• We were established in 1991 and are working in all the 4 Home Nations • 70% of the 92 FOOTBALL League clubs in England (12 in the Premiership) have a chaplain including Liverpool and Man City. • 40 of the 42 top flight FOOTBALL clubs in Scotland have a chaplain • We are endorsed by a multitude of National Governing Bodies in UK including the Premier League , PFA , SFA and RFL • English and Welsh RUGBY & clubs such as Saracens ,Wasps ,Cardiff ; Surrey, Northants & Glamorgan have chaplains • We also have chaplains in GYMS , , HORSE RACING and MOTOR RACING and are working closely with Irish HOCKEY • We are engaged with ATHLETICS , CYCLING and GYMNASTICS among other across England ,Scotland ,Wales & Ireland. • We have trained 800+ chaplains in the U.K and Ireland and work closely with NGB’s and sports clubs • In Northern Ireland we are endorsed by the Irish FA , Northern Ireland Football League and the North West Cricket Union • 32 of 35 N. Ireland Football League clubs have chaplains and on request we appointed 13 regional chaplains to the Irish FA • We have also appointed a chaplain to the Irish FA Women's International set up & the IFA Boy’s Elite Development Program • In the Irish League ,Linfield Football Club appointed a chaplain to their Disability teams and Cliftonville and Crusaders Football clubs appointed chaplains to their Academy teams • An increasing number of Irish RUGBY clubs have appointed chaplains including Portadown ,Dungannon and Banbridge • And an increasing number of North West Cricket clubs have appointed chaplains including Fox Lodge ,Coleraine and Bready • In 2020 we appointed a male & female chaplain to East Belfast GAA Club and Sports Chaplaincy is also now well established and endorsed in Shinty in Scotland

Football, , , Horseracing, Athletics, Cricket, Boxing, , Ice Hockey, Speedway, Stock Car Racing, Judo, Golf, Paralympics, Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Snooker, Kayaking, Surfing Registered Charity Sports Chaplaincy UK & Ireland Sports Chaplaincy UK & Ireland is a Christian organization who are committed to initiating, nurturing, supporting & resourcing high quality Christian sports chaplains to serve in a sports club or sports event setting .

We are servant hearted and our aim is to provide encouragement , compassion , support and guidance to each individual in every community called sport . The Chaplain’s Role

“Sports Chaplaincy is the provision of ongoing pastoral and spiritual care, by permission, to those of faith or no faith, for the holistic well-being of all involved in the community of sport.”

Check out our website at www.sportschaplaincy.org.uk George Best once said "I am talking about someone not necessarily connected with the football side of the club , that if you have a problem and it’s a little bit personal , you don’t want to go to talk to a trainer or a manager or a or even other players about it .If something is bugging you , you want to go and talk to someone else who can advise you , away from the playing side , away from the family , away from the club itself…young players have no-one to advise them - they George Best , Manchester United & NI have no-one to turn to when things go wrong “ ” Graham Taylor , John Boyers , former former Watford , Watford and Manchester Aston Villa and United chaplain England manager

Warren Evans current CEO of Sports Chaplaincy UK Sir Alex Ferguson Former Manchester United , Sports chaplaincy Video including Neil Lennon on Aberdeen and Scotland manager Mental Health 6 Testimonial : “Personally I know the importance in my life and I am delighted to be an ambassador of Sports Chaplaincy UK recognising the vital work of chaplains within sport.” Fabrice Muamba Event Chaplaincy

Benefits of Sports Chaplaincy

• Chaplains build LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS with people in sporting clubs and communities and are God-given Encouragers . They are pastoral, compassionate and non judgmental. • Chaplains provide a SAFE PLACE for people to talk confidentially about difficulties they are experiencing in life and to ask questions about all manner of things including the Big questions of Life around Faith and God. Nothing is too shocking , trivial or complex . • Chaplains will JOURNEY WITH PEOPLE through addiction , social issues and the many challenges and difficulties of life providing a consistency of love and companionship and with knowledge to signpost where appropriate • Chaplains can help CHANGE MINDSETS , build perspective and help people towards a refreshed and renewed way of thinking . • Chaplains are with people in sporting clubs and their families through illness , sickness, injury or bereavement PROVIDING CARE ,SUPPORT and visitation throughout • Chaplains can PROVIDE A VITAL AND RECOGNISABLE LINK with the community and provide assistance to the club around formal events and strategic planning • Chaplains can PROVIDE LIFE SKILLS ,TRAINING AND ADVICE to individuals or groups within the club across a wide range of topics. Key values of Sports Chaplaincy • Presence • Excellence • Relationship • Confidentiality • Humility Listening Skills “Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable” David Augsburger

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou HOW DO WE DO IT • Sports Chaplaincy provides training, resources, sharing of best-practice and supervision for a NATIONAL NETWORK OF CHAPLAINS involved in a wide range of sports and identifies suitable local people and preparing them for that work. • The THREE-WAY RELATIONSHIP between Club, Chaplain and Sports Chaplaincy UK is based on a clear ‘code of practice’, describing the principles and expectations on which the relationship is built. • Sports Chaplaincy seeks to ensure that sports clubs can have confidence in the INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM of their Chaplain and provides a point of contact for any issues that may arise PROFESSIONAL TRAINING • Sports Chaplaincy UK is a Christian charity which aims to provide consistent and high quality chaplaincy through; • Induction training • A Chaplain appointment process • Continual Professional Development • Sports Chaplains support network • Sports Chaplains resource library • Professional accreditation We also work with other organizations who provide specific resources to assist people in sporting communities such as Care for the Family , Christians Against Poverty , Gideons International, Stauros Foundation , Sporting Chance, GamCare , State of Mind , Mental Health Foundation and Lifeline but critically stay with the person on their journey If you are interested in Sports Chaplaincy serving at your club , please contact Philip Mitchell: Chaplaincy Co-ordinator for Ireland [email protected] +447788254465