{"id":12314,"date":"2026-10-13T10:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T03:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/?p=12314"},"modified":"2026-10-20T18:56:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T11:56:47","slug":"more-than-a-game-building-hope-on-and-off-the-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/more-than-a-game-building-hope-on-and-off-the-field\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than a Game: Building Hope On and Off the Field"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

“We thought we were just inviting kids to play soccer. It turned out to be the start of a whole new life in Christ for them.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Note: Names and identifying details have been changed to respect the privacy of the individuals we serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started as a small, after-school soccer program for at-risk youth has grown into a vibrant ministry of mentorship, discipleship, and community outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When our team learned about what this local sports academy was doing to reach vulnerable youth, we immediately wanted to stand behind them. Through monthly financial partnership, we helped fund their weekend soccer academy\u2014combining soccer training and athletic development with nutritious meals and regular, structured Bible studies for every participant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding the Field for the Gospel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the program grew, so did its impact on the local community. The coaches and leaders weren’t just running sports drills; they were discipling youth and teaching them God’s Word. Seeing the positive impact on the children, local schools began partnering with the academy, opening up even greater opportunities to share the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, our partnership expanded to meet the growing ministry needs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Soccer Camps with Impact:<\/strong> Funding expanded to help support week-long soccer camps held every April and October during school breaks, providing safe, high-energy environments centered on sports and scripture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • School Partnerships:<\/strong> Stronger relationships with local schools opened doors to reach more at-risk youth and invite them into the academy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Holistic Ministry:<\/strong> Every weekend session combines quality soccer instruction with a shared meal and dedicated Bible study, building both physical health and spiritual foundations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Six Lives Forever Changed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    While sports training builds discipline and physical fitness, the true heart of the academy is leading youth to Jesus Christ and helping them grow as His disciples. The coaches take time to invest deeply in the personal lives and spiritual growth of every player who steps onto the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In 2025, that faithful ministry bore incredible spiritual fruit: six young women from the program put their faith in Jesus and were baptized!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Surrounded by their coaches, teammates, and church family, these sweet young ladies celebrated their new life in Christ. For them and many others, the soccer academy has become far more than a sports club\u2014it is a place where they encountered the Gospel, learned the Scriptures, and found an everlasting hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “We thought we were just inviting kids to play soccer. It turned out to be the start of a whole new life in Christ for them.” *Note: Names and identifying details have been changed to respect the privacy of the individuals we serve. What started as a small, after-school soccer program for at-risk youth has grown into a vibrant ministry of mentorship, discipleship, and community outreach. When our team learned about what this local sports academy was doing to reach vulnerable youth, we immediately wanted to stand behind them. Through monthly financial partnership, we helped fund their weekend soccer academy\u2014combining soccer training and athletic development with nutritious meals and regular, structured Bible studies for every participant. Expanding the Field for the Gospel As the program grew, so did its impact on the local community. The coaches and leaders weren’t just running sports drills; they were discipling youth and teaching them God’s Word. Seeing the positive impact on the children, local schools began partnering with the academy, opening up even greater opportunities to share the Gospel. Over time, our partnership expanded to meet the growing ministry needs: Six Lives Forever Changed While sports training builds discipline and physical fitness, the true heart of the academy is leading youth to Jesus Christ and helping them grow as His disciples. The coaches take time to invest deeply in the personal lives and spiritual growth of every player who steps onto the field. In 2025, that faithful ministry bore incredible spiritual fruit: six young women from the program put their faith in Jesus and were baptized! Surrounded by their coaches, teammates, and church family, these sweet young ladies celebrated their new life in Christ. For them and many others, the soccer academy has become far more than a sports club\u2014it is a place where they encountered the Gospel, learned the Scriptures, and found an everlasting hope.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3631,"featured_media":8955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"nf_dc_page":"","nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[105],"class_list":["post-12314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-bread-for-life"],"acf":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life.png",1935,604,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life.png",1935,604,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life.png",1935,604,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-300x94.png",300,94,true],"large":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1024x320.png",1024,320,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1536x479.png",1536,479,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life.png",1935,604,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life.png",18,6,false],"Personnel Thumbnail":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-800x604.png",800,604,true],"Portfolio Thumbnail":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1000x604.png",1000,604,true],"Portfolio Thumbnail Portrait":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-600x604.png",600,604,true],"Large Landscape":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1280x580.png",1280,580,true],"Large Landscape 2":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1550x604.png",1550,604,true],"Portfolio Side Description":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-900x500.png",900,500,true],"Blog Full Thumbnail":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1100x490.png",1100,490,true],"Column Thumbnail":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-700x450.png",700,450,true],"Personnel Square":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-600x600.png",600,600,true],"Portrait":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-500x600.png",500,600,true],"Portfolio Large":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1500x590.png",1500,590,true],"Blog Portrait":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-700x604.png",700,604,true],"Single Cause Thumbnail":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1200x604.png",1200,604,true],"Event Featured":["https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/bread-for-life-1550x490.png",1550,490,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Haley Aletheuo","author_link":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/author\/haleyfcf\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Blog<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"“We thought we were just inviting kids to play soccer. It turned out to be the start of a whole new life in Christ for them.” *Note: Names and identifying details have been changed to respect the privacy of the individuals we serve. What started as a small, after-school soccer program for at-risk youth has…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12314"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12968,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12314\/revisions\/12968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fcfthailand.org\/th\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}