Dallas Metroplex

Soccer Ministry Comes To Dallas

In today’s world young people grow up without a biblical world view and without Christian role models in their lives. The most popular global game of soccer combined with the word of God can break this cycle for the next generation. In the Dallas Metroplex this is no different. The soccer fields in the Dallas Metroplex are currently places where people want to come to enjoy the beautiful game of football (soccer). However, what if these same people would not only enjoy the game of soccer, but hear the Word of God as well?

At Ambassadors Football Dallas we would like to make God known to the next generation through soccer. We envision Christian coaches and players to be change agents on this third space called the soccer field that God wants to use for His glory. To do this Ambassadors Football has developed a global soccer ministry framework throughout the 35 years of existence: to model, to mobilize and to multiply soccer ministry in every country and culture.

We believe that the new ministry location in the Dallas Metroplex will be uniquely positioned to be a launching platform for global soccer ministry. Not only because it is part of the Bible Belt, soccer is one of the biggest sports amongst youth here, but also because Dallas is amongst the 13 top soccer cities in the US and has a fast growing Latino and refugee population. In fact the Dallas Metroplex is considered to grow with 1M people in the next 10 years!

Leading The Ministry

Stef and Christy van Meerveld have a combined 40 years of soccer ministry experience with Ambassadors Football and have strong ties to the local area.

Stef grew up in the Netherlands where his soccer career at the second division level got turned upside down when God called him into full time soccer ministry at age 27 with Ambassadors Football based in Cleveland, Ohio. Stef holds licenses from the USSF (B), United Soccer Coaches (Advanced National) Dutch KNVB (UEFA B and Futsal III)

Stef met his wife Christy (CJ Johnson) while serving together in 2002 during a summer soccer ministry experience. Christy is a Garland native and a University of North Texas Hall of Fame member for her D1 soccer career. Christy also played a 5th year of college volleyball at Dallas Baptist University.

In 2003 they married and served overseas from 2006-2016 before returning to the United States to work in the Ambassadors Football headquarters in Ohio. They have recently moved with their three children (Summer, Brooke and Hunter) to Dallas to launch a new city ministry location as they reside close to Christy’s family.

Join The Team

We are excited about the road ahead, but we can’t reach the next generation on our own. Will you consider joining our team and see God do wonderful things in and through you as you onboard with the soccer ministry Ambassadors Football Dallas? We can’t wait to meet you on the pitch to do soccer differently: helping soccer people around the world to know Jesus through the Word of God.