Sharing Faith Is The Goal

‘We aim to encourage young people with low self-esteem that whatever happens, we’re with them,’ says former Portsmouth FC player Linvoy Primus. ‘We want them to feel they are appreciated and to gain a self-worth that they didn’t have before.’

In 2001, after becoming a Christian, Linvoy became keen to express his faith by working in local communities. His vision - which he shared with teammate at the time, Darren Moore, and Portsmouth FC’s club chaplain, Mick Mellows - became reality in 2002 after a mission trip to Nigeria.

‘Mick and I spent ten days in the country,’ Linvoy says. ‘We went to one particular school and invited other schools from the area to join us. After coaching sessions and a football tournament, we shared our testimonies about coming to faith. After that, a number of the young people committed their lives to Jesus. We thought the same model of community work could happen in the UK. When we returned home, Faith and Football was born.’

The Christian charity began in Portsmouth and was set up by Linvoy, Mick and Darren. It is supported by other professional footballers, Bobby Hassell, Rory Fallon, and Joel Ward. The organisation has two full-time staff members and more than 250 volunteers.

‘I would describe Faith and Football as a church without walls,’ says Linvoy. ‘As an organisation we engage with young people in the community and their families by using the gifts we have to show them love and support. We started by setting up community football leagues because, as footballers, that’s what we know. It’s also a sport that everyone recognises. We set up the first league in Portsmouth, a city that has a number of social and environmental problems.’

Faith and Football runs numerous six-a-side community leagues alongside churches in Portsmouth, Barnsley, Farnborough and Plymouth. The leagues run for six weeks at a time and are available to boys and girls up to the age of 13. At the end of the season, Faith and Football holds presentation evenings where each child receives a medal and a certificate. The winning team also takes home a trophy. In the past, Linvoy has talked about his faith as part of the evenings.

‘In the early days, I got involved with the leagues quite regularly, but as we expanded it became more difficult,’ he says. ‘Having a professional footballer present is always going to be an attraction for the kids - but the programme is not about the footballers, it’s about the local church getting involved. If young people only want to take part in what Faith and Football are doing “because a footballer’s going to be there”, then we’ve missed something. Some of the children have never met me, but they recognise that their local church, supported by a charity set up by footballers, has helped them.’

Faith and Football’s work extends further than the pitch. Its Extra Time literacy scheme is designed for young children who are struggling with reading.

‘Some churches might not like the idea of the football league programmes, but they do like the idea of Extra Time,’ Linvoy says. ‘When we initially started the scheme, some of the schools were apprehensive about allowing the volunteers to read Bible stories to the children rather than using secular books, but two of the schools were fine with it. The results were amazing. Some of the children’s reading ages went up by three or four years.

‘There was one child who was really struggling when she came into contact with Faith and Football. She had a lot happening at home that meant she was disruptive in school. Her reading mentor was able to get alongside her and be a listening ear. After a year, the girl’s reading improved and she was able to stand up in front of the class and read out a poem she’d written - something she’d never thought of doing before. Two years later, we had a ten-year celebration of Faith and Football. In front of 300 people, the young girl read out her experience of learning to read. If we hadn’t been able to offer that facility to the school, where would that girl be?’

The charity has also developed other school-based programmes, including the Faith and Football Social Enterprise and Business Challenge for year nine secondary school students. Over a four-month period, a group of four to six students plan and develop a trading business, such as making and selling sweets. The aim is to help students demonstrate their enterprise, teamwork and problem-solving skills. Running across Portsmouth, Southampton and Birmingham, the programme allocates each school a Christian business mentor who offers business principles and life-skills advice. Linvoy says that he has seen many parents and children warm to the Christian faith as a result of the hands-on approach adopted by the volunteers.

‘Our community work has allowed people who wouldn’t normally enter a church building to hear the Good News,’ he says. ‘If the parents or guardians are present for their children’s football league presentations, for example, then they are likely to hear a five or ten-minute gospel message. From the beginning of the league right through to the presentation evenings, the churches using our programmes are able to build relationships with people.

‘We insisted that members of the churches volunteered to be football managers, coaches, tea-makers or administrators so that the participants’ families could see that Christians are normal people too. I believe we have been effective in joining two different communities together.’

On a personal level, how has Linvoy managed to stay successful in the public eye while continuing to be open about his faith?

‘When I was still playing football, I had good support from my chaplain, Mick Mellows,’ he says. ‘He knew what it was like having a faith in the football community. There are a lot of players who are open about their Christian faith and do good work but don’t get the publicity. I always believe that if you’re confident in Jesus, you will be naturally inclined to talk about your faith. Before I was made redundant, I wasn’t too worried or fearful of what would be coming next. I had a real conviction that I’d be going out and sharing my faith with others. So I started sending out flyers to different churches. Two years on, I’m still trekking up and down the country sharing my testimony.’

Linvoy also works for Christians in Sport, an organisation through which he gives support to other Christian footballers around the country, and receives it in return.

Twelve years on, Faith and Football continues to change lives by sharing the gospel message in communities. ‘The core of what we do hasn’t changed,’ Linvoy says. ‘But what has changed is the world we live in and the issues we face. Things are getting a little bit more complicated and harder to understand.

‘I hope that Faith and Football has brought a sense of trust to families who didn’t know Jesus. It is good to see some of them go on to volunteer in their communities and support people who they know need help.’

UK & Ireland War Cry 17 May 2014