Helping athletes under pressure through complete pastoral care
Sport has many positive benefits, but it can also bring significant challenges ...
Elite athletes face high expectations from coaches, sponsors, fans and themselves. Defeat can impact their self-worth. Many clubs tear themselves apart over poor performance.
And for the many Australians involved in grassroots sports, the local sporting club is their main support network when life gets tough. It’s vital they get a chance to encounter the gospel in action.
That’s why Sports Chaplaincy Australia exists – to demonstrate the love of Christ to sports lovers at all levels.
A nation of athletes
Every year, 14 million Australians participate in sport across the country. From children playing netball and football, to teens swimming relays, to adults representing their country on the world stage – sporting communities lie at the heart of who we are.
It’s the Australian way of life. It can be early coffee runs with other parents before Saturday sport, sweating it out at futsal on a weeknight with some mates, or even the roar of a packed MCG crowd … sport creates community in so many different ways – from grassroots to elite level.
Experience shows that when athletes are empowered to perform at their peak and live their best life, holistically the entire sporting community thrives – including athletes, coaches, managers, families and supporters.
But strong performance – on the field and off – is about so much more than just physical fitness.
Sports Chaplaincy Australia is responding to that need by bringing another level of investment to the game … partnering with local churches and sponsors to provide complete care for athletes and sporting communities – mind, body and soul.
It’s for that reason, that sports chaplains provide complete pastoral care at all levels. They help build healthy sporting communities. They support individuals who are struggling with the pressures of life and sport. And they show Jesus’ love in action to people right where they are.