Canadian striker Olivia Smith wants to build on big dreams with WSL’s Arsenal

Olivia Smith has always had big dreams.

She was just six or seven years old – “a little baby” – when she detailed her plans to play for Canada at the World Cup and Olympics in her diary.

Now the history-making striker is on the cusp of making those ambitions a reality.

“That’s been my dream since I was a little girl,” Smith said Thursday. “So I’d be fulfilling my dream just being there and getting that experience.”

It’s been a big year for the 22-year-old Canadian.

Smith made international headlines last summer when Arsenal’s Women’s Super League team paid a record-breaking £1-million ($1.85-million) to acquire her from Liverpool.

She put up 10 goals in her first 38 appearances for the Gunners, an accomplishment that was recognized this week when the striker from Whitby, Ont., was named young player of the year by England’s Professional Footballer’s Association for the second year in a row.

Players vote on the honour, making it all the more special for Smith.

“Playing against these girls week in and week out, and having them vote for you as Young Player of the Year, that just shows so much respect,” she said. “So it’s just a really great feeling.”

She’s just the second player to earn the honour in consecutive years following Manchester City’s Lauren Hemp, who got the nod three times between 2019 and 2022.

“I think it’s so exciting,” Smith said. “Obviously, I’m making history, especially for Canada. So it’s just really exciting.”

Her dad, Sean, was with her at the ceremony – dressed in a special outfit to commemorate the occasion.

“He was buzzing to be there,” she said. “He got a tailored suit and it had all these pictures of my sister and I and him, and how we grew up. And it was actually really, really wholesome.”

Smith is now preparing for her second campaign with Arsenal. She got off to a hot start on Wednesday, blasting a shot in from the top of the penalty area to help the squad to a 5-1 pre-season victory over Charlton Athletic.

With a season already in the books, Smith is feeling more confident heading into Year 2.

“I am so grateful to call Arsenal my home now,” she said. “And I’m so privileged to be able to say that and to finally feel like I have somewhere to grow over the next couple years, especially with world class players, is going to be super important for my development and for where I want to be in the next few years.”

This marks the first time the young athlete has played for the same professional club two seasons in a row, and she welcomes the stability.

“You don’t have on your mind ‘What’s next?’ Now it’s ‘I’m here to grow,’” she said. “And there’s so much for me to learn from all these players. I want to be the best that I can be, and I know the people around me can help me do that. So I think that’s really important to have that stability, and also the people matter. And Arsenal has some great people.”

Smith has already grown during her time at Arsenal, said Casey Stoney, head coach of Canada’s women’s team.

Playing among some of the top players in women’s soccer means she’s had to earn her right to be on the pitch and get respect in the dressing room, and that’s helped the young Canadian mature.

There are still areas for Smith to develop her game, she added, and those will come as she continues to play both for her club and country.

“She’s a special talent. We all know that,” Stoney said. “You only have to watch her play … I haven’t seen anyone who can strike a ball quite like her in the female game, and when she hits it, it stays hit.”

Smith has made 23 appearances for the national team, tallying four goals and four assists.

Her playing style and finishing ability will be crucial as Canada pushes this fall to qualify both for next summer’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“What Olivia gives you is creativity. She’s technically very good, she can go [one-on-one], she thinks outside the box, she can shoot, she can create,” the coach said. “She’s one of those players that can create and score for herself. And we need players like that in our team.”

The Canadians are currently ranked ninth in the world and are hungry to prove themselves, Smith said.

“We want to be at the World Cup. We want to be at the Olympics, and we’re really pushing to get there,” she said.

The striker’s looking forward to getting back with her national squad teammates this fall.

Before competing in November’s CONCACAF W Championship, where World Cup and Olympic berths will be on the line, Canada is set to host Denmark for a pair of friendlies, first in Montreal on Oct. 9 followed by a tilt in Toronto on Oct. 12.

The prospect of getting to play in front of family is “everything,” Smith said.

“That’s really all I need. That’s the most important thing to me,” she said. “That’s what helps me do what I do on the pitch. Just knowing that I have their support and love, and even though they can’t be there in the moment with me, I know that they’re in my heart and they’re always watching.”