Goffman, Chaplaincy and Elite Sport: The Presentation of Self in English Professional Football

Utilizing Erving Goffman’s conceptual framework of impression management, this paper interrogates the everyday lives of sports chaplains as they navigate the multifaceted, high-performance context of men’s professional football (soccer). Drawing on the findings of a small-scale, qualitative study undertaken within an English Football League (EFL) club over the course of one competitive season (July 2024–May 2025), the paper seeks to present a theoretically informed account of the role of chaplaincy within this context. Our analysis comprises three main themes: (i) how chaplains navigated the physical spaces which they inhabited within the Club, (ii) how they experienced and managed issues of marginalization amidst the sub-cultural routines and expectations of professional footballing life, and (iii) how they viewed their role theologically as volunteer workers with wider ministerial responsibilities. We conclude by suggesting that robust analyses of chaplaincy practices have the potential to contribute to a range of institutional agendas in elite sport.