The Christians in Sport Podcast

The FIFA World Cup is well underway, yet the conversation around the tournament continues to be dominated by controversial issues off the field. So how can a Christian respond to Qatar hosting the World Cup? (0:00) - Intro (0:23) - Today's Question (0:32) - Response (1:29) - Know who and where you are (3:13) - We can make God known through both protest and engagement. (4:52) - You could decide to boycott (5:43) - You are called to pray (7:23) - You can raise awareness and speak up about the issues

Fran Clarkson is the Women's Pathway Lead Physiotherapist at the English Football Association, and recently stepped in as the interim Lead Physio for the England Lionesses. She's an experienced practitioner in elite sport having worked with Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Trent Rockets, and the English Institute of Sport before moving to England Football. Join Danno as he chats to Fran about her career so far, and how her faith impacts her work alongside the world's best players. (0:00) What does it mean to have your sport, work and faith connect? (1:25) Making the jump from elite cricket to professional football (5:29) Starting out as a physio in professional sport at Derbyshire Cricket (7:46) Learning to integrate faith and work in elite sport (10:04) Caring for world class players beyond on-field performance (12:04) Working with England Women's senior team for the first time (13:32) How did you first connect sport and faith as a young person? (16:56) Is your faith respected at work? (18:38) What is the importance of church for you? (22:26) What are the challenges of living as a Christian in your role? (25:32) Reflections on the privilege of working in elite sport as a Christian

Supporting a child in elite sport can be thrilling, but it can easily add strain to family relationships as the time and cost of supporting them becomes part of family life. So, how can you maintain healthy family relationships, and keep Christ at the centre of your family as you support a child in elite sport? (0:00) - Intro (0:23) - Today's Question (1:09) - Response (1:16) - Parenting children in elite sport is tough (3:57) - How do we pursue healthy relationships (4:12) - Communication (5:45) - Pray (6:19) - Ground yourself in gospel truths

In the last few years, we have received several similar questions from elite athletes, students and parents of young sportspeople. They can be summarised in a simple question: "Dear Christians in Sport, should I wear rainbow laces?" (0:00) - Intro (0:23) - Today's Question (0:38) - Response (0:48) - What is in the background? (2:10) - What we can affirm (4:36) - What we cannot affirm (8:12) - So, what should we do?

Nick Ferraby is a former professional and international cricketer who represented Jersey in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifiers in 2018. Nick is now an assistant pastor at Jersey Baptist Church. Join Danno as he chats to Nick about his cricketing career, including 18 international matches, his journey to faith in Christ and how he's connected sport and faith in his life. (0:55) - How do your sport and faith connect? (4:00) - University sport and journey to faith in Christ. (10:40) - Faith bringing fulfilment not found in sport. (13:47) - Security in Christ transforming sport (19:16) - The challenge of living as a Christian in elite sport (25:00) - Moving to Jersey and the T20 World Cup (28:40) - The identity battle and disappointment in top-level sport (32:22) - Sport and the school of discipleship (34:56) - Authenticity in witness in elite sport

AskCIS is a new series where we think through the questions you send in to help you live and speak for Jesus in your sports club or team. Today we're answering a question from an elite athlete who's unsure about sports psychology. Join us as we look at what sports psychologists do and how they work before looking at what, if any, reservations Christian athletes should have about seeing sports psychologists.

AskCIS is a new series where we think through the questions you send in to help you live and speak for Jesus in your sports club or team. Today we're looking at university sports team initiations or 'welcome socials.' Depending on the culture at your university sports club, the experience of welcome drinks or socials can be drastically different. Here's three tips to help you consider how you might approach your sports team initiation.

AskCIS is a new series where we think through the questions you send in to help you live and speak for Jesus in your sports club or team. Today we're looking at how you can start well in a new sports club or team. Starting out in a new club or team isn't always easy, so we've put together four tips to help you get off to a good start as you look to share Jesus with your teammates.

Tom Bates, a seasoned performance psychologist, shares insights from his extensive experience in professional football and coaching Olympic athletes. He discusses the integration of faith in sports and its role in personal transformation. Listeners get a glimpse into a day in his life, the challenges of coaching, and the importance of understanding ego in sports. Bates reflects on achieving gold in Tokyo 2020 and how faith shaped his identity, emphasizing the need for surrender to foster true personal growth.

Sport is brilliant, but it's not always straightforward, it can be challenging to live as a Christian within the world of sport. AskCIS is a new series where we think through the questions you send in to help you live and speak for Jesus in your sports club or team. Competitive sport can't exist without winners and losers, but does God care about the outcome of a match or race? Let's look at what the Bible says about competition.