Marla serves as Bay Area Representative.

"I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)  Marla Williams is so thankful that Jesus loves life and adventure even more than she does!  Marla grew up the daughter of a minister in Florida, enamored by the ocean, every tree, playground, and ball field I could find.  She was privileged to play NCAA Div 1 Soccer at Stetson University where she truly had her first experience with FCA serving as a college athlete.  After a brief time of working in outpatient rehab, Marla got the honor of interning with professional soccer for the women’s Carolina Courage in the fields of Athletic Training and Strength & Conditioning.  She ended her time with them and spent the next 5 years teaching, coaching and being the FCA huddle coach at Lee County High School, the then largest public high school in North Carolina.  Marla is still a certified educator, and holds coaching credentials in the fields of Strength and Conditioning as well as in soccer with her National Diploma with the NSCAA and USSF “D”.

God led Marla out of the classroom to join FCA staff the summer of 2007.  She got to be a part of FCA’s Chaplain Training program at Auburn University and served both there and at Clemson University before joining the Bay Area staff in June of 2009. 

Marla on FCA: “I am passionate about the work of FCA because it combines two of the greatest forces for influence ever: sports and faith in Jesus Christ.  The biggest faith and life lessons I ever learned were on the playing field or in the context of competition.  Likewise, I don’t believe I will EVER fully comprehend the influence I had as a coach.  To get to work for FCA is a humbling and overwhelming undertaking when you start to consider the ramifications.  The decisions made in High School and College truly shape the rest of a person’s life.  We get the opportunity to speak into the most formative years of that time frame.  Not only do we get to invest in students, but in student-athletes…people of supreme influence.  I love the commercials that talk about NCAA athletes that about all go pro in something other than sports.  During their eligibility, student-athletes have a tremendous platform from which to live out the Christian walk and even proclaim it in words.  Afterwards, they go on to live lives of influence, some of them even as professional athletes.  I cannot even imagine the ripple effect sent off by one student-athlete sold out for Christ in high school, college, and afterwards.  We need men and women of integrity who can stand up and be role models for our youth.  We get the outrageous opportunity to pour into these young peoples’ lives and train them up to fulfill their God-given mission.  For such a time as this!”

Marla Williams can be contacted at mwilliams@fca.org or 864.637.9264. She has a blog at http://marla10.wordpress.com