Williams, a referee and former coach, said: “It’s about making sure people all around the country and of all faiths and denominations feel welcome in football.”

The original Thank God for Football! was published to great acclaim in 2006. This new edition, with abbreviated text, contains almost 120 illustrations. It gathers together a huge number of rare images of founders, founding churches and early teams. It includes contemporary photographs of streets where players lived, pubs in which they socialized and churches where they gathered. Furthermore, it offers images reflecting the impact of Thank God for Football! the restoration of founders’ graves, the inducting of Christian founders into Halls of Fame, and features in match programmes and club magazines. Aston Villa Barnsley Birmingham City Bolton Wanderers Everton Fulham Liverpool Manchester City Queen’s Park Rangers Southampton Swindon Town Tottenham Hotspur The show delves into the lives of several inspirational Christian footballers who helped pave the way for future generations. These players share their stories of how their faith grounded them and gave them a newfound purpose both on and off the field. Viewers are given an unprecedented look into how these players overcame adversity to achieve greatness in the sport they loved.

Of course no one in the 19th century set out to found a 21st century Premier League Club. Churches formed sports clubs, many existed for a short time and many remained church teams all their lives but a few evolved into professional clubs.

But let us thank God for Rev Tiverton Preedy, founder of Barnsley St Peter’s Football Club, for John Ripsher, who ran a Bible Class at All Hallows Church, Tottenham and poured his life into the boys of the area and their football club or William Baker Pitt, curate of Christ Church, Swindon. Where would Barnsley FC, Tottenham Hotspur or Swindon Town be without them? My Christian faith is based on making a difference, of serving that model we have of Jesus during his 33 years on this earth.” Comparing that with religious belief, she added: “When you have religious belief, you’re a participant in something, you have those beliefs. Christianity calls upon you to act on those beliefs and, as a football fan, I’m called upon to not just watch but to really get behind the team.” So that’s what we’re doing in football, and that’s why we’re having sessions like today … because I think faith alongside football, makes a great community.”He added: “The Corinthians refused to take penalties because they believed that if you take a penalty, you accept that cheating is part of football.” When you go on the field you concentrate on the game but there’s so much more going on besides,” he added. A chaplain’s role was best summed as “pastorally proactive and spiritually reactive”.

If we want to win the World Cup, we need to get more young people playing football on the streets, then playing football on the pitch, then playing football up the levels,” he said. “And the only way of doing that is actually working with communities because they have a great organising power. While the influence of faith on football has sometimes been seen as divisive, many of the country’s clubs emerged from church groups, according to Peter Lupson, author of Thank God for Football. Published in 2006, his book charts the religious roots of many big clubs, among them Aston Villa and Barnsley. This is an unusual weekly devotional but I hope you share my encouragement that those of us who are seeking to represent Jesus Christ in football (or sport generally) are following in the footsteps of many generations. Mr Primus believes the Christian message of ‘love thy neighbour’ can help to stamp out racism in the stands.“How about finding out about that person next to you and understanding that shouting out racist terms or to discriminate isn’t right?” I found that something like a quarter of all clubs that have played in English football over the past five years have a close connection with the church.”

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She said: “He has said very publicly that he’s driven by his personal experience of growing up in poverty but also by his faith.It isn’t just for the headlines. There are a lot of other players putting their faith into practice at a local level really quietly, but really brilliantly.”

How could the members of the Young Men's Bible Class who decided to found the Aston Villa (Wesleyan) Football team or the boys of the All Hallows Church Bible class who founded the Hotspur Football Club, for example, possible have guessed that two of England's finest clubs, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur who emerge in later years? The FA says the project aims to make the game truly inclusive. Arran Williams, diversity and inclusion manager at the FA, told the webinar that other upcoming events include an Iftar and call to prayer at Wembley stadiumand events for Vaisakhi in the West Midlands. He believes that “Christianity and football align perfectly” and “come together in a wonderful way” through his work. “I feel very fortunate and privileged,” he said. “My faith, my belief, my values underpin what I do.”Mr Lupson explained that values such as fair play and self-control were key to both Christianity and football when the sport first emerged. He cited amateur club Corinthian FC, which was founded on the basis of fair play and moral values.The team, he said, historically never argued with the referee or took part in matches involving cash prizes. Thank God for Football also explores the underlying values that football has instilled in its players over the years. Lupson examines the core principles of teamwork, loyalty, respect, and humility that are fundamental to a successful football team. He discusses how these traits are linked to Christian values and how the integration of faith into football can help shape the future of the sport. Matt Baker has been chaplain at Charlton Athletic since 2000 and is national director for England at Sports Chaplaincy UK. While footballing has a reputation as a glamorous career path, players often struggle to cope with the transition to life in the spotlight, he said. Peter Lupson interviews key players, including former professionals and managers, who share their personal experiences of how their Christian faith helped shape their careers. Lupson’s interviews reveal fascinating insights into how these individuals were able to reconcile their religious beliefs with the pressure and challenges associated with being a top-level footballer.