READING REPORT 2

Introduction

This chapter is a personal reflection on over 35 years of working as an official sports chaplain, at Watford Football Club (1977–92), Manchester United Foot- ball Club (1992–present), and over a dozen major sporting events. Much of that time has involved full-time work in sports chaplaincy development throughout the UK, and sometimes, beyond. First hand observations have been augmented by insights from related academic literature which has more recently emerged in the UK and the US (see Dzikus, Waller and Hardin, 2011; Gamble, Hill and Parker, 2013).

The aim of the chapter is to outline the major historical and conceptual developments in the evolution of sports chaplaincy in the UK from the mid- 1970s to the present day. In detailing the history of this movement, inevitably I am unable to give due credit to all of the people who have helped bring sports chaplaincy to its present position. The fact that a particular chaplain is not mentioned by name is not to dismiss any one individual’s work, for each has undoubtedly contributed in some small or significant manner. My first task is to briefly outline some of the pioneering chaplains who worked in sports contexts in the UK.

The early appointments

Reverend Mike Pusey

I was introduced to sports chaplaincy in September 1977 by Revd Mike Pusey who visited St James Road Baptist Church Watford, where I was working as student pastor. Noting the proximity of our church building to Watford Foot- ball Club’s Vicarage Road ground, and describing his involvement with Alder- shot Football Club, he urged me to consider chaplaincy work at Watford F.C. He explained the potential benefits that chaplaincy brought to Aldershot, and challenged me to think seriously about football club chaplaincy. Pusey was interested in sport and had attended games at Aldershot. He had also read about sports chaplaincy in the US. All of this prompted him to offer his services to the board of Aldershot F.C., who referred him to the manager, who, in turn, agreed

2 Sports chaplaincy in the United Kingdom

John Boyers1

Sports chaplaincy in the United Kingdom 21

to ‘give it a go’. At the time of writing Pusey remains involved at Aldershot where he has served since 1973, though more recently he has shared his duties.

Eddie Waxer, an American with a vision to promote the Christian message across the world through sport, invited a group of Christians involved with sport in the UK (including Mike Pusey) to a Christian sports ministry confer- ence in Orlando, Florida in 1976. That group returned with a plan to set up Christians in Sport (CIS) the evolution of which I return to in due course. The beginnings of CIS intersects with those of UK sports chaplaincy in two ways. First, the 1976 conference gave several of those within the UK Christian group the impetus to develop sports ministry, including chaplaincy, on home soil. Hence, for Mike Pusey, chaplaincy at Aldershot F.C. became not just an aspect of his local ministry but something that he could encourage others to consider. Second, and perhaps slightly more contentious, was the importing into UK thinking of a particular US ethos which saw sports chaplaincy primarily as an opportunity for evangelism (see Linville, 2014). This kind of approach was clearly acceptable in the US at that time (where there was a stronger Christian presence in sport than in the UK), but my early experiences of this kind of work indicated that English sports culture (especially professional football) was more attracted to a different style of chaplaincy – one which adopted a non- proselytizing approach (see Boyers, 2000). In short, coaches and managers in English professional football in the late 1970s appeared to be accepting of chap- laincy, providing that it prioritized player care and support. I quickly learned that within this world, proactive pastoral support and responsive spiritual input kept people at all levels appreciative of, trusting of, and accepting of chaplaincy. Overt evangelism was not welcomed.

As noted above, the group of UK Christians with whom Mike Pusey attended the 1976 Orlando conference returned to begin the work of CIS. One of these was an Anglican cricketing curate based at Cockfosters, North London, Revd Andrew Wingfield Digby, who went on to be appointed as ‘spiritual advisor’ to the England cricket team. Wingfield Digby heard about the Watford F.C. chaplaincy work and invited me and my wife to a 1978 pre-Wimbledon dinner organized by the embryonic CIS, which led to my involvement with the organ- ization and my taking a lead role in their football club chaplaincy development. CIS became significant as a coordinator of a number of football club chaplains in the late 1980s, organizing bi-annual day conferences for this network in order to encourage chaplains in their endeavours. Indeed, the significant contribution of CIS to the development of UK sports chaplaincy should not be overlooked.

Though Mike Pusey was the first to introduce me to professional football club chaplaincy, there were other early pioneers of this work in the UK, one of whom was John Jackson.

Reverend John Jackson

In the Methodist Church Home Mission Report of 1984, Revd John Jackson tells of the origin and scope of his involvement in sports chaplaincy ( Jackson, 1984). In early 1962, his church (Harehills Methodist Church in Leeds) held

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a ‘Sportsmen’s Service’ and welcomed the general manager of Leeds United Football Club, Cyril Williamson, who was asked if the club would consider the benefits of having a chaplain. Williamson went one step further by taking the idea to the club’s board of directors, who subsequently gave the go-ahead. In March 1962 an invitation was sent to Jackson asking him to become the club chaplain, which he accepted. He developed a pattern of weekly visits, spending the larger proportion of his time supporting younger players, but having access to employees at all levels within the club. His impact at Leeds might best be viewed through an assessment of ex-player Jack Charlton’s policy of appoint- ing chaplains when he went into management. ‘Big Jack’ (as he was known) initiated such appointments when team manager at Middlesbrough F.C. (1973– 1977) and at Sheffield Wednesday F.C. (1977–1983), events which now lead me to describe the foundational work of the Revd (now Canon) Bill Hall.

Reverend Bill Hall

Canon Bill Hall, an Anglican clergyman in Durham diocese, worked as the Church of England chaplain to the arts and recreation in the north east. In the early part of 1973, when doing chaplaincy work in the Fiesta Club in Norton, he met Jack Charlton. They got on well, and spoke at length. Charlton revealed that he was about to become the new manager of Middlesbrough F.C. and suggested Hall could be his chaplain. Hall served the club for over 20 years using his diocesan role to seek other north eastern football club appointments. His work is worth noting as one of the early pioneers and propagators of UK sports chaplaincy. Hence, Revd John Jackson’s influence at Leeds United was two-fold. He had a direct impact on the club itself, but he also he had an impact upon the development of wider football club chaplaincy as Leeds United play- ers moved on to play and manage at other clubs. He was one of the earliest football club chaplains, as was Revd Michael Chantry.

Reverend Michael Chantry

Though close in chronology, there appears to be no link between the appoint- ments of Revd John Jackson at Leeds United and Revd Michael Chantry at Oxford United. Chantry worked in academic chaplaincy, serving as the highly esteemed chaplain at Hertford College, Oxford, from 1961 to 2001 and at Oxford United for 41 years until his death in 2003. His appointment to the old Manor Ground, Oxford, probably arose from his understanding of chaplaincy, his love of football and Oxford United entering the Football League in the summer of 1962. Chantry was involved at the club on a weekly basis and espe- cially on match days. Every Christmas he held a carol service in the club bar for players and staff. Mick Brown, manager of Oxford United between 1975 and 1979, recalls Chantry’s support when, on 20 March 1977, player Peter House- man, his wife and two friends were tragically killed in a car accident after a club event. Sadly there are times in the life of a sports club when the unique role of

Sports chaplaincy in the United Kingdom 23

a chaplain is crucial. Chantry’s work at Oxford United demonstrated the value of consistent and caring chaplaincy. The same passion for the game also led to Revd Jack Bingham becoming involved in sports chaplaincy but in a different and unique way.

Reverend Jack Bingham

Reverend Jack Bingham, another early pioneer, became chaplain to Stockport County F.C. in the strangest of ways. Bingham, a qualified referee, enjoyed watching football. In his final year of training for Methodist Church minis- try at Hartley Victoria College in Manchester, he was assigned a placement at Heaton Mersey Methodist Church, Stockport. On FA Cup third-round day, 13 January 1973, Stockport County played Hull City. Bingham went to watch with a young fan from the church, David Tidswell, now a Methodist minister in North Lancashire. During the game, there was a skirmish between the then Hull City player-manager Terry Neill and Stockport player Ian Lawther. The match referee sent them both off. Jack Bingham felt the Stockport player had been unjustly treated. On hearing in the media that both players were to be suspended, Bingham wrote to the Football Association, explaining what he had seen from the stands. He asked them to reconsider their judgement. This they did and, with Bingham’s evidence paramount, Ian Lawther’s suspension was withdrawn. The Stockport club was duly informed. In response, they wrote to Bingham, inviting him to become their chaplain. He relished the role, but it was mainly a match-day title. Bingham was not involved much through the week like many current chaplains, but his presence and input were appreciated.

Thus, in the early 1970s, a number of unconnected individuals, for a whole variety of reasons, began to be involved as chaplains of English professional foot- ball clubs. Reflecting on these developments, it could be argued that John Jack- son, Michael Chantry, Bill Hall, Jack Bingham and Mike Pusey were, to some degree at least, the early pioneers of this ministry. In 1977 another appointment occurred, at Watford Football Club, which was to make an important contribu- tion to the development of sports chaplaincy. It encouraged Christians in Sport to further support sports chaplaincy and, in time, leaders of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) to form and support an inter-denominationally focused sports chaplaincy organization which became best known by its acro- nym SCORE (Sports Chaplaincy Offering Resources and Encouragement).

Watford Football Club

My involvement in chaplaincy at Watford Football Club is recorded in detail elsewhere (see Boyers, 2000; Heskins and Baker, 2006). But I emphasize that it was not something which I actively sought, rather, something which simply came to me. I now see this as divine prompting and guidance. Mike Pusey, chaplain at Aldershot, spoke at my home church in September 1977, saw the nearby Watford FC football ground and urged my involvement with them. Alan

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West, Captain of Luton Town FC, provided similar encouragements when also speaking at the same church six weeks later. The following weekend, Graham Taylor, manager of Watford F.C., wrote in the local paper about his desire for the club to become more involved in the community and the community with the club. He invited responses. After discussing and praying about these ‘coin- cidences’ with my senior colleague, Revd Richard Harbour, we felt obliged to write to the club, expressing our interest in possible involvement. After two meetings, by December 1977, we were fully incorporated as chaplains in pro- fessional football and fully supported by our church.

The club was pleased with the chaplaincy contributions, so we were invited to continue into a second (1978/79) season, at the end of which, the Wat- ford manager Graham Taylor (and my church) confirmed the on-going agree- ment. Harbour stepped down, but, now ordained and working full time for the church, I continued. It was a pattern for future sports club chaplaincy and a blueprint for later developments. A local church would provide a day or more per week for a minister to serve a local sports club as chaplain offering appro- priate confidential, spiritual and pastoral care to all those concerned, whatever their faith background and more often to those with no faith. Relationships and trust with staff and players became the heart of this expression of chap- laincy work.

The first years at Watford were characterized by a steep learning curve. I was familiar with football as an amateur player and as a supporter of Grimsby Town F.C., but came to realize that I knew little, if anything, of the world inside the professional game. These were successful years for Watford – nothing to do with the chaplain, all to do with the management and players. Perhaps God placed chaplaincy there at a strategically successful time? Graham Taylor and his staff were certainly very supportive. The club came to trust its chaplain and value his presence, welcoming me to all parts of the organization. I learned the significance of relationships, trust, confidentiality, consistency and ministry to those facing troubles and crises. I will never forget the accountant who died of cancer at 28; the player’s partner who needed a heart transplant; the many private phone calls and conversations; the hospital visits; the home visits to wel- come new staff, to follow up a birth or a bereavement. I was pastoring a secular congregation.

Other clubs looked at Watford to consider Taylor’s innovations and to evalu- ate their success; hence, Watford’s chaplaincy also attracted interest. I remember visiting several clubs which had enquired about the role and which sought help regarding the possibility of an appointment. I became involved in these pro- cesses and as a consequence found myself having to work out how to identify and recruit new chaplains. I sought fellow clergy for whom faith was strong and vital; who were a good fit with the sports world; who were pastorally able, although not necessarily strong as academics, administrators or evangelists and not ardent fans of the clubs concerned. I sought those who genuinely cared about people; whose situations allowed them to give at least one full day per week (and preferably more), to the task; those who appreciated that they had

Sports chaplaincy in the United Kingdom 25

a responsibility to deliver high quality chaplaincy to ‘their’ club for the sake of future chaplaincies elsewhere.

In the late 1970s and 1980s a steady trickle of football club chaplains were appointed. If I was involved, such appointments invariably came after visits explaining the ‘Watford blueprint’. The following observations summarize developments during this period: (1) Watford manager Graham Taylor dem- onstrated an openness to sports chaplaincy which was of vital importance. He took a risk in this respect, opening the whole club to chaplaincy provision beyond match days and offering continued support. (2) St James Road Baptist Church gave one quarter of my time to the Watford FC chaplaincy, a demon- stration of remarkable vision and generosity. The contribution of this particular church to sports chaplaincy in the UK was significant in creating a template for the future. (3) The 1980s tranche of appointments was unlike earlier develop- ments. They did not emerge for unconnected or unique reasons, nor because of denominational allegiances but directly from Watford’s chaplaincy which became a pattern for deployment and development which, by and large, was followed by subsequent chaplaincies. (4) The advice to future chaplains was: ‘This is how it works at Watford, this is what their chaplain does, and broadly, this is what you should do.’ The message was about expectation, regularity, consistency, sensitivity, methodology and ethos. In short, it was about delivering a quality chaplaincy service.

Baptist Union of Great Britain and the formation of SCORE

In the late 1980s CIS was a small-scale organization with limited funds. When the Baptist Union of Great Britain suggested that I should consider leaving normal church ministry to work full time, inter-denominationally, in sports chaplaincy development, CIS strongly encouraged and endorsed this initiative. This decision, to create a self-contained, specialist sports chaplaincy develop- ment agency serving all denominations, is one of the major contributions to sports chaplaincy development in the UK. The vision and support of my then Baptist area superintendent Revd Roy Freestone and of Revd David Cof- fey, the then head of BUGB’s Mission Department, and the Union’s financial commitment to an organization not just to benefit Baptists but to advance an inter-denominational ministry to help build God’s Church and Kingdom are noteworthy. Unequivocally, we can say that without this support, sports chap- laincy in the UK would be much less developed than it is today.

From the outset SCORE sought to be inclusive. All wings of all denomi- nations were welcome to join the network. If sports chaplaincy was to have cohesion and characteristic qualities which all sports could affirm, then all chaplains needed to be included. Some chaplains had emerged as a conse- quence of their personal initiatives, but they were welcomed. Better to have all (if possible) inside the network, involved, trained, delivering according to the standards of the charity, than by exclusion create a number of unconnected and

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uncoordinated individuals in similar roles, without any common job descrip- tion or agreed delivery standards. However, this inclusive approach created problems amongst those who drew boundaries differently. It led to the breakup of the close relationship between CIS and SCORE in the mid-1990s, but that situation was, in time, resolved. By 2003 various sports ministries in the UK had begun to come together on a voluntary basis, to pray, to support each other, and to coordinate common activities. It was a movement with which CIS joined forces from 2005 onwards and the two organizations increasingly found heal- ing and unity. The issue had been doctrinal. In the early days SCORE’s prime concern was not about denominationalism, churchmanship or precise credal agreement, but rather, about the delivery of sports chaplaincy to a particular standard. As SCORE grew, it was the principles and practice of chaplaincy which became the vital issue.

A defined code of practice

The code of practice which emerged during the early days of SCORE defined the principles underpinning the organization’s work and set out how SCORE chaplains would operate in professional football clubs. On reflection, this was sig- nificant for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrated to clubs that their chaplain was part of a network which aspired to provide excellent chaplaincy in clearly defined ways. It promoted a professionalism about chaplaincy. It took the element of risk out of chaplaincy appointments. Secondly, it defined the dos and don’ts of chap- laincy and provided a clear modus operandi for each club and for each chaplain to follow. It became part of the sifting process for identifying potential recruits. The non-acceptance by an appointee of the pattern of chaplaincy to which the club agreed indicated their unsuitability. It meant that all new appointments fol- lowed a standard set of practices and ways of working. It was a first real attempt at quality assurance and accountability in UK sports chaplaincy circles. In effect, SCORE was defining what chaplains offered and how they worked.

Of course, establishing a code of practice did not mean that every chaplaincy would be the same. From the outset SCORE understood that each expres- sion of chaplaincy reflected a series of unique factors including the size of the sporting organization concerned, club attitudes towards chaplaincy, the degree of trust placed in the chaplain, and the individual personality traits, sensitivities, and time commitments which chaplains brought with them. Thus, the code of practice was not presented as a mould that every expression of chaplaincy must squeeze itself into, rather it was a template which all new chaplaincies worked around. It spoke to sports of professionalism, to chaplains of responsibilities and to both of foundational and agreed patterns of working. At the same time, it allowed each chaplaincy to be developed in its own way. The code of practice enabled sports to have confidence in chaplaincy appointments. Yet in 1992 an opportunity arose which perhaps did more than any code of practice could do to encourage UK sports to have confidence in the worth and value of chaplaincy.

Sports chaplaincy in the United Kingdom 27

Manchester United

Although I did not understand it at the time, becoming chaplain to Manchester United F.C. in September 1992 was a major boost to UK sports chaplaincy development. It affirmed the concept at the highest level, which opened doors for chaplaincy elsewhere. Around the UK and in many different sports, interest in chaplaincy multiplied.

In Scotland, where Sir Alex Ferguson is so highly regarded, I found that the Scottish Football Association, the then National Team Manager, Craig Brown, and indeed many football clubs, warmed to chaplaincy because of Ferguson’s endorsements. Scottish football club representatives were willing to give me time to explain SCORE’s chaplaincy ethos because I worked under Ferguson. In Northern Ireland, my Old Trafford role, the historical ‘George Best connec- tion’ and links between other Northern Ireland players and Manchester United, appeared to generate interest in SCORE. In Wales too, the Old Trafford links had an impact in conversations about chaplaincy in sport, not least with key personnel at Swansea City F.C. and Swansea ‘Whites’ RUFC, both of which became bridgeheads for the growth of chaplaincy in that country.

As SCORE became more widely known, an increasing number of sports opened up to the work of the charity with chaplaincy models being estab- lished nationally in horse racing, rugby league, rugby union and county cricket. Chaplaincy in horse racing owed much to the Manchester United link. The then CEO of the Racing Welfare charity was willing to meet to discuss chap- laincy purely because of the Old Trafford connection. From those early conver- sations, SCORE was able to advertise for a post to develop chaplaincy in horse racing which led to the appointment of Revd Graham Locking who pioneered SCORE’s work in that sport.

Meeting the growing interest in chaplaincy among sports people throughout the UK was hindered by insufficient funds. However, offers of help in various forms from part-time volunteers to SCORE facilitated further progress. Their roles were vitally important contributions to chaplaincy development, enabling the network to grow, for example, through sports or regional coordinators, when necessary funding was not available.

Over time, my role in SCORE developed to include major sports event chaplaincy. When involved in conversations with the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organising Committee (by the then Church of England chaplain to Athens, Greece and the Islands, Revd Malcolm Bradshaw), I was immediately given credibility because of my roles as head of chaplaincy at Manchester’s 2002 Commonwealth Games and with Manchester United. Later, I found that negotiations for club chaplaincy openings in the UK were helped by my work in Manchester in 2002 and Athens in 2004. Club chaplaincy experience had brought confidence to negotiations for major sports event chaplaincy and indeed vice versa with subsequent club chaplaincy negotiations. Later, in 2010 and 2012, my past chaplaincy experience facilitated further major sports event chaplaincy opportunities.

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SCORE and professional sports organizations

The growing support for chaplaincy from organizational bodies within and across professional sports was another contributing factor to its widening appeal. Attitudes changed, from interest to understanding and from approval to affirmation, financial support and public endorsement. Various sports moved along the ‘chaplaincy support continuum’ at different times and speeds, but the affirmation of the work of SCORE by professional sports bodies was invariably the reason behind the UK sports world coming to view chaplaincy appoint- ments as favourable.

At the 1993 northern sports chaplains’ day-conference at Manchester Unit- ed’s Old Trafford stadium, Brendon Batson and David Carr represented the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and Alex Ferguson and Dave Bassett the League Managers’ Association (LMA). This was early support from profes- sional bodies, soon to be added to by Rick Parry, the first Chief Executive of the English Premier League. Rick Parry understood the value of football club chaplaincy, and a series of meetings led to the Premier League sponsor- ing SCORE’s national football chaplains’ training conference at the Lilleshall Sports and Conference Centre, which in 1995 included several speakers from the world of professional football – Rick Parry (CEO of the then Carling Premier League), Dave Richardson (then Football Association youth develop- ment coordinator), Gordon Milne (then Chair of the LMA) and Ken Merrett and Ken Ramsden (then secretary and assistant secretary of Manchester United respectively and representing the Football League Executive Staff Association).

Through such conferences, chaplains learned more of the world in which they worked and that world came to know more about chaplaincy and SCORE. After Rick Parry left his role, Premier League support for the SCORE confer- ences gradually waned but interest has been revived in recent years through significant financial investment for a pastoral support director in English foot- ball, Revd Matt Baker. This has given an enhanced profile to chaplaincy and impetus for further appointments. The PFA and its CEO, Gordon Taylor, and the LMA from the days of CEO John Barnwell, have been equally significant in supporting chaplaincy, recognising the benefits it brings to their respec- tive members. Both rugby codes, neither of which as yet has the resources to finance a chaplaincy support officer, also affirm at management and organiza- tional levels, the value of chaplaincy work.

Training, accreditation and qualifications

SCORE, which began in 1990 and became a UK registered charity in 1991, was renamed Sports Chaplaincy UK in 2011 and in 2012 appointed a new CEO, Richard Gamble, a role taken over in 2015 by Warren Evans. Through- out its life under both banners, the organization has sought to increase the professionalism of sports chaplaincy, to move away from anything suggesting that chaplains are simply a collection of sports-consumed clergy living out

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their broken dreams. The emphasis remains on professionally trained practition- ers delivering a quality service that is valued and appreciated by the sporting organizations engaging the chaplains and by all their employees.

The code of practice, the annual training conference, the regional training meetings all helped, but in 2007 SCORE began to discuss a university course to qualify chaplains at postgraduate (certificate, diploma and master’s) level. The key academic impetus came from Professors Mike Collins and Andrew Parker at the University of Gloucestershire, with me, John Boyers, contributing from SCORE about practical chaplaincy matters. After a series of meetings, the Uni- versity validated and approved the new programme, which by September 2010, had recruited its first cohort of students. Since then the course has attracted interest from throughout the UK and beyond and has contributed therefore to the spread of quality chaplaincy and its continued professionalization.

This concern for stronger training and accreditation for sports chaplains has been seen elsewhere. Sports Chaplaincy Australia only accredits chaplains who have successfully completed their Level 1 training course, and also provides a Level 2 course (and other specialist courses) to encourage professional devel- opment. Connor’s (2003) argument that the quality of sports ministry training inevitably has a direct impact on the quality of ministry itself, is surely univer- sally true. Thus, in the US there is an emerging body of literature which seeks to examine issues of accreditation and professionalism in the field of sports chaplaincy (see Dzikus, Waller and Hardin, 2011; Waller, Dzikus and Hardin 2010). Appropriate training and accreditation must be part of the profession- alization of sports chaplaincy in any country where the ministry is emerging. Such work, it seems, is too important to be left to untrained enthusiasts doing their energetic best.

Continuity and change

By 2012 my responsibility for leading Sports Chaplaincy UK had been taken over by Richard Gamble at a time when national interest in sports chaplaincy was continuing to grow. Currently, and perhaps most important of all, is the reality that the ideal template, the model of the pastorally proactive, spiritually responsive style of chaplaincy, delivered consistently and sensitively, is strongly present across UK sport. Whatever the precise location – a sports club, a major sports event, a particular sports venue, a whole sport, a team or individuals – chaplaincy support has to be delivered seriously, faithfully and professionally.

In the midst of changes to structures and personnel, the commitment of individual chaplains on the ground in delivering high quality chaplaincy which recipients appreciate and value, is probably the most significant contributor to further chaplaincy development in the UK. So long as recipients endorse this service as being beneficial to their situation, sport will continue to be open to this ministry. Of course, unofficial chaplaincy still takes place by those who seek involvement with sport without any authorization or formal connection to Sports Chaplaincy UK. However, this chapter argues that in order to achieve

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and maintain excellence in relation to the spiritual and pastoral care that it provides, sports chaplaincy needs to be official and accredited, collaborative and prescriptive with regard to its quality delivery, current oversight and future development.

Conclusion: a final thought

The trajectory of sports chaplaincy in the UK over the past 50 years has been remarkable: two appointments in professional football in the early 1960s, five by the mid-1970s, around 15 by the late 1980s, 40 by the mid-1990s, 230 by 2010, and over 320 by 2015. In this chapter some of the reasons behind this expansion have been evaluated. These include: the good work of the early pioneers, the significance of the work at Watford Football Club, the impetus and contribu- tion of Christians in Sport, the vision of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the work of SCORE and Sports Chaplaincy UK, the importance of training and a generic code of practice, the influence of Manchester United, the support of professional sports bodies and the quality delivery of excellent on-the-ground chaplains.

However, further to my brief presentation of the conceptual and historical aspects of the evolution of sports chaplaincy, I believe that there is one over- riding influence: God. In the long and complex story of sports chaplaincy’s rise in the UK, beyond all the various and significant human factors is one ultimate factor: that it was God’s purpose to bring a strong chaplaincy presence to the sports world. Sociologists and historians may have alternative theories that inform this story but I offer this single underlying theological explanation: God willed it.

Note

1 I wish to thank the following for their invaluable contributions to this chapter: Mick Brown (former manager, Oxford United FC), Revd Richard Bryant (former chaplain, Newcastle United FC), Revd Canon Bill Hall (former chaplain, Middlesbrough FC), Revd Mike Pusey (chaplain, Aldershot FC), Revd David Tidswell (Methodist minister, North Lancashire), Revd David Tully (former chaplain, Newcastle United FC), and J. Stuart Weir CEO, Verite Sports.

References

Boyers, J. (2000). Beyond The Final Whistle, London: Hodder & Stoughton. Connor, S. (2003). Sports Outreach: Principles and Practice for Successful Sports Ministry, Tain,

Ross-shire: Christian Focus. Dzikus, L., S. Waller and R. Hardin (2011). ‘Collegiate Sport Chaplaincy: Exploration of an

Emerging Profession’, Journal of Contemporary Athletics, 5/1: 21–42. Gamble, R., D. Hill and A. Parker (2013). ‘ “Revs and Psychos”: Impact and Interaction

amongst Sport Chaplains and Sport Psychologists in English Premiership Football’, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 25: 249–64.

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Heskins, J. and M. Baker (2006). Footballing Lives: As Seen by Chaplains in the Beautiful Game, Norwich: Canterbury Press.

Jackson, J. (1984). ‘A View of Chaplaincy’, Methodist Home Mission Report, 128: 31–4. Linville, G. (2014). Christmanship: A Theology of Competition and Sport, Canton, OH: Oliver

House Press. Waller, S., L. Dzikus and R. Hardin (2010). ‘The Collegiate Sports Chaplain: Kindred or

Alien?’, Chaplaincy Today, 26/1: 16–26.