Reverend Mike Pusey, who was among Christians in Sport's founding members in 1976 and Chaplain to Aldershot Town Football Club for over 50 years, died on the 10th of August 2024 aged 90.

Rev Canon Andrew Wingfield Digby – founder of Christians in Sport reflected on Mike's life and service in sports ministry:

I was watching the Olympic closing ceremony when Graham Daniels contacted me with news of Mike Pusey’s death.

As I write literally hundreds of young people are enjoying Sports Plus camps and learning about Jesus. Almost every top sports university has a CiS group. There are an ever-increasing number of local networks for amateur sportspeople. Churches are using sports tournaments and quizzes to share the good news of Jesus. CiS resources are being used by sports ministries all around the world.

Many Olympians have testified to the reality of Jesus in their lives. I am not a triumphalist and I know there is a long way to go, but sports ministry has come a long way since Mike Pusey and a handful of us got together in the 1970’s. And that is just a few headlines.

In those days Mike was a local church pastor who loved Jesus and happened to love football too. He became chaplain of his local club. Can anything good come out of Aldershot? Actually there was known to be one other chaplain - at Leeds. But Mike was a pioneer.

In 1976 a group of about ten of us including Mike were invited to Miami to attend a Pro Athletes Outreach conference. Seeing numerous well-known American footballers learning how to share their faith in Jesus thrilled us. We, including Mike, knew we had to try and do something in the UK.

From day one Mike served on the newly formed National Executive Committee and supported me wholeheartedly when I became the first full-time Director in 1984.

We have lost some of the original founders of Christians in Sport. Heaven is enriched by Alan Godson, Harry Hughes, Gerald Williams and now dear, kind, encouraging, big-hearted Mike.

He will be much missed here but will be cheering us on from the heavenly terraces.

Andrew Wingfield Digby