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.

Here at SYSA, we recently had the opportunity to talk with Chris Jones, a volunteer soccer coach with LVR Soccer Club. Chris, who goes by CJ, is the head coach of the LVR Sounders Girls U16 team, a team he has been coaching since the girls were in kindergarten.

Keeping a group of high school girls involved in the game at the recreational level is a hard thing to do, as girls tend to drop out of sports at a high rate once they hit their middle school years. But CJ has done something special. He has created a culture of community and inclusion that has kept players and their families coming back year after year. He has helped create a safe space for the girls to be themselves which has made a massive impact on the lives of these young women.

Here's more from our conversation with CJ:

GETTING INVOLVED WITH SYSA

Both of CJ's daughters started playing soccer when they were really young. They started out in Lake City Soccer Club playing on coed teams and then moved to LVR, which is when CJ first decided to volunteer to coach. The team has been playing both fall and spring season every year since then.

"After all these years together, all of the girls are so close and understand each other so well on the soccer field. They go to different schools yes, but man when they get together on the field - and they know each others strengths and weaknesses - they just know how to bring each other up and support their teammates," says CJ.

KEEPING SOCCER FUN

CJ, who is a developmental psychologist by trade, was reading an article when his daughter was about 6 or 7 that said that the number one reason girls stopped playing sports as they got older was because it stopped being fun. "So I decided early on that fun was going to be my number one focus," says CJ. "Some of our players that have moved on to select soccer still play with us to have fun and keep that enjoyment. Some girls do all three (high school, select and LVR). What is special about our team is that they all have fun out there, they all have a good time together and there's no judgement."

"To see their love and enjoyment and appreciation for the game evolve and grow over the years has just been amazing. They have all evolved and grown so much in terms of what soccer means to them and in terms of what this community means to them as well, " CJ says. And a big part of that is that, as a group, they HAVE been able to keep it fun, and keep it pressure and expectation free.

A SAFE, SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

CJ says that even though their focus is keeping soccer fun, they've still had their hiccups and their ups and downs over the years, as is expected with any group of young adults growing and evolving together. He's had his fair share of 1:1 conversations with players, but his favorite coaching tactic when it comes to overcoming obstacles is to have them take on leadership roles and problem solve together. As a team. As a community.

For example, in the first season back after Covid-19, the team was having a difficult time forming. The girls were considering not returning to play. The world was in the middle of COVID and that was a big psychological hurdle that they were each having to navigate in their own lives. It was a confusing time for everyone and the lack of social exposure and uncertainty over the past year had them hesitating because they didn't know what the future would hold. CJ didn't want to make the decision for the team though, he wanted THEM to make the choice about whether they would go on or disband. "I think in the end, they, as a group, came to the realization that they all wanted to hold on to this small semblance of a community that they had built with each other. It was one of their safe spaces."

By letting them be involved in this decision, letting them come up with a plan for how to keep the team together, they felt ownership, " CJ says. They were more motivated and driven to step up for each other and make this happen because it was THEIR plan. "I want them to feel like they have ownership in the way the Sounders Girls culture evolves. It's their team and I want them to know that," says CJ.

"These days you don't have a sense of community in many environments anymore. But we have that here and it's wonderful. It was really was good during Covid to have this community infrastructure."

CREATING COMMUNITY BEYOND THE FIELD

CJ jokes that sometimes he thinks the parents actually enjoy the community aspect more than the players. "The parents love each other. They hang out outside of soccer. When players are on the fence about playing next season, the parents are always encouraging them to stay because they personally want the community aspect as well."

CJ reflects on all this fondly as he thinks about what keeps him involved and signing up to volunteer to coach year after year. "Recently a parent sent me a memory, from when the girls were like 8, " he says. "At the end of the season, I had given them a notebook with pages with their teammates names at the top of each one and they had to write one thing they liked most about this person, and one thing they respected about this person. We then gave each player all the pages everyone else had written about them. 7 years later the kids are still looking at it. This is what keeps me going and keeps me coming back for more."

THE COACHING EXPERIENCE

We asked CJ a few questions about how he approaches volunteer coaching and what he uniquely brings to his team. Here is what he had to say:

SYSA - Do you have a coaching philosophy? What values are important for you to teach your players when it comes to team culture?

CJ - "Enjoyment of the game, mutual respect for the other team and especially their fellow teammates, and a general focus on health - meaning stretching properly and everything associated with injury prevention."

SYSA - What is your greatest strength as a coach?

CJ - "Humility and humbleness. I'm OK saying I messed up, it creates a safer space for the players. I feel if I can create an environment for them to feel safe, we can really talk about anything. We get into some really deep stuff sometimes and I attribute that to being able to create that safe space."

SYSA - Proud coach moment?

CJ - "The first city tournament that they won, which was in 2016 or maybe 2017? The girls were on fire that day. I said I would do a cartwheel at the end. I wore all professional attire. Yes, I wore a suit to the final game, complete with a soccer bowtie. It was a cold day, everyone was bundled up in Sounders Girls scarves. And the girls they just came out and shined so well as a group and they supported each other. I mean, we had players typically afraid to play goalkeeper making some awesome saves. It was great."

SYSA - Favorite coaching memory?

CJ - "About kindergarten till about 4th grade, I used to have coach-talks with the kids where all the girls were climbing all over me in order to see the coaches board. All of that adoration, that is my favorite memory."

SYSA - Any advice for parents thinking about volunteering to coach?

CJ - "The coaching resources are out there. If what you are worried about is not knowing what to coach or how to coach, it's all out there - and truthfully you don't need any of that to coach, especially not at the younger ages. Just work together with the kids and have fun. If they get the ball in the goal, great. If not, great. As a coach, if you are encouraging the fun, the rewards heap up themselves."

SYSA - Any advice for players thinking about playing rec soccer for the first time?

CJ - "There are very few places in our lives where it is really safe to make mistakes and put yourself out there in a way that you can still feel good about yourself when you do that. Rec soccer is that place. The reward comes from trying, the winning piece isn't as important here."

And to close things out, we asked CJ the all-important question: which pro teams do you follow? "I watch it all! When I'm washing the dishes at night, I prop my phone up on the windowsill and watch all the highlights. Premier League, Bundesliga, MLS, doesn't matter, I love it all. But if I had to pick one team, I would say Barcelona - but the Messi Barcelona years."

Thank you so much CJ for all your years of volunteering and your commitment to the LVR Sounders Girls! SYSA appreciates everything you have done!