I’m looking forward to joining thousands of other football-supporting Christians making their way to Wembley Stadium for a pitchside party.
We will be gathering at the home of English soccer on Monday 8 December for a ‘Celebration of Christianity and Football.’
The evening, hosted by Sky TV sports presenter Simon Thomas, will feature carol singing and speakers – including professional players and coaches – involved in the sport that boasts around 30 million spectators and 100,000 grassroots clubs in the UK.
The event is part of the Football Association’s strategy to use ‘the beautiful game’ to bring communities together. The evening is a key element in the FA’s Faith and Football series that aims to ‘inspire positive change through football.’
For me, it’s a welcome acknowledgement of the close links between Christianity and football, as increasing numbers of high-profile footballers are declaring their faith, and many clubs have chaplains working alongside the players, staff and supporters.
When Eberechi Eze scored a stunning hat-trick for Arsenal against their north London rivals Tottenham in November, he said afterwards, “I prayed for a hat-trick before the game and God delivered.”
As someone who writes and broadcasts about the relationship between faith and football, I’m pleased to see this special evening taking place in the run-up to Christmas. Sometimes, when I’ve written about faith, I’ve had pushback from fans complaining about ‘religion’ being brought into football.
But faith plays an important part in the sport and should not be sidelined or hidden. As at the Wembley event, it should be celebrated.
Earlier this year, Dal Darroch, the FA’s head of diversity and inclusion told the Religion Media Centre how involving faith communities formed a key part of kicking division and discrimination out of football.
He explained that faith and football were both significant components of many people’s identity. A person’s faith, spirituality or set of beliefs played an important part in how they saw themselves.
Darroch said, “It shapes the way we all perceive ourselves and our place in the world, and is a massive connection to sport and football. So it is really important for the FA that we connect with our participants, that we engage, we open doors and we get out into as much of the wider communities across the country as possible.”
He added, “Faith and football are completely connected, inextricably linked.”
December’s high-profile occasion will celebrate the close links between Christianity and football, stretching back to the roots of some of the country’s most prominent teams.
Clubs from Aston Villa to Tottenham Hotspur, from Barnsley to Southampton, and from Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City to Queen’s Park Rangers, from Fulham to Bolton Wanderers can trace their origins back to churches or local church ministers. Faith has been a driving force behind many clubs.
The FA has organised a series of events at Wembley with a range of faith groups, including Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities. A previous Christian event was held at Wembley in December 2023.
Darroch explained, “Everyone wants a piece of Wembley Stadium. Everyone likes to be there. It is, of course, the home of English football. And we’ve been very lucky to have been able to welcome many thousands of individuals from across the country from various faiths to take part in pitchside events There is a deep connection between all those communities and football.”
The FA wants to build on these events to encourage dialogue across the faiths in support of making football more inclusive and stamping out racism and other anti-social behaviours.
But increasingly, it is Christian football players, like Eberechi Eze and Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka, who are being more open about their beliefs.
At Brentford, the Premier League team I support, star striker Igor Thiago has spoken about his Christian faith, telling the club’s fans, “The biggest thing is to have faith and to believe in God. To play and believe with my faith makes me have the faith and confidence that I will always score.”
Kyreece Lisbie, a Brentford ‘B’ team player, who moved to Colchester United earlier this year, was profiled in the west London club’s matchday programme before the move.
He said, “Whatever situation you are going through the Bible has a verse of comfort, an answer to that situation, and that fills me with confidence about my faith and why I hold it in high regard. It has helped me through the darkest of times.
“As a Christian, I want people to see in my actions the kind of person that I want to be. Through that, there can come an understanding of where my character stems from.”
The Wembley ‘Celebration of Christianity and Football’ will give many Christian football players, officials and fans the chance to proclaim their love of Christ and give thanks for the many close links between the sport and life-changing faith.
It promises to be a night to remember under the iconic Wembley arch.
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK and a lifelong supporter of Premier League club Brentford FC.
