Sports Chaplaincy Australia kicked off back in 1982 with the desire and vision of a young Baptist minister.

Mark Tronson began what was first known as Sports and Leisure Ministry, and swiftly started empowering the sports community by raising up chaplains for the work of pastoral care. 

This sporting movement rapidly grew from the small handful of chaplains in the early 90s to the hundreds of dedicated chaplains now serving in Australian sports as Sports Chaplaincy Australia. And friends like you are helping make it possible now.

A Brief History of Sports Chaplaincy in Australia

The following is an excerpt written by Noel Mitaxa and Cameron Butler from a chapter in Andrew Parker’s book, Sports Chaplaincy: Trends, Issues and Debates…

"As Australian sports ministry has grown over a thirty-year period, it has shown God’s sovereignty in linking two unlikely partners – our national passion for sports, and our cultural ambivalence towards religion and authority.

"Our love of sport has provided a strong social cohesion across ethnic and class divides that can accompany a sustained influx of immigrants. Though this cohesion is tested by good-natured tribal loyalties within our competitive sports, love for sports approaches ‘religion’ status for many Australians.

"Noting this, past national sports ministry chairman Dr Ross Clifford observes:

"Most Australians find their fulfillment in some form of sport or leisure, as participants or as spectators, and unless the church relates the Gospel to sports, we will continue to be bypassed as irrelevant.

"Formal sports chaplaincy was launched at the highest level, with Australia’s Test Cricket team appointing Rev Mark Tronson, a Baptist pastor and part-time industrial chaplain as its chaplain in December 1984. This appointment proved to be a tremendous boost, for it lent credibility to our requests to other sports clubs and associations to consider chaplaincy for themselves."