Svetlana Safronova started playing volleyball in 1972 with volleyball club CSKA and went on to win gold medals at the Olympic Games in 1980 and European Championship in 1985. Safronova started to coach in 1995, taking the Russian Junior women's team to sixth place at the FIVB Volleyball U20 World Championship in 2013. In 2015 she successfully steered the youth girls’ team to a gold medal win at the CEV U18 Volleyball European Championship - Women.