflection: the goalkeeper's secret weapon
42:56 What separates the number one goalkeeper from the number two
48:45 Inside the NWSL boom: Kansas City, Portland, and Angel City
54:35 What Australian football could learn from US openness
1:01:33 Stoppage Time Questions
1:06:14 His advice for young players chasing the dream

🎧 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
Enjoy your football journey!