As a youth minister, imagine facing these challenges…

• Having more than fifty percent of youth involved year round in parish youth ministry programs.
• Having a parent volunteer for every five youth and other parents ready and willing to attend and support the program.
• Having registration fees for the program that are paid up front, on time, and thereby having the financial resources to pay for the majority of the program.
• Having mandatory parent/volunteer training that makes a direct connection to the vision and goals of comprehensive youth ministry from Renewing the Vision.

This scenario need not be imagined. It is happening regularly through parish and school sports programs for youth from grades four through twelve. It is estimated that more than one half of Catholic youth participate in sports programs through their parish, school, or community recreation programs. The National Center for Catholic Youth Sports (NCCYS) is your national organization that is committed to teaching young people Gospel values through sports.

Making the connection between sports and youth ministry is not a new idea. Saint Don Bosco, the saint of young people, knew this well and followed this maxim: go where young people are and connect their life experience with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Simply put, we need to start where they are versus where we are. Many young people today are at the field, on the track, and in the gym.

The goal of NCCYS is to use sports to teach Gospel values. In this context sports can be a highly effective tool to achieve the three goals for Catholic youth ministry as stated in Renewing the Vision, with the end in mind of developing Christian disciples. Young people are playing sports in record numbers. Youth ministry programs have a terrific opportunity to make the following connections:

• Sports as Youth Ministry: Young people learn a great deal and have fun through play. When sports are placed in the context of ministry, the goal of building Christian disciples in and through the faith community becomes central. Sports in a Catholic ministry setting are about helping young people be more Christ-like in how they live. The high quality standards of any ministry program and its leadership also apply to sports programs.
• Coach as Youth Minister: The role of any youth ministry leader is to use his or her gifts to serve the young people entrusted to their care. In sports the coach represents the faith community in ways similar to those who serve in other ministries in the parish. Therefore the training, support, and formation of the coach are mandatory. We need to move well beyond a ‘warm body’ volunteer approach to ministry, therefore getting the coach trained to serve in the context of ministering to young people is critical. NCCYS has joined with the American Sports Education Program to offer an online Catholic Coaching Essentials course for the training and formation of coaches.
• Team as Christian Community: Great sports teams are rooted in caring, loving relationships between all parties. In this way teams learn how to share Gospel values, call forth integrity and honesty from each other, and learn how to deal with typical frustrations and moments of growth that happen within a team. Teams rooted in Christian community will learn how to deal with conflict, victory and defeat, and while doing so honor their opponents, the officials, and the game itself.
• Parents as Partners: The role of parents in sports programs is a considerable issue and challenge in many youth sports programs. By engaging parents as co-workers toward a common mission, Catholic sports programs work with parents to engage them in using their gifts and talents to uphold the mission and values of the Gospel through sports. Just as parents are seen as the primary catechist of their children, they are likewise seen as the primary and first coach through their Christian behavior and example.
• Winning the Right Way: There are many wonderful lessons to be learned through sports. These include setting individual and team goals and working hard to achieve them; pushing to learn your own limits and what it takes to grow beyond them and do what you did not think was possible; dealing with setbacks and defeats personally and as a team; learning how a team working together can achieve significantly more than an individual alone. Doing all of this within the context of fair and honest play teaches that cheating to win is always wrong and is in direct conflict with Gospel values.

The National Center for Catholic Youth Sports is about ‘keeping the faith while keeping the score.’ Consider working with NCCYS to set up your online coaches’ training or to do a parent training to engage parents as partners in your Catholic youth sports program. The NCCYS has a parent brochure that is available through the NFCYM Online Store that can be given directly to parents to further their role as partners and coworkers in this ministry that we share. NCCYS also provides training and consultation to Catholic school sports programs to help them intentionally connect the mission and values of the school to the operation of the school athletic program, which is one of the most visible programs in the community.