People before players

So, England are in the final of the Euros and Gareth Southgate is being praised by the nation's football pundits and fans. Popular opinion shifts quickly. Last week's pauper has become this week's prince.

England's Euro 2024 campaign has been a remarkable journey, a testament to the team's resilience. They stealthily advanced into the final, overcoming their underperformance in the earlier matches. Their journey, filled with moments of brilliance, is a source of inspiration and pride for the nation. A secret to their success? Southgate's approach of treating his squad as men, not machines.

For three games in a row, England have gone a goal behind, but each time, they have found a way back and gone on to win.

In the semi-final, it was a ninety-first-minute winner by Ollie Watkins, resulting from a pass by Cole Palmer, a combination of two substitutes who had just come onto the pitch.

Moments like this thill like nothing else, because they require immense skill and creativity under pressure. We enjoy this so much because we are born to create, made by God to reflect His creativity, the same creativity that underpins the beauty of the universe. As His image bearers we share God’s creativity, at our best, we celebrate it wholeheartedly when we see it in others. It’s why we love sport, from playing at the local pitch to the grand stage of the Euros.

But this talent cannot thrive without relationship.

Despite a slow start, Southgate's team have demonstrated a unique corporate resilience that has underpinned moments of brilliance from players with exceptional individual ability. This resilience, unique to recent England teams, is a source of pride and admiration for the team and its supporters.

After the victory over Switzerland, Alan Shearer's words on the BBC resonated with the nation:

"Togetherness is worth its weight in gold, and Gareth Southgate and his players have clearly got that in abundance."

Regardless of public and pundit opinions, Southgate has consistently praised his team's "resilience" at Euro 2024, as they found a way to get results and keep progressing through the tournament.

"We have found ways with all the obstacles, different challenges", Southgate added that his England team has been far more successful than most previous England teams over the past seven and a half years.

We haven't always got it right, but in general, we have shown the resilience that teams that win tournaments have had for years - Italy, France, Spain… it is not all pure football; it is other attributes they have had."

Southgate is spot on. His teams are not easily beaten, with a record of one quarter-final, one semi-final and two finals in his four major tournaments as manager. His leadership has instilled a sense of community, camaraderie and confidence among the players. They still have to leap that last barrier and win a trophy, but they are in a strong position under Southgate's guidance.

This sense of unity among the team and its supporters is not just a feeling, it's a powerful force we all are part of, because we were made for it. Togetherness is part of who we are because we are made by a relational God, who is himself relational as Father, Son and Spirit. However, such unity is fragile and humanly unsustainable. We see this in top-level sport so clearly because we default to placing performance over people.

We reject God’s good design

This England team has been placed under intense pressure by the media and the public. Criticism has a right place in sport, but in Football particularly it quickly turns nasty. It happens for the same reason our world is fundamentally broken. When fans, pundits, even players decide they know best and turn their desire to serve away from others and towards themselves.

We seek to tear people down from their positions and elevate ourselves. In each of our lives we’ve sought to ignore God and elevate ourselves to His position.

After the Switzerland game, Southgate celebrated with supporters following the "difficult personal" criticism he has faced in Germany. Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live:

"I can't deny that when things get as personal as they have, it does hurt. I don't think having beer thrown at you is normal."

Then he added:

"Every now and then, surely there has to be some enjoyment in this job. I love the players and sharing that moment with them. But we are in the third semi-final in four tournaments. We will keep grinding, keep fighting and keep enjoying this journey."

People first, performance second

The culture Southgate has built points to a truth that is fundamental to the Christian faith, that people matter more than performance, and that the two don’t have to be in opposition. Southgate may not be a follower of Jesus, but he’s recognised that valuing people independent of performance brings his players security to serve others and this aids their performance on the pitch.

It’s not a flawless example and it won’t guarantee that England win the Euros, but it offers a glimpse of how we were made to be – secure in our status and position before God.

The England football team are not a perfect encapsulation of how God made sport to be. But the togetherness of the team and seeming willingness to serve and love each other on and off the pitch, lead by the culture Southgate has built, points to how God designed both sport and his wider creation to be – full of joy and pleasure, with people secure in their identity, living fearlessly before their maker.

England are now in a second Euros final in a row. The public is happy for now. It'll be fascinating to see how people respond after the final, but for those of us involved in professional football, Gareth Southgate will always be known as a man who treats his squad as people first and players second.

That's a real victory.