The importance of sport in the Jesuit educational model

For Ignatian pedagogy, sports are fundamental—they’re seen not just as extracurricular activities, but as vital tools for personal development. As Pope Francis emphasized in the Vatican Press Office bulletin in June 2018, ‘Sports practice encourages healthy self-improvement, trains the spirit of sacrifice, and fosters loyalty in interpersonal relationships, friendship, and respect for rules,’ making it a powerful ally in youth education. 

Sports promote inclusivity, emphasizing acceptance and respect for each person’s abilities and potential. Every child has the right to access and participate in sports activities.  

Sports centers offer not only physical training but also valuable life experiences, teaching collaboration and how to handle failure and defeat as part of growth. Additionally, sports activities have proven cognitive benefits, enhancing attention, memory, and concentration—skills that are crucial in academic learning. Team sports, often experienced as games, promote social interaction, cohesion, and constructive engagement, helping young people to better understand themselves. As Pope Francis stated during the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life conference in September 2022: ‘Sports generate community, especially for young people, fostering social ties, friendships, and a sense of belonging. If the sports world transmits unity and cohesion, it can be a formidable ally in building peace.’ 

Within the Jesuit Education Foundation, sports have long been integrated with education. Some institutions have made sports education their cornerstone, enriching their pedagogical offerings. 

The activities on offer at the Gonzaga Campus range from football to tennis, basketball, volleyball, skating, kick boxing and jujitsu. The educational offer starts in kindergarten, with hours dedicated by a motor science teacher, and continues at primary school, with times designed for the practice of sports disciplines. The proposal also continues for secondary school and with the Liceo Scientifico Sportivo training offer, which presents an introduction to a study path and a sports career, with the support of trained and qualified teachers and coaches. 

The internationally broadened Liceo Scientifico Sportivo of the Istituto Sociale combines an excellent school preparation with a focus on qualified and diversified sporting practice, supporting male and female students who practise sport professionally or amateurishly. The educational offer includes various activities over the five years, many of which originate from partnerships with national and international sports clubs and federations. Vital to this educational project is the collaboration with the Sociale Sport Sports Centre, not only for the many facilities it provides (such as gyms, swimming pool and outdoor fields), but also for the synergy of intentions in educating in the fundamental values of personal growth through the knowledge and practice of sport. The Sociale Sport is also a point of reference for the city area and for a diverse range of users, as well as for the Sociale and its community. 

The SSD Leone XIII Sport offers a wide range of sports: the club collaborates with internal sports associations, has qualified instructors and physical education teachers to offer numerous courses to young people, and organises student competitions and charity events. From athletics to basketball and football to modern dance, synchronised swimming and karate, these and many other disciplines can also be explored during the SSD’s summer sports camps, where young people and children can learn the values of sport while having fun in a healthy environment. 

2024 will mark 70 years since the founding of the Centro Schuster by Father Ludovico Morell SJ. One of his mottos, which most binds the generations in the Centre, is ‘it is worth spending a life for the boys’. Since 2006, an ASD has been looking after its sports-educational mission, in agreement with the Society of Jesus, which owns the Centre. The Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Centro Giovanile Cardinal Schuster is a multi-sport association with the sections of sports initiation, athletics, football, basketball, artistic gymnastics, tennis and volleyball and covers an area of 75,000 square metres flanking Parco Lambro in Milan. Another of Father Morell’s mottos fits into its Ignatian-style pedagogy: ‘win and learn to lose without considering yourself defeated’. For the Centre, this is committed to conveying the importance of waiting for the fruits of time and achieving shared goals through the values and teachings of sport. The Schuster Centre’s training is aligned to the needs of the child and matches his or her sporting and character predispositions. 

Istituto Pontano offers afternoon sports courses to help students build self-awareness and improve their social skills. The Institute has long participated in the Ministry of Education’s platform for high-level student-athletes and is an accredited Partner School with the Italian Fencing Federation, supporting young sports talents with personalized educational and training pathways. 

In 2022, the sports facilities at St. Aloysius College began a significant renovation process to ensure students have the best environments to develop and practice their sports passions. This substantial project will be completed in October 2024 with the inauguration of the ‘Mediterranean College of Sport,’ a complex featuring accommodations, sports facilities, and a scientific and sports research center. 

Collegio S.Ignazio in Messina believes in sports education, promoting motor skills development from an early age. Their project begins in the first class of preschool (ages 12-28 months), focusing on basic motor skills through targeted activities. For older students (ages 5-13), the physical skills project integrates and alternates various motor skills through games and sports courses. Sports disciplines are also explored experimentally with the introduction of the S.V.T.A. (Sport Vision Training Academy) methodology. Additionally, the College has participated for many years in the EDUSPORT initiative, in collaboration with the University of Messina, CONI, and the SVTA team. Sports education also engages older students with the Sports Science High School curriculum. 

Finally, Istituto Massimo incorporates sports into its afternoon extracurricular activities organized by ASD Massimo, offering courses in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, classical and contemporary dance, mini-basketball, five-a-side football, field hockey, and track and field. The Institute is making a significant step in integrating sports into its educational program: in September, they will inaugurate the Pala Massimo, the new sports hall that will serve as a gathering place for the students of Istituto Massimo, promoting sports and shared growth.