Stuart Wood - Keeping Faith in the Team: The Chaplains Story

Title Page

KEEPING FAITH IN THE TEAM

The Football Chaplains Story

Stuart Wood

Chaplain to Cambridge United FC

Publisher Information

First published in 2011 by

Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd

1 Spencer Court

140 - 142 Wandsworth High Street

London SW18 4JJ

2011 Stuart Wood

Digital edition converted and distributed in 2012 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

The right of Stuart Wood to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.

Dedication

To my Soul mate and Best friend - Hayley,

I couldnt do any of this without you.

And to my boys - Kieran, Curtis, Jordan & Corban

I am so proud of each one of you.

I love you all.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to:

David, for giving me this opportunity and providing heaps of encouragement along the way; Kathy, for your patience in editing; and all at DLT for backing this project.

My wonderful church family at Barnwell Baptist Church - you are an amazing group of people. Thank you for making it such a pleasure to be your pastor.

All the players, staff, directors and fans at Cambridge United Football Club. This book is your story, and without you not a word would have been written. A special mention to Jez and Greg for supporting me throughout and reading the draft through.

Martin, for your support of this project from day one. Sorry it didnt work out at United - all the very best.

All my fellow chaplains at SCORE and CPW who have knowingly, and at times unknowingly, encouraged me and inspired me in developing as a chaplain. A special mention to Matt for reading this through, writing the foreword, and all your helpful comments and advice along the way.

My family: Hayley - such patience; boys, for your understanding; Mum and Dad, for a lifetime of support.

And finally, God, without whom I am nothing.

Foreword

A chaplain, at a football club, really? is perhaps the response of many on seeing the cover of this book. We are perhaps used to chaplains in hospitals, the armed services or other work places but not really in sport.

And yet for those within the football industry this is no surprise at all as there is an increasing awareness of the important, in some cases vital, role a chaplain can play in the modern football world. Indeed, over the last 20 years chaplaincy within football has spread like wildfire. There are currently more than a hundred chaplains working throughout all levels of football in the UK from the Premier League, through the Football League, Conference and beyond. These chaplains are volunteering their time behind the scenes offering pastoral and spiritual care to all at the Club.

I first got to know Stuart six years ago at our annual conference at the National Sports Centre Lilleshall when he had just been appointed chaplain at Cambridge. Since then I have been impressed with his commitment to chaplaincy and extensive involvement at the Club and thus it was a pleasure and a privilege when he asked me to write the foreword to Keeping Faith in the Team . Stuarts account of life at Cambridge United gives an insight into the ups and downs faced during a season in the Conference Premier. It also shows the breadth of the chaplains role from supporting injured players to engaging with the local community, from announcing the teams before kick-off to the scattering of a fans ashes. And of course theres the football side of things too as Stuart reflects on the results and performances of the team. Stuarts own faith is also apparent as you read, not in a heavy preachy way but more as something that is living and active, which influences his life both at and away from the Club.

There are many football books on the market and a few, if not so many, on football chaplaincy. However, Keeping Faith in the Team is, I believe, unique in that it is a chaplains diary on what has happened on a month by month basis. For that Stuart must be commended for the way he writes with sensitivity, humility and interest and provides a series of snapshots at regular points in the season. I would also applaud Cambridge United for endorsing and supporting the project and for obviously being so appreciative of their chaplains role.

This book will provide both an encouragement and a challenge to those already involved in sports chaplaincy. To those who were unaware of its existence this will give an interesting insight into both football and the specific help and support that a chaplain can provide. So, if you like football or you are interested in how faith can provoke someone to go and make a difference in their local community then this book is for you. Im interested in both so really enjoyed reading it and hope you do too.

Matt Baker

Chaplain to Charlton Athletic FC

Pastoral Support Director in English Football, SCORE

June 2010

I cant wait! is the cry of many a football fan halfway through June, having had a few weeks without a match to attend. For many of those I speak to, there seems to come a point when the novelty of not going to a game and having a Saturday afternoon to do something different wears a little thin, and the attraction of the new season is something theyre irresistibly drawn towards.

The close season is a strange beast. For the majority of supporters, alongside the free Saturday afternoons, it also provides an opportunity to save your money and, if you havent got kids in school, to go on holiday. Of course, there are those who end up feeling lost without the week-by-week structure of games to attend, league and form tables to study and highlights programmes to watch.

Some people, my wife included, quite enjoy this part of the year as they get their husbands, wives or children back. And they dont have to contend with variable mood swings on a Saturday evening depending on how the team performed or the result achieved that afternoon. Ironically, by the time theyve got used to having the family around again, the next season begins to beckon.

The players have an opportunity to rest, relax and spend time with family and friends before the long season gets under way again. Unlike in most other jobs, they have to take all their holiday in one go - once pre-season starts there are no more holidays until the end of the season, and for the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons at Cambridge United that meant play-off finals and a much later finish to the season than for most.

In 1986, a new system was introduced, replacing the one of three teams being automatically promoted and three teams relegated that had been used since 1898. To increase the excitement (and the revenue) and to encourage more teams to feel that they had something to play for, the final place available for promotion is now decided between the four teams that finish just below the automatic promotion places. So in the Championship, for example, the teams that win and come second are automatically promoted to the Premiership; the next four teams play each other (the team in third place plays the team in sixth place, and the team in fourth place plays the team in fifth place) home and away in the play-off semi-finals. The winners of these games contest the play-off final, usually at Wembley; the winner goes into the Premiership and the loser stays in the Championship.

In the Conference this system was adopted in 2002. However, only two teams move up each season so it is only the team that wins that gains automatic promotion, and the next four teams play off. The play-off final is usually about three to four weeks after the regular seasons fixture schedule has come to a close, which does extend the season considerably and curtail the close season at the same time. Players requiring surgery can therefore end up missing the start of pre-season with not very long to get back on their feet.