Accessible

I realised a little after the event that I was the only one in the room alive when it happened last time. And the last time it happened I was too young to know or appreciate what was happening. That was in 1966 when England won the World Cup. Fifty-six years later and this time the women’s England team won the 2022 European Championship beating Germany 2-1 in extra time. Different era, different people, but a winning side again. Well done England. Well done indeed. You never know, the men’s team might do the same thing later this year as the men’s Word Cup is held in Qatar. That would be great. Two winning England teams in the same year. That would be…unbelievable. What’s emerging from the success of the women’s team, is the talk about how this is a game changer. A game changer not in the sense of a different game of course , but in the sense of changing the perception of the women’s game. The talk is now that it will open the game up to more young girls. The hope is, that having watched the women’s team win the 2022 Euros, there will be more opportunity and encouragement for girls to play football. When I was a PE Teacher, I ran a girls football team. We played matches against other schools. Some girls loved it then, twenty five years ago and more. I would love football to see more girls playing football. I would love it to be more accessible to more girls. Maybe it will happen. The same, I think, was hoped when England won the men’s rugby world cup in 2003, when Andy Murray won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 and when a whole host of other sportsmen and women won events and tournaments: that this would be the moment that changed it for these sports. This would be the moment when everyone played football or rugby or tennis or whatever sport had just experienced a win! Thing is, I’m not sure it’s happened. And I’m not sure it will. More girls probably will play football now. But not all of them. Some will love it and go on and play for a living. Most won’t. Some won’t even play the game. Ever. And very few, if any, will experience what we saw on Sunday evening. That’s not me being a pessimist. It’s me telling the truth. What happened on Sunday will be a game changer for some, but, in the grand scheme of things, only a few. There’s only one thing which is a game changer for everyone. The truth about football is you have to be in the right place, with the right people, with the right kit, with the right opportunity, with the right help, at the right time. And, quite simply, not everyone has that. And, if you’re going to make it big, you have to have the right talent. It’s simply not true that anyone can be a winner like on Sunday evening. But, there is one thing that is accessible to everyone, anywhere in the world. And you don’t have to be lucky enough to have the right talent, or the right kit, or a whole host of other things. The deep and profound truth about God is he is available to everyone and anyone, wherever and whoever they are, whatever advantages they have or do not have. The deep and profound truth is that God’s love of for everyone. God is accessible. Always and everywhere. And in that sense, everyone’s a winner. And that means you are too!