Faith Hope and Sport
Drew Gibson and guests help you think through how a passion for sport can live alongside a passionate faith.
Faith Hope and Sport
Cricket - A Family Affair
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Matthew Foster is a cricketer who has been playing at a high level for seven years. His faith is important to him and as he sits down with Drew, it turns out he has some very special support behind him. Listen out for a special extra guest!
Welcome to Faith, Hope, and Sport, the podcast that hoped to link together Faith and Sport. My name is Drew Gibson, and I'm your host for this podcast. This podcast was recorded before Matthew went to Australia, where he had a really good time until, unfortunately, he suffered a stress fracture and had to return home a month early. You'll be glad to hear he's now well on the way back to full fitness. Matthew, tell us a bit about yourself.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so I'm Matthew Foster, born and raised in Cumber, just down the road from Dundonald. I'm an only child, just myself, mum and dad. My interest in life, I've well, obviously sport is a major part of my life, always has been. If there was any shape of ball in the back garden, I would have been kicked or thrown or whatever, and still is now even.
SPEAKER_02Give us a little bit more detail about the sports you played as a youngster.
SPEAKER_04Growing up, football was always my number one. Played for just a local team down in Cumber through school, and then that shifted to rugby. Then when I moved to secondary school, I went to Regent and Newton Ards, so that's always a major part of the grammar schools. So I did that right from first form to leaving. And alongside that, when maybe I was ten or eleven moved to secondary school, that's where cricket became involved. It started as something to do over the summer when I wasn't playing football or rugby, and then my interest sort of grew in that. I'd started really enjoying playing cricket.
SPEAKER_02So you didn't get involved in cricket at school, or did you?
SPEAKER_04It was just before the end of primary school, so when I was sort of nine or ten, and obviously alongside rugby, cricket was a sport that was played at Regent, so I sort of got involved in that before going to Regent. And then it's obviously with it being a summer sport, it wasn't as prolific in schools with term times. So it was always club cricket over the summer. So I've played at uh CSNI at our civil service at Stormont from I was nine years old. Still play for the first team now, and yeah, that's been where I've grown up throughout my younger years at still playing with guys and I grew up with playing on the under-elevens.
SPEAKER_02So would those be folk who you became friendly with through cricket, or you knew them in another place?
SPEAKER_04No. Cricket would have been the initial spark for a lot of relationships. It would have been training on a Monday night, seeing them once a week, and then grew as we got older, started going into the senior teams. It was training and then playing on a Saturday, and now guys that I would do a lot of socializing with outside of cricket would be with people that have played cricket with. Those relationships are still going strong, so it's a really nice way of being able to tie it all together. That you start off playing cricket together, but it goes more than that. And I think cricket's such a good sport in that sense that it's such a long day, and especially over the summer when you're a young player, you're up at the club four or five nights a week, so you spend so much time and get to know each other so well that you build really, really close relationships with people. So yeah, that was when cricket really took off when I was 14-15. Got involved in some representative squads and things. And then once I left secondary school, rugby took a back seat, and cricket became my main focus trainer right through the winter. And when I went to university in Cardiff, I was on a high performance programme over there where we were training from October right through to playing in the season, then in April. So it became like a professional setup, and that was where the interest really kicked on. And lo and behold, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So well, tell us a little bit then about faith in your life.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, as long as I can remember, I've been a Christian growing up in a Christian family. That's what we do on a Sundays. We go to Bloomfield, and then outside of Sundays, you know, I've always been very passionate and involved in the BB and Boys Brigade. So went from junior anchor boys when I was four or five years old through the junior section through company section and now back as an officer. Did a bit of time as second comer, and now I've joined the 24th in Bloomfield as an officer there. So that's an organisation that's given a lot to me and given a lot to a lot of people. And it's a really great way to spend a Monday evening. And I I help out in the junior section and company section, so I'm there from 6 o'clock to 10:30 every Monday, and I love it. And it's just great to be around such like-minded people, and it's just a really, really great environment and chance to share our faith. You know, it's a really good release for me as well, and coming from a professional cricket setup where it's all a bit intense, having my faith and the BB as well is really refreshing just to have that context or perspective on things, which is which is really nice.
SPEAKER_02But we also have another guest here today. It's Matthew's mum, Rebecca. Sportsmen aren't often accompanied by their mum when they do radio interviews, but we'll find out in a minute or two exactly why I've specially asked Rebecca to be here today. Welcome, Rebecca.
SPEAKER_00I'm Rebecca Foster. I'm Matthew's mum, married to Freddie, originally from County Donegal, a wee village called Rathmullen. I was born and grew up on a farm in Donegal and spent the first 27 years of my life in Donegal and still home. I live here, but home is Donegal. Then went through school, college, and had my first job in Donegal and then met Freddie and moved to Belfast.
SPEAKER_02And have a look back since. Mm yes.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I lived uh in East Belfast for a wee while and that's when we became members of Bloomfield, Presbyterian. Being a farmer's daughter from the Hills of Donegal, I longed for Greenfield, so we moved to Cumber. So I've been in Cumber over 30 years now. So when I moved to Belfast I got a job, a temporary job in the bank and spent 31 years there, so it was just a wee bit longer than temporary. So yes, that's me. So my life has been wife to Freddie, mum to Matthew. Family has always been very important to us. I grew up in a very close-knit family, close-knit community. We small village where everybody knew everybody else and supported each other. So that's really my background.
SPEAKER_02Any interest in sport at all?
SPEAKER_00Well, I grew up in a football mad family. My dad was a big football fan, and it was sort of if you can't beat them, join them kind of environment. So I had six siblings, so everybody had their team, so that my interest in sport is strictly armchair. I never really played sport. Growing up in a farm, you were expected to do your chores and help out in the farm, so none of us really played sport, but that's where my interest in sport came from, just from my family background. And then met and married Freddy and he played football, football mad, so football was the main sport in the house. And then crickets sort of came along after that.
SPEAKER_02So Rebecca, tell us uh a little bit about faith in your life.
SPEAKER_00Well, I grew up in a Christian home. We were members of or my family still are members of Rath Mullen Presbyterian Church. It was a wee small country church, and it was one where my dad was a clerk of session and Sunday school superintendent, and it's one of those environments where the same person seems to do most jobs. So again, I have been a Christian as long as I can remember, and my faith has played an integral part of my life. It defines who I am as a person and I've trusted that the Lord has guided me and I'm here, placed in this place for a reason. The jobs that I've had as well. My faith, as I said, defines my life. I rely on the Lord for his guidance and to lead me, and I've never known life not having faith. And we all grew up going to church every Sunday, going to Sunday school, being involved. If there was a church meeting on, but the parents had us there. Faith has always been integral to my life.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Matthew, I want to tease out some links between faith and sport. Have you ever found any conflict arising between your Christian faith and your sporting commitments or your general sporting experience?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, definitely. Especially playing in pretty high-stakes, high-intensity games or situations.
SPEAKER_02Let me just tease that out a wee bit, Matthew, just to make sure everyone knows where we're coming from. You have played at a high level. Tell us about the level that you have reached as a cricketer.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so I've I've played up to international levels, so been involved in test matches. Lourdes against England. I was involved in the squad for Ireland's first ever Test win against Afghanistan. And then the Irish Wolves setup, which is the A team or second level below the senior team. We've been away on tours of Nepal playing in front of five, six thousand Nepalese super fans. Pretty intense when they're getting on top of you. It's pretty overwhelming. So trying to, I guess, not get caught up in the in the emotion of that. And there's that natural competitive streak or instinct. So if decisions maybe don't go your way or whatever, as a bowler, a batsman will try and put pressure on me and trying to stay in control and not let things get too much for me. And I guess sometimes that it does spill over at times or you say the wrong thing. For those who don't know cricket, it would be a very mental sport, especially when you get to international level, everyone's talented, everyone is physically very skillful.
SPEAKER_02So trying to put people off or is this what they sometimes call sledging? Sledging, yes.
SPEAKER_04It's definitely not as pertinent now as it was in days gone by, but definitely it is still a thing, and a lot of people use that as a mode of creating contests with individuals, and that's the thing about cricket as well. Even though it's a team game, it's a very much individual element to it. I'm the only person who can bowl the ball at one batter. So you get really into a 1v1 contest, so sometimes the competition and things sort of overspill, so it that's probably a conflict where sometimes got in the way of my faith. There have been uh moments where I've gone, I I wish I'd done this better, or said wish I'd not said this or not done that. But yeah.
SPEAKER_02So that's inside the game. I think all sports have a culture that surrounds the game. And I don't know anything about the culture that surrounds cricket. There may be, for example, a a big alcohol culture or an immorality culture. Anything in that area that caused concern?
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. I think as most sporting environments there is always that alcohol culture or being away on tour for sometimes can be eight weeks together. Conversations and everything is covered, and that's definitely something I struggled with initially. Like I would be naturally introverted and quite shy putting myself out there and putting my faith out there probably wouldn't come overly naturally to me. But that's something you know where conversations or behaviours that you sort of see going on around you that you don't necessarily agree with or aren't aligned with what you believe in, it's important to stand up for what you believe in. But I think in the same breath, cricket is quite an interesting dynamic. Obviously, there's a quite a diverse group of individuals or cultures, a lot of Asian influence, and at the moment within Irish cricket, we have a lot of South African influence as well, which would bring a lot of Christian guys. So learning about each other's faith, being open about our faiths, and it's something that has actually been quite refreshing. And like even on the most recent tour that we were on in Abu Dhabi, there was a group of us, three or four Christians, one within the group, so we would do some prayer time and Bible study while we were away, just to know that we had each other, even though obviously we're in a team and we we are together, but we have people who know what each other's going through and the struggles of those conflicts and how we deal with them and knowing that we can talk it out with each other and see how we can deal with that.
SPEAKER_02And that's that's the nature of Christian fellowship, isn't it? Sharing things together and supporting each other. Have you ever faced any actual hostility towards you because of your faith?
SPEAKER_04Personally, no. You probably put a little bit of a tag that if you're a Christian and like you say, if you get overcome with emotion or in the heat of the battle and things slip, people might throw a little jib at you and you and your faith, but no hostility from a personal perspective. No, I I've never had any of that, which is positive, I guess. But I think everyone's pretty open, especially when we we go away on long tours together, like everyone's really open to getting to know each other as individuals and like as people more than cricketers, which is obviously really reassuring, and people respect if you're open and honest about your faith more so than trying to blend in or conform.
SPEAKER_01He heard God's command.
SPEAKER_03Our Lord God is grieved that his people have broken their covenant with him. He has pronounced that there will be no further rain. So you think your God can hold the rain from falling. How dare you speak to me, your king, in this manner!
SPEAKER_01He confronted the priests of the false god.
SPEAKER_03Our nation has long awaited this moment. You cannot waver between two options. If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, follow him.
SPEAKER_01And when his work was done, God provided him with a successor.
SPEAKER_03It is not my decision, but the Lord God's. But Elisha, remember this. The Lord God instructed me to anoint you as my assistant and successor.
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SPEAKER_02One of the things I'm interested in is how different sport is from the rest of life or how similar it is. So, Rebecca, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions that are very similar to what I've just asked Matthew. Thinking about your work, have you ever had any conflict between your Christian faith and your work in the bank?
SPEAKER_00Working in the bank, the bank is like all financial institutions, very highly regulated. So there's behaviours that we are expected to adhere to. There's a professionalism there. So it's quite rare that I would have had a conflict because the behaviours that are expected in that environment are not dissimilar to Christian values. You know, you're expected to treat people with respect, treat people and in particular customers fairly. There's a lot of regulation around that, so banking has sometimes a bad reputation. I always said I work in a bank, I'm not a banker. But at times it can be quite competitive. Similar to sport, people are very career focused, want to get on, and at times I've seen behaviours where people maybe, in order to advance their own careers, they may try to drown somebody else. Not necessarily trying to hurt the person, but we're trying to outdo somebody else. So at times that can be difficult. I never was particularly career-minded. I was happy doing my job and doing my job well, but as a people manager I managed staff. At times you had to manage behaviours, and that was where I found sometimes trying to manage behaviours and there was conflicts there. In work I was always very open about my faith. And I think maybe that's still to this day there's a Northern Ireland environment where people who you say they're Christians are perceived to be good living, which is a phrase I actually really dislike. So therefore, at times again, you'd f in an environment and people would maybe be using language that they know I wouldn't be comfortable with, they would apologize to me afterwards and say, Oh, you're good living, and I'm there, no I'm not, quite the opposite. I've never really had too many conflicts, but at times, yes, there's times when you have to maybe speak up.
SPEAKER_02And so maybe uh like Matthew, you would say you haven't faced any significant hostility because of your faith?
SPEAKER_00No. In fact, in the bank there's a very much equality diversity agenda, which at times some of that is in conflict with my faith. But on the other hand, uh there's a sort of a benefit for Christians because in the last few years within the bank we were able to form a group called Danksville Christian Fellowship. Somebody who'd been in the bank for thirty odd years, I always had this perception that we wouldn't be allowed to have an organization like that. And then a young guy came in as a graduate from university, came in on the graduate programme, and he asked the question. Maybe it was innocence of youth. He has now since left the bank and has studied and become a Presbyterian minister, but he asked the question, and because there's all these various groups within the bank, we were told yes. So for the last three almost four years, there's been the Danska Christian Fellowship who meet on a Wednesday morning for prayer time. We have published interviews and talks, and we meet for by weekly devotional time where a member of the group will just do five minutes and that's recorded and posted on the bank system where any member of staff can listen to that or watch it back as a video. And we've found as well for their prayer time, it has become known throughout the bank that there was this weekly prayer time, and we've had non-Christian colleagues sending in prayer requests through members of the group. There's about fifteen people who would meet regularly for prayer, and through people would approach them and say this situation in our family life or my work life, and would ask us to pray, and then would they would give us feedback that they felt benefit from that. Actually I've found that that diversity thing has benefited the Christians, and sometimes I think maybe people who work in other organizations maybe could or should try to do something similar. Super.
SPEAKER_02Let me explore with both of you family life. Now the reason that I've asked you both here together is so that we can explore this. You know as well as I do, there are all sorts of stories about soccer mums and uh pushy parents and all sorts of things. So, Matthew, I'm fairly sure I know the answer to this question, but let me ask it anyway. Have your parents been supportive for you in your cricket?
SPEAKER_04Yes, they've been unbelievably supportive for me. Down at Stormont there is probably a little dent in the ground of their two deck chairs. I've been there every other Saturday for 10-15 years. No, they've been unbelievably supportive. Like I say, coming down to watch pretty much every game that I play. And at home as well, encouraging. There's a lot more bad days than than good with the nature of professional sport, so keeping me invested in it, and um there's been so many times where I've come home and I've given it up. Both mum and dad have been so encouraging. Just keep sticking with it, keep trusting in the plan, and they're unbelievably supportive. And there's so many decisions with playing for different teams or contract situations or whatever that I've relied on them and leaned on them. My rock, they're incredibly supportive.
SPEAKER_02Well, let me throw a cat among the pigeons, perhaps. You've spoken very warmly about your parents' influence. Any tensions or anything that you look back on and say, I that was a difficult time? No, I So I'm gonna ask your mum the same question.
SPEAKER_04No, definitely as I've got a little bit older, it's probably I guess I'm so trusting of mum and dad that I feel like I can be completely myself around them, and when I come back from a long day or a bad day, they get the brunt of it. And then I go up to my room and go, Oh, what are you doing? Yeah, it's something that I've tried and I feel like I'm getting better at it, but it's still a long way to go. Trying to not bring that home with me, and ultimately it it's just a game. And as it feels like life or death or whatever, in the moment it's not that, and trying to not throw that all on them when I get home, so that's the biggest thing for our relationship, I would say.
SPEAKER_02Well, Rebecca, from your side of things, is he living in a dream world or is that the way you see it as well?
SPEAKER_00Oh uh 100%.
SPEAKER_02Is that 100% dream world or 100% the same?
SPEAKER_00It's uh 100% the same. We've always supported Matthew no matter what he wanted to do. So when it was football, we were there watching him play football, drove him to wherever he needed to be, just what any other parent would do. But as cricket became more serious, then first of all, a big achievement for me I've learnt the rules of cricket, which I'm very impressed with. There's still some things like LBW still figuring that one out. But lots of people don't understand. We enjoy going spent the Saturday sitting for six, seven hours watching cricket. We do support him in everything he's done. It's tough being involved, but it's also tough watching when he's having a good day, and also when he's having the bad days as well, which as Matthew said are quite regular and he's quite right. When the game's over, we would leave and we're driving home thinking, what's the mood going to be like when he comes home? Know what to expect. But you're there, you listen to him, the ranting and the raving, and then many times he's gonna give it up. And the thing I've learned over the years is when not to speak, which is a challenge for me. You know, there's times just say nothing and wait until the emotion of it all's died down and then we'll have a proper, sensible conversation. So, yes, we've always tried to support him in all he's done, and if it all ends tomorrow, so be it. We'll be there for him again. As a Christian, we believe there's a plan for him, whatever is ahead, we'll be there for him, supporting him.
SPEAKER_02Well, if I'm right, there's a big change ahead, Matthew. You're heading off overseas pretty soon. Could you tell us about that?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. At the end of this Irish British season, I'm gonna be going to Adelaide in Australia, play over there for the Australian summer. So it's the first time I've ever done that. I've Signed on with a club called Prospect District who are in the pretty central Adelaide, so that'll be there for six months from October to March. Playing club cricket over there, living, doing everything through the club, working on the grounds, moving my life over there for six months, which will be great for me in terms of life experience and cricket experience to play in different conditions, meet new people, but it'll also be a big challenge. I've been away in Cardiff at university for three years, but I've never actually done a six-month stint away from home. You know, be my first Christmas away from home and on the other side of the world. And I've got some family in Adelaide and some family in Sydney, which is important, sort of alluded to, family life's very important to us, so having them there will be nice, but ultimately we don't really know what the future holds. But that's where my faith is important that I know that I can just put my trust in God, and that's where it's led me now. So I'm really looking forward to it. Really excited to get out there, and yeah, it'll be an interesting few months ahead, but one thing looking forward to.
SPEAKER_02And what do you think, Rebecca, about your big son heading off to Australia for six months?
SPEAKER_00Yes, we'll miss him. There'll be a lot less ironing and washing today. There's pros and cons. We'll miss him. Obviously, it's a big step, but for cricket it'll be a great experience for him to go and be independent and learn and grow his game. Australia's a long way away. We've obviously been used to him being away before at university, but that was a hop and a skip to Cardiff. The other side of the world is a bigger jump. It's reassuring to know that we have family there and also obviously his faith, and you know that he is under God's protection and God will lead and guide, and and also that my sister-in-law who lives in Australia knows of a church in Adelaide and she could put him in touch with people there, so that's good to reassuring to know as well. So, yes, it's a big step, but six months will pass very quickly as well.
SPEAKER_02Matthew, again trying to make a link between cricket and faith. Obviously, your faith brings you a way of thinking that you take into your cricket with you. Can you think of anything that you have learned as a cricketer that has come over into your faith?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I definitely think that discipline element and committing to training, committing to playing. You know, there's a lot more days that you aren't motivated and want to go and do that gym session or go and and do that training session. There are a lot more days where you don't want to do that than you do. And I guess that sort of aligns with faith. Keep sticking with it, keep trusting in what God's plan is for me or for you. And I think that's something that would be probably a major thing for me. That it is tough, there's a lot of struggle. Life as a Christian is it's tough at times. But when you persevere with it and stick through it, the rewards on the other side can be really satisfying and rewarding.
SPEAKER_02Well, let me ask you the same question, Rebecca. Your work, anything that you learned from your work that you think I can apply that in my Christian life?
SPEAKER_00I worked in a very structured, disciplined environment as well, and the one thing that I've learnt in work is that again Matthew had mentioned about being shy and introverted. I would have been shy and quiet in certain environments. But work is all about being professional, doing things well, doing things to the best of your ability. And sometimes I think the skills that I've learnt in that I can bring to my faith and to my church environment as well. Some pop star all said, why should the devil have all the good music? Church should have good music. Likewise, why should professional environments and organisations have all the skills? We should bring those skills and offer them to God as well. I think the big thing I've learned from work is to be more open about my faith. I grew up quite reserved and talking about my faith was a very didn't come naturally. You went to church, but you didn't necessarily talk a lot to others about your faith. Whereas working in the bank that's given me an opportunity to meet people maybe who I wouldn't normally have come into contact with. Sometimes as Christians, we tend to live in our Christian bubble with Christian friends, Christian people, you know, that's where you socialise. Whereas when you meet people in work, you're meeting people from all types of backgrounds, people of all different faiths and none. So I think that's taught me to bring into my Christian faith to be more open. And also the one thing I've learned more than anything is that people are searching, and especially young people. Recently in the team I worked in with quite an influx of young people, people in their twenties coming into the team, and it's amazing how open they are. They're searching for something. Is there something I think just happening at this time with that generation? And they're very open to faith. They're searching for answers, and I think I know the answer. So therefore, that's pushed me to maybe share that more. I don't know if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_02That makes perfect sense. Matthew, in the real world you'd not be a cricketer for the whole of your life. There'll be a time when your sporting career comes to an end. You went to university. Is it likely that you'll pick up the subject that you looked at at university and come back to that, or have you any particular plans for what happens after cricket?
SPEAKER_04The way cricket setup is here is you've got your professional cricketers, there's twenty-four, twenty-six professional cricketers in Ireland, and then there's a real cliff edge, so if you don't get a contract, you're working 95 alongside playing. So I'm actually currently on a career break from Danskabank. So I was working in business operations there, so my degree is in sports performance analysis, so ideally, somewhere in between the two, maybe a real interest in data and processing and analysis, that kind of idea. So working within a financial analysis or business analysis role would probably be somewhere that I would go down. It's something that you're constantly aware of that how quickly things can change. So keeping on top of knowledge or doing different courses to keep on top of your skills because you do know an injury or contract situation changes and a lot of it's out of your control as well. So that's probably that kind of route of going down business analysis or data analysis would be the way that I would go if cricket was to finish.
SPEAKER_02Okay. And Rebecca, you have recently retired?
SPEAKER_00I have.
SPEAKER_02Does that mean you'll simply be watching more cricket, or have you any plans for anything else to do in your retirement?
SPEAKER_00I just retired last week. At the minute, the plan is to have a rest for a short time. I would like to find some sort of part-time role, uh, maybe two to three days a week, just something maybe a wee bit different to what I used to do. What that is, I don't know. I'll just wait and see what comes my way, where I'm being led. But yes, it probably will involve watching a wee bit more cricket at some stage as well, even if it's only from the other side of the world watching it online or whatever. But yes, there will be a wee bit of that. But yes, I would like the opportunity to try something very different.
SPEAKER_02Matthew, Rebecca, it's been great to have you here today. It's been great to talk with you. Thank you very much for taking part in this podcast. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02It's been great having you with us at Faith, Hope, and Sport. I've been your host, Drew Gibson. The programme was made at Commission Christian Radio, and you can find out more about us on our website, CommissionRadio.org.
