Craig, a hockey player from Cambridge, has gone to Club La Santa eight times in the last decade. He loves the facilities, the sun and the chance share Jesus with his mates, stepping back from normal life together to hear talks and help them consider the Christian faith.

He chatted to Christians in Sport to tell us about his experiences on these amazing Lanzarote sports trips:

Club La Santa is an absolutely brilliant holiday.

It’s a chance to train hard and play a lot of sport together. There are brilliant facilities. It’s a chance to just spend a lot of time with the mates that you invite out there.

It’s also a chance to effectively look at the Christian faith each evening, which we do by listening to talks given by a speaker or by following a course like Christianity Explored. Being away from home on holiday really gives you the space to chat, debate and discuss what your sports mates make of Jesus and the gospel.

Each day is absolutely class. You’ve got to be up early in Lanzarote - you can’t waste the day. You’ve got to be in the gym early and then back to your apartment for some breakfast and off to a class or spin session. Lunchtime you head to the pool bar and meet up with everyone. The pool bar sandwich is a classic! In the afternoon it’s too hot so you lie by the pool until about five o’clock and after that you normally meet up with everyone and play volleyball or football. Quick shower and then you grab a beer and take it into the meeting. You then head out for dinner after the meeting and chat about what you’ve heard. Crawl into bed absolutely shattered, then start all over again!

The first time inviting someone is always a bit tricky because people are loath to commit to something they don’t know about, particularly when it’s something a bit different or involving a Christian organisation. But if you’ve been having chats with your teammates throughout the year then effectively all you’re saying is “why don’t you come on holiday with me? All that happens is each evening we have a discussion a bit like the discussion we had on the bus the other day or the discussion we had in the pub. No pressure to come along but I’d like you to and I think you’d enjoy it.”

I’ve found that when people come they’ve genuinely enjoyed the discussions and Bible studies. They have the space and time to do it and they’re among like-minded people who they get on well with. There are others there who are exploring what it means to follow Jesus so they feel comfortable that they’re not the only ones in the rooms for whom it’s all new.

I’ve been to Club La Santa eight times in the last ten years with various teammates, and one of the best times was seeing one lad profess faith. He was the friend of another guy who was out there, but I knew both of them. His friend had been sharing the gospel with him for a few years. And I was able to go for a coffee with this guy and say “Look, it sounds to me as if you know this is true, I don’t understand why you’re putting it off”. I was effectively able to come in with the same things that his friend had said but with a fresh pair of eyes. That lad came to faith and seems to still be professing now, so that’s a huge encouragement.

I think that’s where it’s great to come alongside mates who don’t know Jesus in community with other Christians, like on these Sports Holidays. Because you’re able to have people saying similar things and pointing their teammates in the same direction, living lives which are attractive in a similar way. I think that’s powerful.

I think as well it’s great to see people understanding the gospel, even if they don’t profess faith, but just knowing that seeds have been sown. Most research suggests that it will take more than seven years to come to faith and for most people it’s through multiple Christians that they meet. Even though none of my friends who have been along have professed faith, I know that seeds have been sown and somebody else might harvest that in ten or twenty years to come.

This time away is such a great place to plant these seeds. You should definitely check out the dates and get your friends to come along with you for an amazing week together.

If Club La Santa sounds like an amazing opportunity to share Christ with your teammates, play sport and enjoy a great holiday, why not book today!

Head to the sports holiday page here to read all you need to know about this summer's trips and enquire now to book your group apartment.