We get sport from the inside.
Our resources are specially designed for Christians active in competitive sport. Find what you need here, put it into practice, and watch God at work.
A fortnightly podcast helping sportspeople connect their sport and their faith.
Key resources, answering the big questions for Christians who play or coach in competitive and elite sport.
Free resources, helping you put on events to reach sportspeople near you.
Supporting elite sportspeople as they navigate retirement is something we take seriously at Christians in Sport. So what have we learnt about retirement over years of working with elite athletes as they finish their sporting careers, and how does the Bible shape our thinking?
40 days after Easter Christians remember and celebrate Jesus ascending into heaven. But what on earth does this have to do with sport? Why is the ascension good news for sportspeople?
As sportspeople, our relationship with sport and exercise shapes how we live. Training, competing and socialising with sports friends might well take up the bulk of your time, but have you ever stopped to think about your relationship with exercise itself?
‘To perform at a high level in my sport I can’t regularly attend church.’ Is this you? Or someone you know? Sunday sport, midweek training and other commitments often pose problems for sportspeople seeking to follow Christ so here’s three reasons why church is so precious for sportspeople.
Your value, your worth does not lie in what you have done, or what you will do, on and off the sports field. You are loved with the love seen by Jesus dying for you on the cross. Your achievements don’t define who you are. This Easter, remember He performed, so you don’t have to.
Every September forty trialists line up at Oxford University Boat Club for their shot at ticking off one of rowing’s hottest bucket list items – victory at The Boat Race. This year one of those hopefuls was Chris Rimmer, a Vicar in training at Wycliffe Hall.
The inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sport is a prominent debate. The sporting world is re-evaluating the balance of fairness and inclusion in competitive sport. As Christians in the world of sport it's important to understand how the Bible helps inform how we engage in this conversation.
Whether it’s putting kit on in a certain order, always getting changed in the same place or having to enter the pitch last - sport is full of quirky routines. So why is it that sport is full of superstition? Can we look at the make-up of the world to find out? Does the Bible have any answers for us?
Two time Olympian Adam Pengilly shares his Winter Olympic story
What is the Christian competitor to do when they are being sent to countries accused of human rights abuses?
What does it mean to have your identity in Christ? How does this change the way we play sport?
Racism in cricket has caused sports headlines to jump from the back pages to the front in recent weeks, as the state of the game comes under intense, and necessary scrutiny. How can we respond rightly?
At 19 years of age Jake threw in the towel. He gave up competing as a fighter, but this wasn’t the only life change that occurred during his late teens. Follow his story of discovering his gift as a young martial artist, becoming North American and European Champion in Muay Thai, and the compatibility of combat sports with faith in Christ.
Anna Tipton (nee Sharkey) helps us understand what it's like to be a Christian in the Paralympic sport of goalball
A letter to all Olympians as they prepare to experience the rollercoaster of the Olympic Games.
What does it look like to support elite sportspeople at the Olympics when access is restricted?
It’s the biggest match of your lives. It’s the match you’ve been building up to for years, the nation since 1966. But it’s a match that doesn't define you.
Olympic squads are being finalised. What can you say to someone who has worked 4 years to not get the call up?
This weekend saw the thrill of the British Olympic trials. The ecstasy and the agony of sport was palpable as athletes saw years of training for one plane ticket decided by centimetres and seconds. What help can God bring at times like this?
Is the Bible the place to find motivation for sporting pursuit and thus sporting greatness? Am I really able to do “ALL THINGS” with the strength of God as my enabler?
It’s not always easy to be a woman in sport. But do you know what? It’s worth it.
For long years I could not conceive of conceiving because of what it would mean for my body and my sport. But, my body, don’t you see that something wonderful is happening to you?
The current pressures on elite sportspeople are growing. How can we support them at this time?
In a year full of sporting difficulties, how can a Christian say they have joy this Christmas?
Preparation and waiting. The majority of sport is spent in these two states. This time of advent for the Christian sportsperson is no different. So what does it look like to prepare well this Christmas time?
Ever wondered what our work with elite athletes consists of? Men’s golf worker Kenny Crawford helps us step into the world of staff supporting and serving those in elite sport with the gospel.
We give thanks for the life of former Aston Villa player and Christian in sport, Mike Tindall.
Matt Dickinson writes in The Times about professional football, faith and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic
With the uncertainty that Covid-19 has brought us sports people it’s inevitable that we’ve asked questions of our life, our faith and of our God.
For athletes for whom sport is their livelihood, how are they to cope in the midst of all the coronavirus confusion and the inability to predict what tomorrow might bring?
A recent article in the Daily Mail outlined the large number of British athletes struggling with mental health problems following their retirement. Speaking with UCB Radio on this topic, here is a summary of our conversation.
Last night the news hit of the death of US Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in California. The Christian faith is realistic and it makes sense of the world we live in. And at the heart of the Christian faith is an understanding of life’s frailty.
As a New Year rolls around again, we go back to the 18th century for some inspiration.
Former cricketer involved with Christians in Sport awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for services to cricket.
It’s the biggest match of your lives - the Rugby World Cup Final. It’s the match you’ve been building up to for years, if not decades. But it’s a match that must not define you.
Kipchoge's amazing sub two-hour marathon was an amazing feat and one which cannot help but let our minds wander to Hebrews 12 and the call to "run the race."
Distance runner Gill Bland reflects on her experience of individual sport and faith, and how she has grown in courage evangelising to fellow runners.
For a sportsperson, their identity, their sense of worth can be completely wrapped up in their performance. What does it then mean to have sport in its right place, to help our identity be solid and secure in Christ and not based on performance?
With the Women's World Cup, the Netball World Cup and loads more women's sporting events on this summer, there's a huge buzz around women's sport. In all this excitement, is this a bandwagon Christians should be jumping on? Well, it could be argued that the Bible gives us the best foundation for celebrating and encouraging women in sport.
It’s been a rollercoaster to reach the final of the World Cup for England, with pressure from all sides. Pressure isn’t unique to Morgan’s squad - it’s universal across competitive sport, so how are Christians to respond in these clutch moments?
If you follow rugby at all then it couldn’t have escaped your attention that there’s been a furore around Israel Folau’s provocative Instagram post and then Billy Vunipola’s subsequent ‘like’ of the post and expression of support for it.
Because of what Jesus has done, we can understand our sport differently.
Being committed to prayer is something many of us find challenging. At the same time, we know that prayer is important. So why do we often struggle to pray consistently?
We must tell our team mates and friends the truth about eternity.
The Bible is clear what our role is when it comes to pointing sportspeople to Jesus, regardless of whether we know it (or not), we’re good at it (or not) or like it (or not). Once we get it, there’s no place to hide.
If you are a Christian, you’ll know that nothing is more important than our sports friends hearing the amazing news of the gospel and responding to it - eternity is at stake. But how can you go about doing this?
How do I be different amidst the culture of drinking, of sex, in the chat of the changing room? How do I get involved with the sports club and yet be distinctive? How can I be fully committed and yet remain faithful to Christ?
We may think it's obvious for team mates to work out that we're Christians just by observing our behaviour. But how can they know unless we or someone else tells them that we follow Jesus and why we do so?
You’ve been praying for months, you’ve talked about everything in life other than this, but as you walk along to training you just can’t find the right way to start a conversation about Jesus.
At the end of a long season, it's only natural to want to rest our legs and enjoy a bit of a break - after all, our bodies need to recuperate. However, the temptation is also there to take a break from sharing our faith with our sports friends.
When a sports friend who says that they want to become a Christian, it's like that wonderful moment of a baby's first steps. There is something quite remarkable, breathtaking, and yet serious as we help a sportsperson take the first steps in becoming a Christian.
For players, parents and pastors, the issue of whether you should play sport on a Sunday is a difficult one.
Ever find it hard to explain the Christian faith to your sports friends? Ever find it hard to help them see the brilliance of the gospel message? Ever wish you could get someone better to explain it to them?
We are on the pitch as a player and yet again the decision goes against our team. We start to get caught up in the general chorus of complaint. What do we do as Christians?
Disappointment and sport so often go hand in hand. Poor performances, defeats, injuries, getting dropped, a failure to improve - every sportsperson has experienced one or all of these multiple times. But how are you to respond to such disappointment?
The challenge is simple, will you do it? Will you get to work and seek to make Jesus known in your sporting context?
The player who celebrates too early, or the team that holds a celebratory promotional shoot before then losing the final are subject to derision. All of us are quick to revel in the misplaced pride so often seen in sport.
All match he’d been nipping at your heels, deliberately stepping on your feet, pushing you, elbowing you. The referee doesn’t seem too bothered. But these constant niggling fouls have been getting to you. And this incident is the final straw.
Some types of questions can be asked of us and can make us feel uncomfortable or are hard to answer at times. With God’s help these questions need not, and should not, be avoided.
Sport can be a great place for developing friendships. You spend so much time together on and off the pitch, you experience the highs and the lows of a season together, and have a lot in common. Sometimes, however, it can be hard to foster these relationships.
When we have seen or experienced something exciting it’s natural to want to share it with others. Why, then, are we sometimes so hesitant to tell others the story of the greatest thing that has ever happened to us?
Psychology is a big deal in modern sport. From Steve Peters' now famous 'chimp paradox' to the in-house sports psychologists employed by many professional clubs. Now it is almost as common to have a therapist as it is a personal trainer. What are we to make of this from a Christian point of view?
How can I make the most of my sporting talent as a Christian? Can I strive to get to the top, while still following Jesus? `
Why does pressure have such an effect on us, how can we cope with it and does the Bible give us any pointers?
There are few harder things to deal with in sport than injury. So how can we approach this perennial enemy as Christians in sport? What does the Bible say about injury?
It has been amazing to see how God has grown the work of supporting professional and elite-level footballers. Here, two members of our Performance Team explain how they are encouraging the next generation of UK footballers.
Sport has a love-hate relationship with justice and fairness. On one hand it cannot function without it, but so much debate circles around the many unfair decisions and outcomes. So what does the Bible say about fairness?
The legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi once said “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is”. This might be overstated but have you ever had the nagging feeling that wanting to win is inherently ‘un-Christian’.
Should Christians be those who recite the old amateur mantra ‘It is not about the winning, but the taking part’? Does ‘turning the other cheek’ mean that we shouldn’t even want to win in the first place?
Turn to the back pages at the moment and it is difficult to get away from doping scandals. How as Christians should we think about these issues?
The Bible says lots of things...but what, if anything, does it say about sport?