Amy Snider knows how to be successful and it’s all about giving back.  Amy will talk about her how her love of soccer and sports led her to a successful career as an entrepreneur.  She co-founded the Colorado Force, a pro-am women’s soccer team in Fort Collins that plays in the W-league… the oldest women’s soccer league in North America.  Snider was recently selected by the Denver Business Journal as a 2009 “Outstanding Women in Business” award winner. She’ll explain how she’s developed a unique system for financial support and provide insight to her philosophy of giving back.

A former collegiate athlete, Snider has always had a knack for business.  She created a leatherworks business and a pretzel business before she was old enough to go to high school.  Throughout high school, she worked at veterinary clinics while coaching at soccer camps in the summer.   Amy graduated from Cornell University and returned to Colorado to try her hand at veterinary school.  Those plans didn’t pan out, and Amy found herself on a career path with the Colorado Force.

Amy officially co-founded the Colorado Force in 1996 and was co-captain of the Force’s W-League National Championship team in 1998.  Her success as a leader on the soccer field is also reflected in the tenacity and determination she applies to the operations of her sports enterprises.

Snider’s unique approach has led to running tournaments, youth clinics and camps, summer leagues and a college recruiting event for high school players.  In 2007, she developed the Women’s Soccer Celebration in partnership with Colorado Rapids. 

The celebration includes appearances by top US Women soccer players and even professional matches.  Amy also directs the Force’s non-profit division called “Be Active, Be Strong” to help disadvantaged youth in northern Colorado have access to soccer programs. Snider lives in Fort Collins with her husband Matt, son Jackson, daughter Summer and a host of small animals.

The Colorado Force women’s soccer team is headed into its 14th season, making it the oldest sports franchise in Northern Colorado.  The Force plays in the 34-team international W-League of the United Soccer Leagues. The W-league features collegiate, post-collegiate and international players and is a feeder league to Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).  The Force marked a milestone in January 2010 when three of its players were drafted into the WPS.