Soccer for Christ - Keeping prayer in sports and raising a new generation of believers

Youth sports program allows God to stay in sports.

Atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation has been harassing children's sports games for years - but they can't touch events occurring on sacred ground.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The hateful atheist group prides itself on searching for anything Christ-related so they can legally fight to put it to an end.

They've done everything from shutting down student Bible clubs to attacking Christian football coaches.

Any public place displaying signs of religion or religious activities has been deemed "offensive" to the spiteful group, leaving a largely secular environment for today's Catholic kids.

So what can parents do?

John Bagala's calling was to run a youth sports program that puts an emphasis on God. He was the Assistant Director at Carmel Recreation and Parks Dept. in Carmel, NY and has worked for several years in North of the River youth programs.

He was the CEO of the YMCA in California's Kern County for five-and-a-half-years and later decided to open FUN Sports, a Bakersfield, CA-based program not for one church, but for many.

FUN is an acronym for Faith, Unity, and Nurture, all of which are provided and taught to the kids signing up.

Different churches host games and practice fields and the FUN SPORTS program ensures each practice and game begins with a moment of prayer.

Because the sporting events and practices are held at churches, groups such as the FFRF are unable to take legal action and children are safe to grow in a spiritual level.

One mother, who requested to remain anonymous, told Catholic Online she had her son in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) but the volunteer-run organization seemed more interested in collecting money than providing an educational experience.

She claimed FUN "was more friendly and added: "AYSO pressures parents to volunteer and always enrolls too many kids and not enough coaches so parents lose their money."

She elaborated to explain: "AYSO coaches are based on volunteers. They'll go on ahead and they'll get - collect everybody's money for the kids then when the season starts they say, 'We don't have enough coaches so we need more parents to volunteer as coaches.'

"If they don't get any volunteers, then your kid doesn't play and the parents are not reimbursed. Plus [the] majority of the parents are too competitive.

"The parents start to coach and ... sometimes they won't rotate all the kids who aren't as good. They pick and choose which kids have more field time. And then when kids are playing, parents will go on ahead and they'll yell, cheer their kids on, and even encourage them, 'Hey, you need to play rough...A little tougher, rougher.'"

The more competitive side to sports, with children as young as 4-years-old, has become too much about winning and not enough about teaching kids how to play.

To make matters worse, parents engage in heated altercations among one another, parents from opposing teams, coaches and the referees.

"I don't know if it's because it starts off already a stressful environment when you're pressured into volunteering if you want your kid to be playing or if it's the pressure of 'hey, I want my kid to be the best.' I don't know," the mother said.

FUN SPORTS erases the pressure on parents and children alike by praying as a team before games and practices then playing worship music during the practice matches.

"What I like about the one at the church is they ask before - they ask for coaches before allowing so many kids to just register, so there's a cap off.

"They say from the beginning there's no yelling, screaming or fighting. They reinforce kids being excited, parents have to stick around during practice and it's our job as parents to reassure them....They say they want to encourage positive time for the kids to enjoy.

"They don't keep score, each team still gets a trophy so it's less competitive, while in AYSO you need volunteers to accumulate points...and you need a certain amount of ref points. So if they have enough ref points and their team does well, then their team is definitely making it to playoffs."

Bagala stated: "FUN SPORTS is not a business but a ministry for Jesus Christ in my eyes. I will always stand for Jesus Christ...I preach the gospels of Jesus to everyone in our sports programs...My reward is not a high paying job, but if one child or parent comes to know Jesus as Lord and Savior then that is my reward."

The mother chimed in: "You can tell [my son] likes it better. He feels more motivated to do better. He almost feels inspired to do better. In AYSO, he acted like practices and games were a chore.

"When kids got the ball they'd taunt the other kids but here, you don't really hear kids talking like that."

FUN SPORTS released a mission statement to help children from 3 to 11-years-old find "opportunities for spiritual, relational and physical growth."

By offering games and practices that not only allows God, but welcomes Him, FUN SPORTS teaches kids to work hard for the sake of pursuing their passions, to get reassurance from their parents, get great exercise and share in their faith without fear of persecution of any kind.

Currently FUN Sports is only available in Bakersfield, CA but in time could be available in many other cities.

Remember to encourage your children to keep Christ in their lives, including the times when they are at school. If even one life is changed, it will be well worth it.

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