So much of our lives are about seasons. As I sit here in the UK reflecting on this
past season for Synergy, it is certainly one of expectations having been exceeded
in many ways, yet also it highlights a need to refocus our vision and strategy
in order to see our talented young players achieve in every area of their
lives.
On the field we have thrived, securing a
fourth championship and third straight promotion, to take the one spot
available in our region to Uganda’s Big League, one division under the Super
League, Uganda’s top tier. This success has in fact left us with the option of
registering as a professional football club, complete with professional
contracts for all our players.
However, this is where the trappings of
success could so easily take us down the wrong road. And I have seen it before,
where projects whose beginnings were built upon a strong Christian foundation
with a clear gospel message end up being watered down to become success driven
ventures that end up doing no more than paying lip-service to their Christian
roots.
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The Team before our Regional League Play-off Final Victory |
That is why at Synergy and River of Life Church, we deliberated and prayed long and hard about what to do next, and whether to even take our senior team forward into Big League.
What we continued to come back to was our vision: To see young people fulfill their potential in sport, and their wider lives, through all the activities that we provide.
To sell the team on to another owner, or simply forego our place in Big League would not fulfill this vision. If anything it would undermine much of the hard work we have done to build relationships with, and invest in, our players. This is work which has seen them change in attitude and character, and has seen a good number take positive steps towards becoming Christians. Equally, we are wary of a professional status which could easily see our focus shift away from our grass-roots ethos and heavily draw upon finances that we don’t even have!
So what to do for the season ahead...
So what to do for the season ahead...
Thankfully Big League does not necessitate
professional contracts, enabling us to remain an amateur outfit, but still take
the place our lads have worked so hard to win. That means we will continue the
journey with our players, hoping that success will not only be seen on the
field of play, but also in our players wider lives as we continue to invest in
their mentoring, discipleship and educational opportunities.
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Football-wise, we may not be able to take
them much further than where we now stand, but our hope is to see doors of
opportunity open for our players to be scouted by bigger clubs as we move
through the year.
I have always hoped that some of our
players will become professional footballers, but my bigger hope remains to see
them changed as individuals by the love of Jesus. As we look to the season
ahead, I pray that both of these things may be achieved for at least some of our
players. If it is, then we will have accomplished what we set out to do and yet another new season will begin!
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