Welcome to our 'People of SYSA' series! This series is where we talk with players, coaches, administrators, parents, referees and volunteers from all across SYSA and learn a little bit about them and why they love being a part of Seattle Youth Soccer Association.
There are 12 recreational soccer clubs that make up SYSA, each one volunteer operated. From board members to coaches to MOD program directors and field schedulers, volunteerism is the foundation upon which these neighborhood soccer clubs are built. Without these volunteers, kids in Seattle would have less opportunity to get outside, participate in a team sport, and play the beautiful game.
For this edition of People of SYSA, we spoke with Jonathan Smith - Capitol Hill Soccer Club's longest running volunteer. Jonathan has been helping Capitol Hill soccer players since the 1990's! During that time he has seen a lot of change and a lot of people come and go (including his son who started playing when he was 6 and is now in his 30s) - but through it all, Jonathan has steadfastly continued donating his time and expertise because he believes wholeheartedly that volunteering is important work.
Here's more from our conversation with Jonathan:
Getting involved with youth soccer in Seattle
Jonathan's story starts as many parent volunteers does, offering to help out as a parent coach when his son started playing soccer at the young age of 6. At that point the program for the younger kids was run by Seattle Parks. Around 1998, when Jonathan's son was old enough to play with Capitol Hill Soccer Club, they made the switch and Jonathan continued on as a volunteer coach. Despite not having a soccer background or really knowing much about the game, he gladly gave his time to the team and to the organization.
Within the first few years of being at Capitol Hill, Jonathan shifted into more of an organizer and manager role with his son's team, which included helping as a parent referee at games and ensuring players had rides to games and practices. "There were a lot more people working at the club level when I first started," says Jonathan, which was replicated in how his son's team worked. "Some parents did the coaching, others stepped in to do the organizing and managing, and yet others moved to help with other logistics and fun things. It was great."
Volunteering is all about people working together
The way that Jonathan's son's team operated in those early years is a great example of effective, community volunteerism: a collective group effort where everyone does their small part and no one person has to carry the whole of the load.
"Some people like to do technical things, some people like to be organizers, some people are really cut out for coaching and working directly with the kids. I like doing the support pieces, things that I am good at. Volunteering does take time, but if enough people get together and take little pieces of it, the amount of time that each person needs to put in is modest. Volunteering is all about people working together," says Jonathan.
"When there is co-leadership and a facilitated overall group effort, no one feels too overwhelmed or overloaded. Too often the negative side of volunteering is when people have to take on too much, while already having too much on their plate to start."
When recreational youth soccer teams are run this way, everyone feels like they are a part of the collective effort. The magic of this is that volunteering becomes easier and less work because others are also contributing. This also allows for everyone to be able to do something that they enjoy doing or are good at, instead of being thrown into a role. Jonathan's advice to other parents is to "get involved in the overall effort, split things into small pieces, find out what you are good at and do your small part."
Field scheduling through the years
After helping out with coaching and management tasks on his son' team for several years, Jonathan switched gears and started helping Capitol Hill Soccer Club with organizing and coordinating the fields and scheduling team practices. This was the type of work that Jonathan really enjoyed so he was happy to step up. At that time there was another volunteer doing it as well (again, sharing the load) and they worked together for a number of years before Jonathan took on the role fully when the other left the organization.
Jonathan has now been Capitol Hill's field scheduler for over 20 years. When asked about the evolution of 'field scheduling' over the years, he dove into a quick history. "Some Microsoft folks had written us some software to use in the early days. We used that on the club's web site to publish available practice field info, then email and phone to request, confirm and record practice field assignments. Somewhere in the 2005-2008 range we switched over to our current way of doing things with spreadsheets. "
"The forms and spreadsheets are more involved and more sophisticated now. Everything used to just to get emailed out, now we can just post a form and everyone has access. It does take some time to organize the fields and it is intense for a few weeks, but I really enjoy it," says Jonathan.
Still at it, all these years later
Volunteering is an important part of Jonathan's life, and his family's life as well. Jonathan's son played in Capitol Hill Soccer Club all the way up through high school, through U19, but then stayed involved and coached a bit before going off to college. He even assistant coached with Seattle United for awhile as well.
Jonathan also volunteers at the Arboretum. "It's a special place for me, and a fantastic place to work," he says.
"I just like to volunteer. The fields job with Capitol Hill, it's easy to do because I know it so well, so why not keep doing it?," says Jonathan. "People ask me why don't you quit? Your son has been done playing for 10+ years." He replies," I tend to be a person of habit and I like volunteering. I get to talk to people and that's nice. I feel like I'm appreciated and I enjoy helping out. Plus, I retired in 2013 so now the time crunch isn't so bad."
It's become a piece of Jonathan over the years, being involved. "Volunteering is my social outlet. I like volunteering and being involved in socially responsible things that make a difference. Along with this, I also did Cub Scouts for a number of years and spent some time helping at environmental organizations after college. And now the Arboretum. I just like to be involved."
A note of appreciation
As we close out our conversation with Jonathan, we wanted to give Capitol Hill Soccer Club a moment to express their appreciation for Jonathan's volunteer service over the years:
"Jonathan is our longest volunteer. It has been well over a decade that he has had a child playing youth soccer but he continues to help and stay involved. Without his dedication our teams would not be able to practice each fall. Even when his wife was battling breast cancer a few years ago, Jonathan found time to organize our practice schedule. Jonathan is dedicated, patient, understanding and invaluable to our families. He is the bedrock of our club!
Thank you Jonathan for a job well done! Our club is incredibly fortunate to have a volunteer like you!"
- Shelly Chinn, President, Capitol Hill Soccer Club
Thank you so much Jonathan, from everyone here at Seattle Youth Soccer Association as well! It is volunteers like you that make SYSA what it is.
