On February 1, SportsLife Leadership welcomed Leah Doherty as the Field Director of Women’s Sports. Over the past decade, Doherty has served as a high school and middle school basketball coach and worked in sports ministry throughout Southern California. She has also spent the last five years collaborating with women’s sports teams at Pepperdine University.

“At SportsLife Leadership, our heart is to dive deeply into sports ministry, which means serving women’s sports leaders as well,” – Carl Perry

“Leah is a high-level leader with more than a decade of ministry and coaching experience. Her addition to the team is going to be key to expanding opportunities for women across various sports communities,” Chief Sport Officer Carl Perry continued

Raised in South Boston, Doherty comes from a family with extensive involvement in sports ministry, including Bible studies and camps. Following in her older sister’s footsteps, she played basketball at Wheaton College. During her sophomore year, an injury kept her off the court but ultimately helped her develop skills as an encourager, mentor, and leader.

“That’s when I started to see the possibility of how I could impact others through both coaching and ministry,” Doherty explained.

“I love to mentor and raise up young women to embrace their influence, go deeper in their walk with Christ, and know their identity in Him, not just as athletes. I enjoy doing that in one-on-one settings or in Bible study groups. I know that’s what the Lord has called me to do.” – Leah Doherty

Doherty’s calling led her to California, where she served as an FCA Area Representative while coaching at Oaks Christian School in Thousand Oaks. With no car, no place to live, and just $200 to her name, she quickly learned what it meant to depend fully on God—a lesson she continues to draw from.

“Experience is great, but if you’re not careful, relying on your own strengths and gifts can cause you to trust in those things instead of fully trusting in Him,” Doherty said. “Proverbs 19:21 reminds me of that: ‘You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.’ We can plan an awesome event or develop incredible leadership curriculum, but it really means nothing if God isn’t at the forefront of every decision.”

Doherty took another leap of faith last October when she left her sports ministry job and began seeking new direction for her life. Having previously worked with Chief Leadership Officer Jimmy Page, she reached out early this year about opportunities with SportsLife Leadership, and a new position was created with her skills and experience in mind.

Some of her responsibilities will include developing resources for women’s sports leaders and exploring the creation of leadership conferences and events for women.

“As a coach, some of the best lessons I’ve learned are to value people over performance and to coach each individual where they are, helping them raise the bar to the next level,” Doherty said. “God has given me a passion to pour into women’s sports leaders, so I want to take those lessons and help them reach their fullest spiritual potential.”