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.

To start off the series, this week we have the pleasure of featuring Sneha Sastry. Sneha coaches with LVR Soccer Club and this year she was the recipient of the SYSA Boys Recreational Coach of the Year award. Sneha coaches all three of her son's LVR teams and is an excellent leader for all of her young charges.

She is a dedicated, invested and extremely caring coach. She LOVES soccer and is passionate about the game's ability to create community. Sneha feels strongly that soccer is a sport where there's a place for everyone and that every player can absolutely contribute something unique and special to their team.

Here's more from our conversation with Sneha:

Getting involved with SYSA

Sneha moved to Seattle in 2015. Her oldest son was entering 1st grade at the time. She joyfully recalls the fact that "I signed him up for LVR soccer before I signed him up for school!". While Sneha didn't volunteer to coach that first year, she gradually become involved as the year went on by helping out here and there as needed. The rest is history.

Seven seasons later in 2021, this past fall, she was coaching all three of her son's LVR soccer teams: U7, U11 and U13. When asked about managing the logistics of being able to coach 3 teams, Sneha says that "Saturday's were crazy but so worth it."

Soccer as a community builder

One of the reasons that Sneha decided to get her family involved in SYSA immediately upon moving to Seattle is because she knew that soccer was a great way to meet new friends and get involved. She loves that the sport is such a community builder and allows you to bond with new people over a shared interest.

Sneha's whole family is 'soccer people'. She played soccer herself up through high school and continues to play in adult leagues in Seattle. She currently plays multiple nights a week, both in outdoor 11v11 RATS league and indoor at Arena Sports Magnusson.

"Adult soccer has been huge in my life. It's such a positive, active community and I've made so many good friends. Playing soccer is huge for me because I can socialize, get exercise and be a part of a team. As an adult, where else do you get the opportunity to say 'I got your back!' It's just been great for me."

Effort and individual contribution

When asked about her coaching style, Sneha immediately said "I'm a big effort person. It's all about the effort." With the players, it's always all about hustling and giving your best effort every time you're on the field. It's also about individual contribution as well. As in - what unique thing can YOU bring to the team? To the game?

"I'm never the best person on the soccer field, but I always tell myself that I can be the BEST contributor that I can be. It's all about being yourself, but putting in the effort to be the BEST VERSION of yourself." Sneha tells her LVR players this a lot and works hard to help them find value in the small pieces of the game.

As a coach, she puts a lot of emphasis on the small things that make a difference. The individual contributions from each and every player. "I notice the 10 steps that got us to the goal instead of just the goal itself. The goal is exciting, but I like to notice and point out the things from before (the assist, the tackle that caused the momentum change, etc.)"

Seeing players shift makes it all worth it

One of Sneha's favorite parts about coaching recreational youth soccer is the process of improvement that she sees her players through. "On a personal level, my favorite part about coaching is being able to see the kids shift. Seeing the kids transition from head-down-looking-at-the-ball, to head up, making passes and understanding spacial awareness on the field is just amazing."

Sneha enjoys the part of coaching where she gets to help players who are not sure of what to do. She loves being able to help them take ownership of small pieces of their game, succeed at them and grow their confidence. "Having them feel good about the plays they are making, is what makes me feel really good too," she says. For example, in terms of defending, she often tells her young players that their job is just to be first to the ball. That's it. When they have a specific, manageable objective they are better able to achieve it.

Sneha says her greatest strength as a coach is that she "genuinely cares about these kids," about all of them, not just the superstars. "If you develop a caring nature first, they respond better to everything."

Words of encouragement

On closing, we asked Sneha for her words of advice in regards to players and parents looking to get involved in SYSA soccer this upcoming fall season.

SYSA - Any advice for parents who have thinking about getting into coaching?

Sneha - "If you are thinking about coaching I would say do it, it's fun. It takes time yes, but the value of it is just huge. The dynamics you can have with people (parents, kids) is just amazing. My second piece of advice would be to be clear about expectations, it goes a long way in setting you up for a fun and successful season."

SYSA - Any advice for players who have been thinking about trying soccer for the first time?

Sneha - "My advice for players is to go out and do your best and try not to compare yourself to others. There are always going to be people that are better, but you can always contribute something to a team. You can be a valuable member of a team always. There's so many things you can do in soccer that aren't dribbling and scoring. Slowing someone down, picking someone up, anything. There's a value to being on the field and working your hardest."

And as we were parting, Sneha had one final thing to say about why she coaches youth soccer: "my hope is that these kids learn enough to be able to play lifelong soccer because it's so enjoyable and I want them to enjoy it for a long time."

Thank you so much Sneha! We appreciate you and are so glad you are a part of our SYSA family!