Well, the football season is over and for me it hasn't been
a great season with my team Swansea City being relegated from Nationwide League Division 2 down to Division 3.

Adding insult to injury our South Wales rivals Cardiff City were promoted from Division 3 up to Division 2.

Right at the end of the season there was some controversy at the unlikely setting of the Football Association of Wales Premier Cup Final at the Vetch between Swansea City and Wrexham from North Wales.

The F.A.W. Premier Cup isn't exactly one of the world's major sporting events. It's not on the sporting calendar alongside the FA Cup. European Champions League, The World Series, Super Bowl or Ryder Cup. However it does give our nation' s best teams from the League of Wales a chance to prove themselves against the Welsh sides that play in the English Pyramid Leagues and the Nationwide League.

The controversy came early in the first half when Giovanni Savarese (playing possibly his last game for the Swans before returning to MLS in America) was red carded for a foul on a Wrexham player. Well, red cards are a regular occurrence in modern day football (but never deserved when it's one of our players), so nothing too controversial there!

However it was the alleged comments of one of the BBC commentary team that provided the controversy. Mark Aizlewood, a former professional player, (not a fan of  Savarese) came out with the following comments on the incident.

Now I was at the game so never watched the TV coverage but when I went into the press box at half-time there
were some none too happy reporters who had heard the comments. It was one of the major stories on the sport's
pages of the morning newspapers.

They reported Mark Aizlewood's comments as follows. 'I am not xenophobic but if I was manager of Swansea I would
not have foreigners in the club if they were the last people on earth, especially free transfer players because they are unreliable.'  He went onto say, 'Foreign players at this level can be volatile, unpredictable and undisciplined. I would be better working with young Welsh battlers.

For totally different reasons Sam Hamman who is Chairman of Cardiff City Football Club has talked of his dream of an all Welsh side at Ninian Park (home of Cardiff City).

Now some of the best young talent at Swansea City is Welsh and that makes me ever so proud.
However some of the most exciting players in British Football are from overseas and they have
made the game so good to watch.

Larson at Celtic who this year has scored over 50 goals, Patrick Vierra at Arsenal, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at Chelsea to name three.

Football is a world game! Although we support our local club sides and our own National side at International level - football - soccer is the world's greatest sport, and it belongs to the whole world!

Its' a game enjoyed by millions of people who play and watch the game across the globe.

The talent to play the game is not determined by the quality of your education or by the wealth of the nation in which you were born. America the world's most powerful and wealthiest nation have long struggled to establish themselves as a major force in the International game. In 1994 they hosted the World Cup Finals and most people will agree that it was one of the best ever tournaments.
The home nation were unlucky to be knocked out in the quarter finals by the eventual winners Brazil.

Yet four years later in France '98 team US bombed out in the group stages even losing to Iran.

There are others countries, classed as Third World Nations who have produced remarkable soccer talent such as George Weah Liberia and  Taribo West from Nigeria.

I guess one could say that in Soccer there is neither black nor white, rich nor poor, male nor female as we are all one in soccer, we all love the game of football.  

Now that may sound like a familiar quote, but not quite the way that it was originally written.

In Galations 3 v 28, the Apostle Paul writes (In Christ) 'there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.'

I suppose that if Paul was writing today he would have put it, (In Christ) 'there is neither black nor white, working class, middle or upper class, male nor female we are all one on Christ Jesus.

Football and the church have always had connections. Everton and Fulham, two of the game's most
successful sides started as church teams and right across the world every Saturday Christians
turn out to represent their fellowship in Church Football Leagues.

There are some divisions in soccer. Next season I'll be watching Swansea City in Division 3, whilst others will be watch the likes of Liverpool and Manchester Utd in the Premier but I don't mind I love the game at all levels.

However even I must acknowledge that there are some differences in watching Swansea and Wrexham
in the FAW Premier Cup to turning on the TV and watching Liverpool and Alaves in the UEFA Cup.

In football there are successful sides and unsuccessful sides, there are rich clubs and poor clubs.

However when it comes to Christ's love for people there are no divisions. Christ doesn't gave 3rd Division love to some, 2nd Division to others and 1st Division love to a select few.
He loves us all with a 'Premier love.'

'Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.'  
John 1 v 12.  Children of God! WOW! That's' even better than playing for Wales in a World Cup Final!

We all have heroes and heroines throughout our lives. No prizes for guessing that my first hero was a footballer.

I went to my first game of football when I was seven. When I started to play the game a few years later I played on the right side of defence as a full back.

My first hero was a player who played for Swansea City on the left side of defence, Vic Gomersall (who in recent years has become a good friend).

I was so excited when I was first asked to play for the Welsh All Stars Team in 1995 because I once again lined up
on the right side of defence and on the left was my childhood hero Vic Gomersall.

We all have heroes, however maybe someone you've held in high esteem in the past has done something that
has made you feel let down.

Jesus will never let you down.

The Lord declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who
believes in me will never go thirsty.'  John 6:35.

Most men who watch football, in fact any sport, rugby, cricket, baseball, basketball or American football think that they could have been a world beater in their favourite game.

Praise God for park football, church football and charity games - that means we call all still play.

However apart from in our dreams and on FIFA 2001 on the Sony Playstation few make it to the top and play at professional level.

God wants you to know that as a Christian there are no limits to what you can do for him - in His name.

Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater than these, because I am going to my Father.'
 
John 14 v 12.

My involvement in football is now on the entertainment side of the game. I enjoy comparing the pre-match
and half time entertainment at the Vetch for Swansea City. My work with the Worthington 5's has enabled me to work with fans and some of the great names of soccer like Tommy Docherty, Ron Atkinson and Emlyn Hughes.

I've been honoured to entertain the crowd at Wembley during half time at a cup final and I've played the game for school, college, church and showbiz teams but I was never
likely to rise to anything above the level of 'enthusiastic amateur'.

One experience of professionals I can understand is the frustration of not being able to play in a game. It was always a huge relief when the team sheet went
up on the school notice board to see my name alongside the number 2 position.

I've spoken to many players who are sweating waiting for that 'International call' from the national team coach.

Don't wait around for ever waiting for that call to serve God. Yes, there are specific ministries within the church for which we need a specific call to, pastors, missionaries, teachers, evangelists and leaders will all testify of the moment that God put his hand upon their lives and called them to a specific ministry.

However God doesn't expect the church to remain in the stands cheering on the select few who make it onto the pitch.   

Someone once wrote;

'Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
yours are the only hands with which he can do his work, yours are the only feet with which he can go
about the world, yours are the only eyes through which his compassion can shine on a troubled world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours!

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Prime Minister Tony Blair. His answers were well rehearsed so that
they would give soundbites for news.

Listen to these words of Jesus.

'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds and to him who
knocks the door will be opened.'  Matthew 7:7-8.

'Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.'  Matthew 11:28.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has not anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the
Lord's favour.  Luke 4:18,19.

Don't his words excite and inspire you.

When I played with the 'All Stars' soccer side myself and a few others from the world of entertainment
would line up with some ex-pros who still have remarkable football skills.

Even though the game was for charity their professional pride meant that they would want to win the game. Therefore I was always surprised that they would bother passing the ball to me - a rather slow, unskilled but enthusiastic player, they could have done the job much better without me.

I sometimes wonder why God ever involved me in his work!  He could have done things much better without me.
I know my weaknesses, my failings, he knows them too and he knows yours. But he loves us and wants all
of his people to be major players in his work.

Whatever your strengths and weaknesses - he's got something for you to do!

Come on, the team sheet for the work of God is up on the notice board and your name is down to play!