Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Steve Myersco,
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In today's Spotlight we meet a top English football player. His name is Linvoy Primus and he plays for Portsmouth Football Club. This team plays in the English Premier League. Spotlight spoke to Linvoy about his life as a footballer. We also talked about his faith in God.
Voice 2
Linvoy Primus has played for Portsmouth since the year 2000. He is now 35 years old. So he is probably near the end of his time playing top-class football. We started by asking him this question: had he achieved all that he wanted to while playing football?
Voice 3
‘I have achieved a lot of things. I was about 16 when I joined my first football team - Charlton. After that I played for another team in London called Barnet. Then I played for Reading. And finally I went to Portsmouth. With that team I won a place in the top English competition - the Premier League. That is every young footballer's dream. I have played in the Premier League for Portsmouth for five years. So I have achieved what I wanted to achieve.'
Voice 1
Winning a place in the Premier League was a very important event for Linvoy as a footballer. But one of the biggest changes in Linvoy's life happened when he was 28. He explains,
Voice 3
‘I saw that football was not what I thought it would be. I thought I was going to be happy with all the things I had. But I was not... Then my wife and I were invited to a church. I learned about the faith of Christians... and what Jesus had done for us. Then my life started to make sense.'
Voice 2
Linvoy became a Christian - a follower of Jesus Christ. He started to live his life differently. His new faith even affected the way he played football. When he was a young footballer he worried a lot about what people thought about him. He was afraid that other people would think he had played badly. But Linvoy says this changed when he became a Christian.
Voice 3
‘I am someone that wants to please everyone. I saw that in football you cannot please everyone. One week you think you have played well but the team's supporters think you have not. Then you have not played well but they think that you have. So you can never please everyone. Then I started to think that I will play for one person. I will play for God. When I gave my whole life to God then I felt the pressure of trying to please everyone go away... I recognised that if I do everything to my best then that is all I can do. That freedom released me to do my job at a higher level.'
Voice 1
But things were not easy for Linvoy. There were very few Christians at the football club. When Linvoy told the other players in the team about his faith they laughed at him.
Voice 3
‘They said "Are you insane?" And they made jokes about me. They thought "What do you need God for?" They thought I was being weak... But what had happened in my heart had shown me that my faith was real. For a long time there were still a lot of jokes. But then they began to stop until no one laughed about my faith. In fact, they started to ask me to pray for them in different situations. That was a huge change.'
Voice 2
Things have now changed at Portsmouth Football Club. The players respect Linvoy's faith. There are also more Christians among the team's players. Linvoy is pleased with the more positive attitude people have to his faith. He said,
Voice 3
‘The team members accept my faith now. Before games some of us pray together. We give God the glory for the skills that we have... If you had said at the very beginning that this would happen, even I would have been a little bit surprised. We Christians have not told people "You need God in your life. You need to do this, you need to do that". We have just served the football club, and served the community.'
Voice 1
In recent years, Linvoy helped to set up an organisation. It is called ‘Faith and Football'. This organisation manages a number of projects in Portsmouth. These include football competitions for children living in the poorest areas of Portsmouth. The children have fun while playing sport -and it teaches them to be responsible.
Voice 2
Faith and Football also has projects which help children at school. One project helps children who find it difficult to read. Another project involves children working together to create their own business. This helps to raise money for Faith and Football projects in other countries. We asked Linvoy about some of the Faith and Football projects around the world. He said,
Voice 3
‘In 2002 we went to Nigeria. We provided football training for school-children. And I also shared about my Christian faith. We still provide money for these children. Every year, we give money for about six children to go to school for two years. In India we support children who live in orphanages. The children have been left there and have no parents to care for them. In Mexico we do a similar thing with children who live on the streets... We are able to help them with a little bit of football, a bit of time and a bit of our faith. Over time, we watch their lives change.'
Voice 1
It all sounds like Linvoy is very busy with all those different projects! So, we asked him if it was something that he wanted to do after he finishes playing football. He was unsure. He said,
Voice 3
‘It is a difficult question. Clearly football has been a major part of my life. But my heart warms when I go out to these countries and help young children... There is a need in the world but there is also a need in Portsmouth. My wish is to help train young people who probably have not got a future in football. I just want to help them feel good about themselves. I want to help them recognise that they can do a lot more in their lives than they may think.'
Voice 2
So, Linvoy Primus may be near the end of his time playing in the Premier League for Portsmouth. But it seems two key parts of his life will continue into the future: faith and football.
|