“You are admired by a number of people, but who’s your hero?”
“Jesus.”
Linvoy Primus is one of the most loved and respected professional footballers of his generation, only recently deciding to hang up his boots in order to focus on his charity work with ‘Faith and Football’. Primus took the opportunity to chat to Vision about his memories, aspirations and faith.
“My first memory was when I was four or five years old,” Primus began, speaking of his childhood. “I was being pushed on a swing by my cousin.”
Born and brought up in London, Primus was regularly taken to church and became familiar with the Bible stories. “But for me as a child, church was a cold and unwelcoming place, where you were told what you could and couldn’t do, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of fear of punishment from God.”
With his father, Primus would recite the Lord’s Prayer every night, and for many years afterwards he maintained that habit. “My prayers would be for my family’s health and security. Later those prayers would often include a plea to enable me to play football well, but that was pretty selfish.”
Church took a back seat as Primus entered his teens, he joined a Sunday football club, and very quickly the sport “took over my life” and “was all I wanted to do.”
I asked whether it was at this time, when he was playing alongside future stars such as Sol Campbell, that he had already decided that was where his future lay.
“No, football was just for fun then,” came the reply, but soon after, while playing for Barnet, Primus began to realise that football was an avenue he wanted to pursue.
“I grew from a boy to a man at Barnet. I was a young Dad and needed to take care of my son and girlfriend. I had to learn very quickly to look after myself on and off the football pitch. I knew this wasn’t a practice run. This was the real thing.”
Primus, a philosopher, reflected on his transition as a footballer, and as a man: “I was still a typical footballer, with their built-in selfishness, and I didn’t have too much concern for other people. Football was the be-all and end-all. I always felt that there was something missing in my life. I would try to find it through drinking, and for a few hours I would be happy, but the next day I would find that nothing had changed.
“But now, I would ideally spend the first part of any day with family at the beach, and the second part with people who don’t know about Jesus.
“Faith and religion play a very important role in my life as I wouldn’t be where I am today without my faith. I’d still be wondering around, asking ‘what’s this life about?’”
Primus’ work for society and communities all over the country was recognised when Portsmouth renamed part of their stadium after the defender.
“I was overwhelmed when I heard that the away stand at Fratton Park had changed its name to the ‘Linvoy Primus Community Stand’. It was for the work done in the community, and not my services on the pitch. I love being in the community, as that’s where we can make an impact.”
Speaking of the club’s recent change of ownership, Primus maintained that whilst players and staff at a football club change and move on with time, the supporters don’t. The fans, he said, should have more of a say in how their club is run.
“Now I tend to follow Pompey, Havant and Waterlooville, Newport County and any other teams where my former team mates are managing or playing.”
Still balancing his commitments with the beautiful game, Primus’ charity efforts have turned into a serious mission: “I have become involved with the Faith and Football charity as a trustee, and I support local coaching and playing schemes in the deprived areas of our communities.
“But I am still on a journey towards God. He has taken away the fear of the future for me and I know that He has something incredible waiting for me.
“I can see now that He has plans in place for me when I finish playing football. He set the wheels in motion in my heart long ago.”
“If someone were to summarise your typical day, what would they say?” I asked, intrigued as to how faith and God has changed Primus’ life forever.
“Always doing something and continually trying to change the world’s thinking. I’m always inspired by new things.”
Finally I asked how he would sum up his career in one sentence, to which he replied: “I gave 100% of what I thought I had.”