Discussion Thread: Sport Outreach Programming Activities

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Connection Sports: Programming Activities

Conner J. McCullen

Liberty University

SMGT 504: Foundations of Sport Outreach

Dr. Kevin Heisey

01 SEP 2024

Authors note

I have no known conflicts of interest to disclose

Questions, comments, or concerns should be sent to Conner McCullen:

cjmccullen@liberty.edu

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Abstract

Connection Sports aims to provide sport programs that appeal to the local community of

Savannah, GA while staying on mission to create disciples among the youth. Connection Sports

will focus on a select few sports with room to grow in others for future endeavors. The first few

sport programs Connection Sports will be focused on to start is: flag football, baseball/softball,

and soccer. Depending on interest and growth of the Outreach program, Connection will look

into adding volleyball and basketball once resources become available or known to the program.

Optimistic about sport opportunities in Connection Sports, there is more opportunity knocking at

the door with Connection Churches planted in Georgia to create a legitimate Ministry league

among them.

Keywords: community, budget, donations, opportunity

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Connection Sports Activities

Flag football

Flag football used to be a staple for outdoor recreation and P.E classes for schools back in

the early 2000s. Today, flag football has grown into a league of its own. Connection Sports

would capitalize on flag football to offer as a starter sports program because it does not require a

ton of equipment or space, which saves money. Flag football sets on amazon run thirty dollars or

less. The program could always go above and beyond and get each athlete in the program a pair

of cleats, football gloves, and a mouth guard if funds are budgeted properly. Another big reason

for going the flag football route is safety. In the study Kroshus et al. (2018) discusses how flag

football has an impact on kids having fewer head injuries that could lead to future health issues.

For Connection Sports, safety should not be overlooked as children are still able to get hurt, but

can mitigate health concerns if staying clear of the pads. As for space, Connection Church

Rincon has an open field to easily set up for practices and scrimmages. Practices would be held

twice a week with a scrimmage/games set on Saturdays. Sundays after Church services would

also be a great option with having the body of the Church go out and cheer on the kids to create a

sense of community.

Baseball

Baseball is another great sport to get kids involved in. Depending on age and number of

participants, Connection Sports would do T-ball for both boys and girls to combine funds and

save money for the program. Once participants reached a certain age, Connection sports would

consider splitting into baseball and softball groups for boys and girls respectively. However, a

study by Cohen et al. (2014) showed that having coed teams brought more diversity and

inclusion when it came to sports. Since Connection Sports' main priority is to teach the Great

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Commission, having everyone involved on a team would align more with the mission statement

of Connection Sports. Since baseball needs more equipment, this would be a great opportunity to

receive donations for old baseball gear from the Church body. Gear such as: baseball bats of

various sizes and weights, helmets, gloves, catchers gear, cleats, and baseballs. As for space to

carry out practices and games, there are two local baseball fields that can be rented out within 3

miles from the Church. Depending how long the season goes, that would determine how much

Connection Sports needs to budget for practices and games. Practices would be twice a week

with game slots on Saturdays as well as Sundays following Church service.

Soccer

Soccer is another sport that does not require much gear. Connection Sports can provide

soccer balls and cones for simple practices. If the program is able to go above and beyond, they

could also provide soccer cleats, shin guards, and goalkeeper gloves. The program would also

have to consider making this a co-ed league or two separate leagues depending on the number of

participants. There are a few sports complexes nearby including a brand new YMCA that is less

than 2 miles from the Church. These would be prime locations to hold practices and games.

Depending on the length of the season, that will determine how much is needed to budget for

field rentals. Another idea is to have the smaller kids have practices at the Church to save funds

due to not needing a lot of space and the ability to obtain small goals for them to experience

scoring. Just as flag football and baseball, practices would be twice a week with game slots on

Saturdays as well as Sundays following Church service.

Future Sports

The next sports in line to be added to Connection Sports are volleyball and basketball.

Especially with the building of the nearby YMCA in Rincon, that gives Connection Sports a

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prime opportunity to have a facility to conduct indoor sports. These sports are very simple when

it comes to gear. Connection Sports would need volleyballs and basketballs for their sports. If the

YMCA does not have a volleyball net, the program can invest in a net to bring to and from the

facility, or partner with them to leave it standing there.

Travel Logistics and Future Goals

Connection Sports' goal is to help the families get to and from practices if parents are

unable to do so for their kids. Determining pick up locations in Savannah to offer the best option

for transportation will help ease of operation for the families in the area and the Church. In order

for this to come to fruition, the Church would need a big van or bus depending on how many

kids are participating and what practices are going on that evening. Connection Sports would

also need to present consent forms to allow the families to grant the program permission to pick

up their kids. In the Bible it says: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble,

thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take

an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had” (Philippians

2:3-5, NLT). With the ability to transport kids to and from practices and games, it gives

Connection Sports a great opportunity to make a direct impact in the kids' lives.

The future goal of Connection Sports is to eventually build a league among its planted

Churches. Currently there are 8 Connection Churches spread out in Georgia. This would allow

Connection Sports to help not only the Savannah area, but other parts of Georgia that have

struggles with local poverty through the sports ministry. Low-income children have fewer

opportunities to develop prosocial behaviors and are at higher risk for delinquent behavior; thus

participation in extracurricular activities is recommended to change this situation (Bruening et

al., 2015). The Bible says: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good

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works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one

another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT).The

sense of community and camaraderie among the Connection Churches through sports is strong

enough to build each other up in Christ.

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References

Bruening, J. E., Clark, B. S., & Mudrick, M. (2015). Sport-Based Youth Development in

Practice: The Long-Term Impacts of an Urban After-School Program for Girls. Journal of

Park and Recreation Administration, 33, 87–103.

Cohen, A., Melton, E. N., & Peachey, J. W. (2014). Investigating a coed sport’s ability to

encourage inclusion and equality. Journal of Sport Management, 28(2), 220–235.

https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2013-0329

Kroshus, E., Sonnen, A. J., Chrisman, S. P., & Rivara, F. P. (2018). Association between

community socioeconomic characteristics and access to youth flag football. Injury

Prevention, 25(4), 278–282. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2017-042677