Soccer Coach Shane Snyder to Step Back from Coaching
Shane Snyder comes from a soccer family. His father Bill was a legendary coach in the Philadelphia Public League, coaching Frankford for 30 years and at one point winning 11 straight Public League championships.
He and his brothers Jason and Bill played soccer at Pennsauken and Shane continued his career at St. Joseph’s University. His brother Bill once coached Pennsauken, where he is now the athletic director. Jason has been a highly successful coach at Lindenwold. His father Bill is an assistant to Jason at Lindenwold.
And Shane ended a two-decade coaching career by announcing after the season his resignation as the boys’ head soccer coach at Washington Township.
A 1995 graduate of Pennsauken, who helped the Indians win the 1993 South Jersey Group 3 title, Shane Snyder became a three-year starter at St. Joseph’s and was captain his senior season.
After that he began his coaching career, guiding the JV boys at Washington Township. His first head coaching job was with the Washington Township girls’ varsity. Snyder was there for seven seasons, where the Minutemaids were a perennial Top 10 team in South Jersey.Article continues below
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He then took over the boys’ team and led the Minutemen to new heights. Taking over a program that earned one sectional title in nearly four decades, Snyder would guide Washington Township boys’ team to three state championships, seven sectional crowns and three South Jersey Coaches Tournament championships.
The state championships came in 2014, 2015 and 2018.
This year’s team went 18-2-2 and won the Tri-County Royal Division title and the South Jersey Group 4 championship.
“I have had so many thrills coaching, but it was really special winning state championships,” Snyder said. “The parents, kids and school get behind you and it is an awesome experience and to this day I talk about it with the players on those teams.”
Snyder loved coaching, but as often happens, he has young children, and he wants to spend more time with their activities. His son Keegan is six and his daughter Finley is 4.
“My kids are getting older and it’s time to be around them more,” he said.
After being a head varsity soccer coach for the past 20 years, Snyder understands there will be a void, especially when summer workouts for the team begin.
“I will miss it,” he said. “I don’t miss it now because this is the same as it is every year at this time, but come July, August and September, it will hit home.”
Snyder can take great satisfaction in knowing he was among the elite coaches in South Jersey for both the girls and the boys. Those aren’t his words, but those who know the South Jersey soccer landscape.
What made his accomplishments more impressive is that Washington Township annually played one of the toughest schedules in South Jersey in both boys’ and girls’ soccer. Up until two years ago, the school competed in the Olympic Conference American Division, the deepest still in South Jersey.
Washington Township now competes in the Tri-County Royal Division, which is also highly competitive. As an example, the two finalists in the boys coaches Tournament this season, Washington Township and Clearview, are Royal Division teams.
So, the record over two decades came against high caliber competition.
Snyder wouldn’t have wanted it any other way and his teams were obviously up for the challenge.
Photo Courtesy of Shane Snyder
He and his brothers Jason and Bill played soccer at Pennsauken and Shane continued his career at St. Joseph’s University. His brother Bill once coached Pennsauken, where he is now the athletic director. Jason has been a highly successful coach at Lindenwold. His father Bill is an assistant to Jason at Lindenwold.
And Shane ended a two-decade coaching career by announcing after the season his resignation as the boys’ head soccer coach at Washington Township.
A 1995 graduate of Pennsauken, who helped the Indians win the 1993 South Jersey Group 3 title, Shane Snyder became a three-year starter at St. Joseph’s and was captain his senior season.
After that he began his coaching career, guiding the JV boys at Washington Township. His first head coaching job was with the Washington Township girls’ varsity. Snyder was there for seven seasons, where the Minutemaids were a perennial Top 10 team in South Jersey.
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He then took over the boys’ team and led the Minutemen to new heights. Taking over a program that earned one sectional title in nearly four decades, Snyder would guide Washington Township boys’ team to three state championships, seven sectional crowns and three South Jersey Coaches Tournament championships.
The state championships came in 2014, 2015 and 2018.
This year’s team went 18-2-2 and won the Tri-County Royal Division title and the South Jersey Group 4 championship.
“I have had so many thrills coaching, but it was really special winning state championships,” Snyder said. “The parents, kids and school get behind you and it is an awesome experience and to this day I talk about it with the players on those teams.”
Snyder loved coaching, but as often happens, he has young children, and he wants to spend more time with their activities. His son Keegan is six and his daughter Finley is 4.
“My kids are getting older and it’s time to be around them more,” he said.
After being a head varsity soccer coach for the past 20 years, Snyder understands there will be a void, especially when summer workouts for the team begin.
“I will miss it,” he said. “I don’t miss it now because this is the same as it is every year at this time, but come July, August and September, it will hit home.”
Snyder can take great satisfaction in knowing he was among the elite coaches in South Jersey for both the girls and the boys. Those aren’t his words, but those who know the South Jersey soccer landscape.
What made his accomplishments more impressive is that Washington Township annually played one of the toughest schedules in South Jersey in both boys’ and girls’ soccer. Up until two years ago, the school competed in the Olympic Conference American Division, the deepest still in South Jersey.
Washington Township now competes in the Tri-County Royal Division, which is also highly competitive. As an example, the two finalists in the boys coaches Tournament this season, Washington Township and Clearview, are Royal Division teams.
So, the record over two decades came against high caliber competition.
Snyder wouldn’t have wanted it any other way and his teams were obviously up for the challenge.
Photo Courtesy of Shane Snyder
Author: Marc Narducci
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