Table Of ContentSport, Psychology and
Christianity
The majority of sport psychology research to date has been underpinned and
driven by a secular perspective. There is an urgent need for sport psychologists to
better understand the relevance of Christian faith in athletes’ sporting experiences
and day-to-day lives in order to improve their performance and well-being. Sport,
Psychology and Christianity is the first book to consider the relationship between
sport psychology provision and Christianity from a welfare and performance
perspective.
Bringing together contributions from leading scholars in the field, the book
includes chapters on:
• The role of faith in sport injury rehabilitation
• Christian belief and resilience during injury
• The pitfalls of perfectionism in sport
• Collaboration between sport psychologists and sports chaplain
• Ethical considerations when working with spiritual athletes
• Reflective practice in sport psychology consultancy
Offering a holistic approach to improving athlete welfare and performance where
faith and spirituality are core tenets of well-being, this volume is a critical and
timely resource for students, researchers and practitioners working in sport
psychology; sport and spirituality; or religion, sports chaplaincy and allied roles
and professions.
Brian Hemmings works in private practice and has 25 years of experience
in sport psychology consultancy across many sports. He is also a bereavement
counsellor and trained Lay Minister in the Anglican Church.
Nick J. Watson is Chief Operating Officer at the Archbishop of York Youth
Trust, UK. Formerly, he was Associate Professor of Sport and Social Justice in the
School of Sport, York St. John University, UK.
Andrew Parker is Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach in the School of
Sport and Exercise at the University of Gloucestershire, UK.
Routledge Research in Sport, Culture and Society
Sport, Psychology and Christianity
Welfare, Performance and Consultancy
Edited by Brian Hemmings, Nick J. Watson and Andrew Parker
Sport, Masculinities and the Body
Ian Wellard
India and the Olympics
Boria Majumdar and Nalin Mehta
Social Capital and Sport Governance in Europe
Edited by Margaret Groeneveld, Barrie Houlihan and Fabien Ohl
Theology, Ethics and Transcendence in Sports
Edited by Jim Parry, Mark Nesti and Nick Watson
Women and Exercise
The Body, Health and Consumerism
Edited by Eileen Kennedy and Pirkko Markula
Race, Ethnicity and Football
Persisting Debates and Emergent Issues
Edited by Daniel Burdsey
The Organisation and Governance of Top Football Across Europe
An Institutional Perspective
Edited by Hallgeir Gammelsæter and Benoît Senaux
Sport and Social Mobility
Crossing Boundaries
Ramón Spaaij
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/sport/
series/RRSCS
Sport, Psychology and
Christianity
Welfare, Performance and Consultancy
Edited by Brian Hemmings, Nick J.
Watson and Andrew Parker
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 selection and editorial matter, Brian Hemmings, Nick J.
Watson, and Andrew Parker; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Brian Hemmings, Nick J. Watson, and Andrew Parker
to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the
authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-8153-4910-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-16548-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Galliard
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Brian: To my daughters Harriet, Katie and Natalie
To the significant people in my Christian journey,
David Lake, David Chawner, Andrew Parker and Ray
Smith
Nick: To Fiona, Callum, Kayleigh, Paddy, Chloe, Sophie
and Lexie
To Dan, thank you for your friendship, spirit-led lead-
ership of the Trust and journeying with me
Andrew: to Jon, for 10 great years
Preface
In the world of modern-day sport where success often brings fame and fortune,
and athletes enjoy the kind of lifestyles once reserved for the fortunate few, it is
hard to imagine why players might need the services of professional support staff
such as sport psychologists and sports chaplains. Yet a life in the media spotlight
brings with it a host of pressures and pitfalls and, irrespective of their status, elite
athletes are not immune to the kinds of personal difficulties which, at one time or
another, can affect us all – bereavement, relationship breakdown, poor health/
injury. At the same time, a growing diversity amongst athletes at the elite level has
seen greater evidence of the Christian faith in sporting environments. My view on
life has been shaped by my father, Steve, now a retired Christian minister. During
my career in golf, I have seen how faith can sustain people when crisis, need or
difficulty comes. I have also seen how spiritual guidance and advice can benefit
golfers in terms of their own religious beliefs and in relation to their overall wel-
fare and performance. With these experiences in mind, we commend this book to
you for the insight that it provides into the kinds of everyday work that helping
professionals do and the value that they add to athletes’ lives.
Danny Willett (2016 U.S. Masters Golf Champion)
and Revd. Steve Willett
Source: Richard Lane Photography
Source: John Martinez Pavliga
Contents
Preface vi
List of figures xi
List of tables xii
List of editors and contributors xiii
Introduction 1
BRIAN HEMMINGS, NICK J. WATSON AND ANDREW PARKER
WITH DAMIEN CLEMENT, MONNA ARVINEN-BARROW AND MARK
OLIVER
1 Identity in sport: reflections on welfare, performance and
consultancy practice within a Christian worldview 10
NICK J. WATSON
PART I
Welfare 27
2 The pursuit of excellence and the perils of perfectionism:
psychological and theological reflections 29
RICHARD D. WINTER
3 The sport psychologist and club chaplain supporting
welfare: reflections on five years of collaboration in English
professional cricket 42
BRIAN HEMMINGS AND DAVID CHAWNER
4 Christian beliefs and behaviours as health protective,
resilience, and intervention factors in the context of sports
injuries 54
DIANE M. WIESE-BJORNSTAL
