"Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that."
Fear
FearThe Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?† The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?Psalm 27:1-2
In sport there are even more things to fear - failure, defeat, injury, losing your form, losing your place, not getting a new contract. Living up to the our own expectations and the expectations of others can be a great pressure. As one of UK's top swimmers put it, "Disappointment is knowing I could have done better".
In fact it is a surprise that every sportsperson is not so overcome by fear that they are unable to step onto the field! The consequences of failure are arguably even more acute for coaches and administrators.
Jesus'words,"Don't be afraid", recorded on 9 separate occasions in the gospels - may seem a little trite.
In reality they express a profound truth. The secret of escaping from fear is trusting God. If God really is our stronghold and our salvation, then of what do we need to be afraid?