Megan Ostrelich
New England Futbol Club
Who or what inspired you to pursue coaching?
Honestly, I fell into coaching. I was injured before my freshman year of college and after that season, didn’t know what to do. A family friend said they were looking for coaches and asked me to help him out. What keeps me in coaching is not just the love of the sport but wanting to be a positive influence on the young female and non-binary athletes I am surrounded by.
How has being a United Soccer Coaches member benefited you?
The incredible people I’ve met continually inspire me as a person and a coach. Connecting with so many different coaches across the country/world. Most importantly, within the past few years, I’ve changed my professional focus to educate others around marginalized athletes and how we can be more inclusive in our coaching lives. I’m not sure I would have had the opportunity to pursue that if it wasn’t for United Soccer Coaches.
What do you feel has been the hardest part of coaching?
Personally, it’s been two-fold. Battling always being one of the few female coaches can be exhausting and the current focus from parents/players to only want to be on the highest label team instead of focusing on being surrounded by a good environment, great teammates/coaches and proper learning environment for the athlete.
How do you measure success with your team?
Measuring success is an interesting concept for me. Small ‘wins’, moments or smiles when a player does something that brings them confidence are the biggest signs of success. Seeing players connect with each other or see the game outside of their own moments – that is when I know I am doing my job on the field. Winning is always great but as a youth coach, I find it more important to give the players tools to grow and to keep their love of the game strong!
What has been your favorite United Soccer Coaches education course and why?
It wasn’t an education course, per se, but a panel discussion I attended at a convention called “A Coming Out Story…”. It truly opened my eyes to a different side of coaching and gave me a clear path to pursue education people on better ways to communicate with our athletes.