FAITH IN SPORT
Connecting the church and community through sports and fitness.
The Sports Factory was created in 2015 as a name for the Sports and Fitness ministries at St Thomas church. Over the following decade Sports Factory has gone on an incredible journey exploring Sports Ministry and reaching out to our local community. In 2024 Sports Factory became an independent charity to inspire, train and equip churches and ministries to use Sports and Fitness as a vehicle for the Gospel.
East Church is now the first official partner of the Sports Factory and a key contributor to delivering its mission through training and resourcing via our experienced team.
Fitness Classes
Women’s Fitness — Beginner level fitness class.
Tuesdays, 7:30pm, St Thomas Church, NR2 3RG
Pilates — Beginner level pilates class.
Wednesdays, 9.30 - 10:15am, St Albans
Catch Me If You Can — Parent/carer exercise class + baby/toddler soft play.
Fridays, 9:30am-10:15am, St Thomas Hall
Every session is £3 per session, pay on the day (no online booking). Please fill in our participation questionnaire if you are attending one of our sessions.
Social Sport
Football
Mixed ability, mixed age friendly game of football for anyone who would like to join.
Time: Mondays, 8-9pm
Location: FDC
Cost:
£4 per week (first session free)
£30 per term (pay at the session)
Summer Legacy Club
We are excited to host you at our Summer Legacy Club once again! We will be returning to Nelson Infant School for an action packed week of sports, games and lots of fun. Each day we will play a range of fun games and spend some time reflecting on the Christian faith during our afternoon team talks. The club is for primary school aged children.
Dates: 3-7 Aug
Location: Nelson Infant School
Sports Factory: Summer Events
Golf Scramble
Find a partner and join the Sports Factory for a round of golf in a scramble format. The round will be at Dunston Hall on Ipswich road in Norwich and we will be meeting at 2pm. On arrival there will be bacon sandwiches and teas and coffees.
Date: 13 June
Location: Dunston Hall
Time: 2pm-8pm
Cost: £30
In The Park
Join the Sports Factory team for a morning at the park.
We will be at Eaton Park for the park run, followed by a time in the park. We will play some tennis, table tennis and bowls and have a time to relax and grab a coffee.
Everyone welcome no matter your age or ability.
Date: 11 July
Location: Eaton Park
Time: 8:45am
Cost: Free
Beach Day
Pack a picnic and join the Sports Factory team for a day at the beach. Whether you want to play beach games or just come to swim and relax on the beach, you are welcome. We will be bringing a range of activities from Volleyball and Badminton, to Cricket and some fun for the kids. We will be meeting on the East beach at the end of the walkway in front of the beach huts from 10am. Look out for the Sports Factory banners.
Date: 29 Aug
Location: Cromer
Time: 10am
Cost: Free
Sports Factory: Games Maker Day
The Sports Factory are putting on a fun, engaging and informative day for your church team and volunteers. The aim for the day is to build team relationships while we inspire and train them to get involved in Sports Ministry activities for your church community. We will spend the morning engaging in team building activities at Eaton Vale Activity Centre and the afternoon looking at how and why we do Sports Ministry at St Albans church. The day is free of charge and all you will need to bring is a packed lunch and some enthusiasm.
Date: 26 Sep
Location: Eaton Vale Scout & Guide Activity Centre & St Albans Church
Tim Henery
Sports Minister
Ruth Anderson
Sports Minister
Alice Fowler
Sports Minister
WhatsApp Community.
Join our Sports Factory WhatsApp community. WhatsApp Communities is a way for us to gather and organise the various WhatsApp groups that exist for Sports Factory at East Church, to facilitate communication and community.
-
Communities function like regular WhatsApp groups whilst allowing the us to organise multiple smaller WhatsApp groups under one umbrella. This facilitates better communication; improved safety, and enhanced engagement among members by providing a centralised hub for announcements, event updates, and community building activities.
-
It makes it much easier for people to find and join groups that are relevant to them. It also gives us the ability to message everyone in the community via the announcements channel. Communities also help us improve our compliance with GDPR rules.
-
Your contact information is only shared with those who you are in groups with. This is exactly the same way any WhatsApp groups you’re already in operate. Your information is not visible if you only choose to join the announcements channel.
Your details can be seen by the overall community admin (East Church).
-
You can leave individual groups at any point, just like any WhatsApp groups you’re already in. You can leave the community too if you want to. You can’t leave the announcements group without leaving all the groups you’re part of in the community though.
-
All members need to read and sign our WhatsApp Communities Agreement. You will then receive an invite to the Community.