Creating Cohesion: An Interview with Jonathan Crossette — Volunteer Spotlight
Jonathan Crossette/Photo: Rasheena Wilson
After reading up on the work that Kensington Soccer Club was doing in the Kensington neighborhood in an article published by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jonathan Crossette knew that KSC would be the place he’d want to volunteer at. He’d been looking for a new place to volunteer and the Club’s mission to offer the neighborhood’s youth opportunities to play and grow was something he believed in and wanted to contribute to.
“They were trying to do the right thing in offering opportunities to children in Kensington,” he said. “I try to keep an open mind about coaching and volunteer work and what impressed me was the commitment of the coaches that were involved, and the amount of organization and communication that KSC does.”
Prior to joining us, Crossette did have experience coaching older soccer players. However, his time with KSC has given him the chance to work with younger kids (primarily U9-10), helping them understand the fundamental lessons of the game.
“Coaching younger children is a little bit different,” he said. “In some ways more fun, in some ways more challenging. The younger children are enthusiastic and tend to care a little bit less about winning or losing. Sometimes, the older children are more disappointed when they don’t do well and lose. Younger children seem to shrug that off and come on out next week all over again. They’re learning a little bit about the game and being with their friends.”
Crossette uses friendship on the field to help his players better understand how to move the ball, which helps improve their environmental awareness, critical thinking, and teamwork skills.
“You sort of use [friendship] to build cohesion and you can let them know that they’ve got their friends here on the field, you can rely on your friends if you get stuck,” Crossette said. “I bring that sense of friendship and community to make them think a little bit more about moving the ball.”
Crossette’s experience with Kensington Soccer Club over the past four years has been a positive one and he explains that volunteering with the Club grants volunteers an opportunity to see the direct impact they’re having out in the community.
“One does volunteer work to get some sense of fulfillment in that your contribution is giving someone an opportunity that they might not have,” he said. “KSC makes sure that they have coaches on the field and makes sure those coaches can deliver a good experience, whether that’s learning about soccer, having fun one afternoon, winning a game, or making new friends with another player. All those things a coach can help encourage.”
ABOUT JONATHAN
Crossette works in healthcare analytics at Main Line Healthcare, providing data to improve the care of patients in the company system. In his free time, in addition to coaching at KSC, he likes to play pick-up soccer and tennis.