SPUYSC selects Jose Benito Leon, “Coach Benny”, as our September 2017 Coach of the Month. Benny is 36 years old and was born in Michoacán, Mexico and raised in Santa Rosa, CA. He now resides in San Pablo, CA.

Growing up, Coach Benny played recreational soccer with friends and his NAK fraternity brothers but was never in a team. He started coaching for SPUYSC three years ago in 2014. He first coached the PeeWees/U-7 San Pablo Real where his sons Angel and Joel Leon-Hernandez played. This group of boys became the U-8 Lions in the spring of 2016 and are now the U-9 San Pablo Lions

The titles his Lions team has won are the 2017 1st place Indoor U-8 Tournament and the 2017 2nd place SPUYSC U-8 Winter Tournament. His team, the San Pablo Lions, just went competitive this fall 2017 season at the silver competitive level through NorCal Premier Soccer.

Coach Benny has had the same core group of players since 2014 when the majority of them were 4 and 5 years old. They are now 7 and 8 years old. He has seen them grow individually, grow as a team and develop their soccer skills. Coach Benny loves the kids’ reaction when they score and when they win a game. He does not hold try outs for his team and does not aim to build a super star team. He continues with the same core group of players and strives to develop their soccer skills and make soccer available to them though he does find it challenging at times to motivate some of the kids to push themselves and not give up.

Recently Coach Benny’s family suffered a house fire which displaced them for the next few months yet Coach Benny remains devoted to his team and his coaching responsibilities.

Coach Benny states that SPUYSC has great leadership. He is thankful that he was taken under their wing, was given the opportunity of being a Coach, and is learning a lot. He and his sons will forever be thankful to the club.

Coach Benny exemplifies what SPUYSC coaches strive to be. Coach Benny is extremely dedicated and devoted to his team regardless of what is happening in his life. For these reasons, SPUYSC is proud to name Jose Benito Leon, Coach Benny, as our September 2017 Coach of the Month.