MISSIONARY ATHLETES INTERNATIONAL
8510 McAlpine Park Dr No 109, Charlotte, NC 28211 www.maisoccer.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Interdenominational mission agency dedicated to communicating the good news of Jesus Christ through the platform of soccer.

Communicating Jesus Christ through the platform of soccer.

CAMPS/CLINICS & COMMUNITY OUTREACH (YOUTH AGES 5-18): MAI's influence often begins early in a young person's life when they first arrive at one of MAI's micro-mini, basic, elite, neighborhood academy, Urban Eagles, or special needs soccer camps. MAI has been operating camps since 1984 with a dual purpose of influencing youth while training camp coaches (ages 16-30) how to model their Christian faith in a soccer sports ministry environment. In the last 30 years, over 66,000 kids have participated in MAI camps in America and overseas. Approximately 6,500 kids attending MAI camps have made first-time decisions for Christ. In 2019 approximately 3,000 youth participated in 23 MAI soccer camps and clinics in the Highpoint, Charlotte, Chicago, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas and internationally in Germany, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Japan. MAI's soccer camp, clinics, and community outreach are integral part of MAI's strategy of "providing opportunities for participants of MAI teams to live out what they have learned by loving and serving others through the sport of soccer." In the process of loving and serving campers and training volunteer recreational coaches, hundreds of MAI's team players have become transformational coaches who can positively influence the lives of youth through their example and testimony. This is one way that an MAI "season of training" becomes "a lifetime of service".

INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH: Since 1985, MAI has organized and sent over 230 teams of youth and adults to 37 countries. In 2019, MAI sent 10 such missions soccer teams to 8 countries including a total of 180 players. The objective of these tours is to share the Gospel of Jesus, support local church growth and planting efforts, and to encourage the training of local sports ministers and the growth of local sports ministries. MAI also sent sports ministry coaches to 8 countries to train pastors and coaches in soccer skills, coaching, and sports ministry best practices. As a result, more than 230 coaches were trained - often in the context of their church's ministry to the community. These local churches, in turn, have trained other coaches and teams resulting in thousands of soccer players using the skills and sports ministry best practices MAI has planted in their countries to see lives changed. Over 13,200 players are involved in teams internationally that are led by a coached trained by MAI in sports ministry.

TEAMS AGES 10-30: MAI owns two franchises of soccer teams, annually involving a total of about 55 players and their coaches that in 2019 competed in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) in the USA: The Charlotte Eagles Men's team and the Southern California Seahorses competing in the USL's Premier Development League (PDL), considered the top-level men's amateur soccer competition in the United States. The Charlotte Eagles were crowned the 2017 PDL Champions. The Charlotte Lady Eagles offer a summer developmental program for female collegiate athletes. MAI also operates the Chicago Eagles who each summer sponsor the Chicago Eagles Sports Ministry Academy for men and women collegiate players who compete in the Illinois State League. The purpose of all of MAI's adult teams (involving players ages 18-30) are to provide the role models for youth to emulate and the "seed beds" from which MAI can cultivate a growing number of transformational sports ministry coaches. Through their "season" of team-based sports ministry training, MAI's team players have life-changing opportunities to discern their vocations while impacting lives through soccer both on and off the field. Players are trained in skills development, spiritual formation, camp coaching, cross-cultural sports ministry, highly competitive league play, and team coaching experiences that better equip them to love and serve others. These coaches not only coach MAI's teams and at MAI's camps, but many go on (sometimes after a professional soccer career) to become transformational coaches for club, scholastic, collegiate and professional soccer teams, impacting players all over the world. Some become MAI missionaries, but whatever God calls them to be and do, all remain "sports ministers" for the rest of their lives. In 2017, the Charlotte office launched its own competitive youth soccer program that is registered with U.S. Club Soccer. Over 300 youth participate in the program including over 50 of the youth from its inner-city neighborhood ministry.

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