Summer of Sport 2016 – Inspiration Paper
Drawing on the success of the WW1 Commemoration Grants (Stats for Mission showed that
those churches who received WW1 funding also grew by 7.3%, which was 3.3% more that the
diocesan average), the Growth Fund is pleased to be able to offer grants of £250 for events that
engage the community through sport. These events could relate to the Rio de Janeiro 2016
Olympics or the UEFA Euro 2016 Tournament in France, but they could
equally draw inspiration from Wimbledon, the Heineken Cup or any local
sporting event. These events could range from sport related Holiday Clubs to turning the
Church into an Olympic Café for 2-3 weeks.
Many aspects of sport mimic those of faith, with coaches and managers providing mentoring and discipleship,
whilst spurring their athletes to run the (sometimes literal!) race faster or stronger. Sport evokes passions and
emotions, with tens of thousands of people gathering to support Leicester City FC or the Tigers every week.
Committed fans make long journeys to see their favorite individual or team compete, journeys which bare
similarities to a pilgrimage. Any application to the Summer of Sport Fund could draw on these comparisons
when highlighting Jesus and the Gospel to those in their local community.
The important thing is that the intention of the event(s) is to evangelistically build two way bridges with the
local community. If you successfully applied for a WW1 Commemoration grant please include how this event
will build on those previous bridges that were built. Below you will find a list of possible ideas that
the Committee would consider funding to get you thinking about how to reach those in your
community, and some key dates to tie these events into.
Event Ideas
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A Village Fete with a sport theme
Events that tie into a specific sporting event – e.g. Finals , Opening Ceremonies, Key Matches
A summer pub quiz series with rounds on sport and rounds on Christian Faith
Q+A with a local sporting personality who is a Christian
Church Flower Festival with a sport theme
Creating your own Tour De “…….”around your local area, and finishing in the church for afternoon tea
Running a pop-up Olympic Café in an open Church
Hosting a “Finals” event – (for the tennis, football athletics etc.) and inviting the whole village
Have a village charity sweepstake for the Euro 2016 tournament, and watching the final together
Hiring a football cage and running a tournament on the village green/in the church car park
Having a strawberries and cream afternoon in church to watch the tennis final
Running a “Church Olympics” with the local community
A Holiday Club with an sport theme
Key Dates
FA Cup Final: 21st of May
UEFA Euro 2016 France Tournament Dates: 10th of June – 10th of July. More Info:
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/finals/index.html
European Rugby Champions Cup Final: 13th of May
European Rugby Challenge Cup Final: 14th of May
Wimbledon Tournament Dates: 27th of June – 10th of July. More Info: http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html
Rio 2016 Olympics Dates: 5th – 21st of August. More info: http://www.rio2016.com/en/the-games/olympic
Rio 2016 Paralympics Dates: 7th - 18th of September. More Info: http://www.rio2016.com/en/thegames/paralympic
50th Super Bowl: 7th of February. More Info: http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/50
Aviva Premiership Final: date tbc
ICC Twenty20 World Cup: 11th of March – 3rd of April. More Info: http://www.icc-cricket.com/home
Tour de France: 2nd – 24th of July. More Info: http://www.letour.com/us/