By Cat Tongkao
In Radcliffe, a UK town marked by deprivation and often overlooked, the local park has become more than just a place to play. Here, Sports Friends coaches are quietly transforming lives, one child at a time, by stepping into a gap that many feel deeply: the absence of a father.
For many of the children we work with, the idea of a loving, present father is foreign. In the UK, 65% of children aged 12–16 in low-income households don’t live with both parents. Around 2 million children have no meaningful contact with their father. The consequences are profound—emotionally, socially, spiritually.
But in Radcliffe, something beautiful is happening. Through football, mentorship, and faith, Sports Friends coaches are becoming father figures to the fatherless, introducing them not only to earthly role models but to the heavenly Father who never fails.
Let us introduce you to five children whose stories reflect the heart of this ministry—and five promises from God that are changing their lives.
“Father of the fatherless . . . is God in his holy dwelling.” – Psalm 68:5
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Nahom*– A Father Who Never Leaves
Nahom fled Eritrea with his mum as a baby. But on the way, his father was trapped in a labour camp in Ethiopia. For years, Nahom only saw his dad through pixelated video calls. When he joined our football sessions, he’d talk about his dad’s journey to the UK, hoping each week would be the one he arrived.
Last summer, after eight long years, his father finally made it. The reunion was joyful—but also bittersweet. Nahom barely knew the man he had idolized. It was a reminder that even the best earthly fathers fall short.
We pray that Nahom will know a deeper truth:
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5
God is always present. He doesn’t delay, disappear, or disappoint. He is the Father who stays.
Share Christ's light, pass this story on.
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