This Is the Play That Could Change Everything

For me, it happened while looking at a map—eight counties, three cities, countless schools, hundreds of teams, thousands of athletes and coaches—and realizing: we’re just getting started.

It began with a bold but simple dream: a Huddle on every team, in every school. That dream still drives us. But God’s made it clear - He’s not finished expanding it.

Because the reach of sports goes far beyond school walls. It runs through backyards, fields, gyms, lakes, trails, and living rooms. It’s how kids are shaped, how parents connect, how communities come alive. It’s where identities are formed - and eternities are changed.

So here’s the bigger, bolder vision:

What if…

…every coach and athlete in Battlefield FCA’s region could encounter Jesus in a setting where they already show up - whether school, club, league, camp, or community field?

What if every single sports environment - whether it’s a gym or a gravel path - became a discipleship environment?

That’s the heart behind Battlefield FCA’s expanded vision. And it aligns directly with the overall mission of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes:

"To lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church."

Everything we do flows from that mission.

The vision of FCA is to see the world transformed by Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.

That vision is what motivates us and sets our direction. At Battlefield FCA, it serves as our North Star - the future we are moving toward. The mission is how we live it out today - step by faithful step, play by Kingdom play.

We’re not inventing a new direction - we’re running the play that’s already been called.

 

The Starting Line: Revival Begins on Campus

This is where the dream started - and where the foundation of the movement still stands.

Before there were leagues or clubs, before we talked about sports complexes or outdoor ministry, there was the simple but radical belief that revival could begin in a public-school hallway.

We believe schools are more than educational institutions - they are mission fields. Every classroom, every weight room, every locker room, every field is a space where God can move. And when student-athletes lead, when coaches live out their faith boldly, and when the Gospel is present on campus, everything changes.

Right now, we’re reaching an estimated 1,500 athletes across our 8 counties and 3 cities, and a growing number of coaches - moving quickly to number in the hundreds - and we’re just getting warmed up.

We’re moving toward a future where:

• Every team has a Huddle led by student-athletes
• Every program has a trained Character Coach
• Every school has a Coaches Huddle led by a spiritually strong leader

Imagine an entire school year where every athlete is being prayed for, every coach is supported, and every team hears the name of Jesus.

This isn’t extracurricular. It’s an eternal strategy.

This is where the mission becomes movement. This is where revival begins.

From the Bleachers to the Bench: Reclaiming Youth Sports for Jesus

We live in a culture where sports can easily consume a family’s calendar, budget, and identity. But what if instead of pulling families away from faith, it pulled them toward it?

What if weekend tournaments became ministry opportunities? What if your child’s soccer coach became their spiritual mentor? What if entire families came to Christ because they showed up for a league that taught more than drills and defense?

That’s the heart of FCA Sports.

We’re building:

• Leagues where kids are coached in character, families are engaged in Gospel community, and every game day points people toward Jesus
• Clubs like FCA Wrestling where passion meets purpose and athletes grow in faith as much as they do in skill
• Mentor-based teams where volunteers are trained not just to coach - but to disciple

This is youth sports reimagined. Not just a schedule filler, but a soul shaper.

Beyond the Gym: Where the Wild Things Worship

Some kids just aren’t drawn to whistles and whiteboards. They come alive in stillness and storms - in wide open places that whisper the glory of God. They’re out there before the sun rises, rod in hand or boots in the dirt, hearts open in a way they may never be indoors. These students may never join a traditional team. But that doesn’t mean they’re not hungry for purpose, for challenge, for truth. And that makes them deeply reachable.

This is where Battlefield FCA Outdoor Sports comes alive.

We’re building a space for the rugged, the quiet, the wild-at-heart to discover Jesus in the beauty and challenge of creation:

• Hikes, hunts, fishing tournaments, and camps where mentors walk with students and open the Word under open skies
• Shooting sports like trap, skeet, and archery that build discipline, focus, and provide moments for Gospel conversation
• Outdoor experiences such as survival training, wilderness navigation, and campfire devotionals where Scripture is lived out in the wild

Imagine a teenager who’s tuned out in church but fully tuned in at dawn, hearing a devotion after reeling in a fish - and realizing for the first time he was created by a Father who sees him.

We’re not just taking students outside. We’re helping them look up.

This is more than recreation. This is restoration. This is the Gospel, unfiltered.

No Sidelines in Heaven: A Vision for Every Athlete

Too often, young people with special needs are offered the sidelines.

But what if they were the centerpiece? What if they were the spark God uses to ignite revival in families, schools, and churches?

Imagine the joy of a young athlete in a wheelchair hearing his name announced as he enters the game - and the Gospel being shared afterward with his family.

All-Abilities ministry is not a charity program. It’s a Kingdom initiative.

We’re developing:

• Adaptive leagues where every athlete gets to play, compete, and belong
• Unified events where athletes of all abilities play side-by-side, worship side-by-side, and lead side-by-side
• Volunteer training to equip the church to see, value, and serve every image-bearer

This is not a feel-good add-on. It’s a front-row seat to what happens when no one is left out of God's story.

One Church, Many Courts: Building a Gospel Network Through Sports

We’ve said it before - the gyms are already built. Churches own the spaces. The question is: what will we do with them?

Right now, churches across our region are running leagues and camps. But most are doing it in isolation. We believe the next wave of sports ministry doesn’t come from building more - it comes from connecting more.

Imagine 20 churches across 3 cities and 8 counties using the same playbook, speaking the same language, training their coaches in discipleship, and reaching families together through neighborhood-based leagues.

That’s the Church Sports Network.

• A growing collaboration of churches, equipped by FCA, united to reach their community through sports
• A simple plug-and-play model that gives any church the tools and training to start or strengthen a Gospel-centered sports ministry
• A unified banner to remind us that we’re better together when Jesus is our coach, captain, and commission

This isn’t about FCA. It’s about the Church being the Church - in sneakers and jerseys.

Altars with Scoreboards: A Dream for Kingdom Complexes

Close your eyes and imagine this:

A young girl shows up to a brand-new sports complex in her community to play in a basketball league. By halftime, she’s heard a devotion from a former college athlete. After the game, her mom gets invited to a moms’ prayer group. Her coach prays with her. A local church sponsors her team. And before the season ends, she accepts Christ and starts bringing her friends.

Now multiply that by thousands.

That’s the vision behind the FCA Sports Complexes - one in each of our four major regions.

• Places where leagues are run with integrity, and discipleship happens daily
• Facilities where we can host camps, equip volunteers, train staff, and serve families year-round
• Buildings that outlive trends and programs, because they are rooted in a mission bigger than any one person or season

These aren’t just buildings. These are altars. These are Gospel-greenhouses.

And we believe they will become hubs of hope, revival, and transformation in our region for generations to come.

Across the Street and Across the World: Our Global Vision

Revival doesn’t stop at county lines - or national borders.

As part of Battlefield FCA’s growing vision, we are stepping boldly into international ministry, specifically through a strategic partnership with Southeast Asia FCA.

Imagine students from Virginia traveling across the globe to serve, disciple, and grow. Imagine Southeast Asian leaders coming to our communities - sharing stories, deepening faith, and strengthening the Body of Christ on both sides of the ocean.

We envision:

• Ongoing mission trips to Southeast Asia that raise leaders and deepen perspective
• Cross-cultural partnerships that shape our students into global disciple-makers
• Opportunities to host international FCA staff and athletes, igniting hearts here at home

This isn’t just outreach. It’s Kingdom family - reaching the world together, shoulder to shoulder.

THE INVITATION

We’re not waiting anymore. We’re moving.

We have the mission: to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church.

We have the vision: to see it lived out on every field, every trail, every team, every church gym, every league.

But we don’t have it all. Not yet.

We need:



• Churches bold enough to say yes
• Donors willing to plant seeds in eternal soil
• Volunteers who will go to the sidelines, the camps, the weight rooms, the woods
• Families who believe Jesus changes everything - and want their kids to know it
• Leaders called to join our staff team—driven to disciple, build, and reach through the power of sports

This isn’t a program. It’s a movement. This isn’t a fundraiser. It’s a harvest. This isn’t someone else’s calling. It’s ours. It’s yours.

Every Team. Every School. Every Environment. Every Soul.

Let’s build it.

#BattlefieldFCA #Leadership #Sports #FaithLeaders #FCA #FCAEverywhere