‘ WHAT IS FOOTBALL CULTURE?’.

Introduction Few modern phenomena elicit such intense emotional bonding as football, often dominating the media and it would be almost impossible to overestimate the impact of football in modern society. Other things such as art, science, agriculture, business may make larger contributions to civilisation but rarely do these other enterprises enter into daily discussion and lay claim to basic loyalties in the way football does. One striking development in football around the world in recent years has been the increased visible engagement of Christians (evangelicals in particular) and churches both in participating and being vocal about their faith. This is not a recent phenomenon (see section on historical background) as Christians have sought to varying degrees over the decades to impact football culture. It is within this conference context Christians impacting football culture through Christian engagement with the football world that the question of ‘what is football?’ shall be considered. Therefore in considering ‘what is football culture?’ there will be an assumption in the presentation of this paper that there is a desire at this conference for Christian churches to engage with football and impact the football culture for good. Hence in addressing the question about football culture, this paper will not be an academic anthropological exercise set in vacuum separate from the reality of Christian involvement in the football world but rather an expression of intent from this conference, particularly with the imminent arrival of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament. In considering what is football culture and how it can be impacted, parameters and definitions will be set to help provide insight on football culture and clarify the focus of this particular paper. Following the setting of these parameters, a brief history of Christian participation in football will provide a context for contemporary Christian engagement with football culture. Even though it could be argued that Christians have inter-acted with the sports culture since the time of the apostle Paul 2000 years ago, the main historical focus will be on the last 150 years where player/coach participation particularly with football has been recorded in more depth. Following this, the underpinning philosophies of this historical Christian participation in sport will complete the context in order to consider how Christians have sought to impact football culture. In the second section of this particular paper, the uniqueness and specialness of football and the football culture shall be considered. The aim of this is to highlight the special place football has in our world today and thus present some sociological arguments as to why Christians could and should seek to impact the football culture. Further analysis of football culture will be offered in the third section of this paper as the issue of ‘What is football culture and what does it look like?’ will be considered. Within this section it will be recognised that football culture is very large and diverse therefore a model will be offered to break down the football world and mindset into manageable blocks for Christians to understand this world better. Following this analysis, the issue of the impact that Christians could have with football will be examined. Whilst it may be argued that Christians should participate in football; this last section has the objective to move beyond the ‘what is football culture?’ question in order to focus on practical elements of effective participation by Christians with the football culture. This will be done through the raising of a number of questions at general and personal levels on the ways Christians actually practically engage with sport in

1 order to have an impact for good. This will be particularly relevant for Christians, churches and organisations who have an empathy with the world of football and want to make a difference for good amongst football people and the football culture. In this paper, a number of mandates will be touched upon including historical, philosophical, sociological and practical ones for specialised attention (and some may even argue for a priority emphasis) on engagement with football by the Christian church today. Whilst each of the mandates mentioned do provide weight (and hence some value) to the argument for Christian participation in football, an underpinning assumption within this paper is a heart for God and His mission to this world of which football is one element. Therefore whilst considering the ‘What is football culture?’ question is important, there is greater value in considering the question not in isolation from God’s broader Biblical mandate on mission so as to see truly effective participation, impact and engagement with the world of football.

1/ The context and setting of Christian engagement with football. Before considering the issue of ‘what is football culture?’ and why football could be a special focus of church activity, it should be recognised that some Christian engagement with the football world has and is taking place. This engagement was particularly significant in the establishment of football and thus to a certain extent was the foundational starting point for football culture. Therefore in this section, a context shall be set to highlight this historical and current engagement in football by Christians to present a picture what type of involvement has and is taking place in football culture.

a) What is football, football participation and football ministry? Few activities have secured a more central place in the culture of many countries than football. Football features prominently in entertainment, dreams and the economy in the modern world and increasingly in the developing world but actually what is football? Football has been described as;

“That beautiful, despicable, elating and agonising game. That most simple, that most complicated of all sports in the world. Where eleven men are charged with the power to divide a city or unite a nation. Where they chase after a little ball, through which dreams can be realised and hearts can be broken. Football: which some see as a microcosm of life itself, and which others see as irrelevant and ridiculous. Which some love, truly, like a wife; which others hate, with the venomous passion usually reserved for one’s sworn enemy. Football … a ravenous mistress that can swallow your life.”1

Football to one degree or another embodies an irreducible element of ‘play’ which has no real or obvious intrinsic purpose yet many people seem to enjoy it. This has been true historically as cultures displayed various forms of play and competition that involved a type of ball; therefore football could be seen as an institutionalised (in varied degrees) manifestation of play. Play seems to come naturally and therefore could well be argued from a Christian perspective could be seen as a gift from a Creator God. Whether or not this is true, there seems to be a natural inclination to participate in play (and possibly football as a version of play) regardless of whether a person would or would not call themselves a Christian.

1 M Saunders, England’s Messiah, Authentic Media; Milton Keynes, 2004, p. 13.

2 Higgs distinguishes between sport (e.g. hunting), sports (competitive physical games), physical education (physical exertion) and play (e.g. games).2 When considering the question of ‘what is football culture?’ the emphasis in this particular paper will be under the sports criteria i.e. the competitive physical game of association football or soccer (the terms ‘football’ and ‘soccer’ will interchangeable in this paper as both titles will mean association football). Additionally within this paper many of the references and quotes referring to sport will be adapted and assumed to apply to football because of the influence and symbolism of football amongst sport in general. Therefore this particular paper will focus on a competitive game bound by rules in space with an element of a contest as the rules of soccer are standardised, enforced by official regulation, technical aspects of the game are taken seriously and the learning of the game skills become formalised.3 Thus participation in football will be assumed to be at any standard of the sport and in any possible variety of roles e.g. player, coach, administrator, official or spectator. However the particular emphasis in this paper will be primarily football playing and/or coaching in its description due to the primary role of these participants in football culture compared to say spectators, officials or administrators. When Christians participate in football beyond the motives of fun or to perform e.g. to share their faith or make an impact for good then this is described by the commonly used term ‘Football Ministry’. Stuart Weir’s definition of the broader term ‘sports ministry’ is helpful in describing it as “the interaction between the Christian church and the world of sport at all levels4” which can then be applied to engagement with soccer. Such a broad definition allows a wide scope of football activity and interaction in order to make an impact on football culture. Weir proceeds to give examples of this breadth of interaction including outreach sports dinners, sports services, sporting demonstrations, coaching clinics, teams, tournaments, chaplains, soccer schools, media work, literature, and international tours which does exemplify much of what is generally considered to be sports ministry. Whilst Weir’s definition and examples of sports ministry are helpful, there can still be misunderstandings and reservations over the word ‘ministry’ as sometimes it can be perceived as something that is church building based, formal and/or a clergy driven activity. Therefore ‘sports mission’ may well be a more helpful term as mission implies far broader God driven activity that all the body of Christ (including the church laity) could embrace. For the sake of this paper the terms ‘football ministry’ and ‘football mission’ will be interchangeable but with the emphasis on broader participation and activity that the term ‘mission’ seems to imply.

b) A historical perspective on Christian participation in football. To understand the social phenomenon of football and the ‘pull’ on Christians today, it is helpful to consider how Christians have participated in football in the past; hence a brief selective historical summary of Christian involvement is now provided. The account will illustrate some of the successes and struggles of Christian impact in football, thus providing a contextual backdrop for understanding the contemporary issues of Christians engaging with the world of football. During the 17th and 18th Centuries in England and the United States, the suppression of popular sport (such as a violent version of football that may involve whole villages taking

2 Coleman, J, “Sport and the Contradictions of Society.” International Journal for Theology 5, 205: (1985), p. 21. 3 Coakley, J, J, Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies. Fifth Edition. St.Louis: Mosby, 1994, pp. 15-16. 4 Weir S, More than Champions, Marshall Pickering, London, 1993, p.205.

3 part) was tied to a particular religious movement and motif i.e. the Puritan disdain for games.5 The Puritans stood for observance of the Lord’s Day and thus sporting participation on Sundays was frowned upon because sports were considered to be devilish pastimes. From about 1820 aristocracy sports expanded and the first organised games took place in England in 1849 resulting in the flourishing of sport in British and America schools.6 New games were invented (some by Christians e.g. basketball) and there was a gradual exporting of games to the lower classes throughout the 19th Century in the hope of producing respectability in the participants. Football was very much part of this movement. In the 1870’s the majority of English football clubs (including some familiar professional teams today e.g. Southampton and Fulham) were sponsored by churches.7 By 1900 the vast majority of teams in Liverpool originated from church organisations and the core of the newly formed football league in England were sponsored by socio-religious bodies including clubs such as Bolton, Wolverhampton and Swindon. The Boy Scout movement and the YMCA played a role in developing an ideology labelled as ‘Muscular Christianity’ which believed that through sports such as football, Christian character (i.e. morality and manliness) could be built into young boys.8 The Olympic Games movement had strong ideological links with Muscular Christianity highlighted by Pierre do Coubertin’s address to the members of the International Olympic committee in London by stating “the importance … is not so much to win as to take part ... The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle”.9 ‘Muscular Christianity’ was named by J J Rousseau in the 19th Century and acted as a summary of a Christian ethical approach to sport including football.10 The movement believed that the positive influence of football and other team sports could be transferred to other areas of life. During the 19th Century, Rugby School headmaster Thomas Arnold had the aim of turning out Christian gentlemen. Sport was part of this process because it was believed that it produced discipline, social responsibility, self-reliance and the ability to govern others. Moral excellence without neglecting the intellect was desired and participation in traditional team sports was used. This philosophy was epitomised by Thomas Hughes in 1856 with his book ‘Tom Brown School Days’. Thus Muscular Christians developed strategies through sport including football that could be used for moral education.11 The role of leadership through coaches was endorsed; an ethical model of respect for authority, loyalty and obedience was communicated. The twin goals of making the bad in society good and the good of society better were embraced;12 thus emphasis was placed on using the experience of the sport to educate. As the Victorian age developed the components of industrialisation, imperialism and evangelisation, sport was catapulted into the global culture.13 The heightened awareness of a world that knew no gospel meant missionaries travelled the planet, some bringing with

5 Coleman, p. 24. 6 Coleman, p. 25. 7 Coleman, p. 26. 8 McCown, p. 115. 9 Watson, Weir & Friend, p. 17. 10 Weir, S, What the book says about Sport. Oxford: Bible Reading Fellowship, 2000, p. 27. 11 Ladd, T and Mathisen, J A, Muscular Christianity: Evangelical Protestants and the Development of American Sport. Grand Rapids: Bridge Point Books, 1999, p. 64. 12 Ladd, p. 231. 13 Connor, S, Sports Outreach: Principles and Practise for Successful Sports Ministry. Tain: Christian Focus Publications, 2003, p. 30.

4 them the sports that were being embraced in their homelands. Therefore Muscular Christianity was adopted as a mission tool during this period and some of leading exponents were Moody, Studd, the Cambridge Seven and Liddell.14 Football was seen as an important agent of moral discipline, mission and evangelism hence the church’s eagerness to participate. However attitudes changed during the early part of the 20th Century. Football organisations grew with various forms of business patronage, dramatic increase in crowd sizes, media interest, transportation development, commercialism, gambling and professionalism meant that ‘stars’ emerged as the innocence of sport was changed.15 Modern themes of football e.g. professionalism, sporting icons, commercialisation, bureaucracy, nationalism, mass spectatorship and media coverage found roots in the late 1930’s. The resulting commercialisation of football led to an increasing influence and interaction with the economy. During this crucial development time, churches generally disengaged with the sports culture as fundamentalist attitudes within the church resisted involvement in such a cultural climate. The Christian origins of the game did not survive this time of development as a parting of the ways seemed inevitable as the spirit of play was forced out to accommodate business. The lack of leavening influence from the Christian community in the development of football resulted in the lack of input or influence into the ethos and ethics of the sport.16 During the 1950’s in the USA, Christianity and sport started to reengage again because the appeal of sport meant that the aims of attracting a crowd at Christian youth revivals could be accomplished.17 Between 1952 and 1966, institutionalisation took place as Christian sportspeople started to organise specialist sports ministries within the larger sports culture.18 However it was not until the 1970’s that Christians started to truly engage with the football culture again and this experiment took on a life of its own as it became a catalyst for Christian involvement globally. Support for Christian football people increased with the growing number of chaplains and chaplaincy programmes available.19 Christian participation in football even now still has been largely driven by the Muscular Christianity philosophy and the resulting emergence of Christian sports ministry groups (such as AIS) in the latter half of the 20th Century.20 During this time Christian involvement relocated to America from England and new indigenous models developed reflecting new geographical locations.21 Christian involvement in football has now evolved into a multi layer movement that is poised to impact the 21st Century. The football culture that the church now tries to engage with has changed dramatically since the church last really embraced the sport in the 19th Century. There has been an increase achievement behaviour, marketing, financial turnover, careers, societal influence, mass media and shift to the periphery of non-economic factors such as values. At top level football, professionalism and commercialisation have become the major characteristics seemingly pushing aside any notions of play. Morality has become confused with money values and ‘winning at all costs’ seems to have replaced ‘sporting spirit’; it is in

14 Watson, Weir & Friend, p.14. 15 Coleman, p. 27. 16 Ladd, p. 94. 17 Ladd, p. 122. 18 Ladd, p. 135. 19 Ladd, pp. 141-151 section on the role of sports chaplains. 20 Watson, Weir & Friend, pp. 2-3. 21 Ladd, p. 231.

5 this environment that Christians and churches are asking how they can make an impact for good within football culture.

c) Christian philosophies on participation in football. Sporting religious connections date back to the ancient Olympic Games as sport originated in religious festivals. Christianity at times has embraced this connection and contributed to sport, however it has also disengaged at other crucial times in the development of sport including football.22 The principle philosophy of Christian involvement (although probably often not rationalised or articulated by the Christian participant using this terminology) is that participation can be seen as an act of worship, i.e. giving God his worth in the whole of life and offering the body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2).23 This worship philosophy has diverse expressions of emphasis which shall be touched upon now. Christian involvement is birthed within God’s created order and God’s redemptive plans that span the entire width of creation which could include football.24 As part of God’s creation, it is assumed that humanity is created with the intellect, ingenuity, ability and the resources to create sport. Within this created order, humanity was also created with the capacity for relationships with God, nature, others and thus football has thrived on this social function. Human creativity is one way people can express inner–self and character thereby it can be a fruit others recognise. Such work can be seen on a football field as inner- self and character is expressed through the way a person participates in sport. This philosophy has been epitomised by Eric Liddell, the Olympic gold medal runner when he said “God made me for a purpose but He also made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure. To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt, to win is to honour Him.”25 Other biblical principles which have shaped Christian worship philosophy include caring for the human body as a temple for the Holy Spirit, stewardship of talents (Exodus 35) and liberty in Christ (1 Corinthians 9).26 Thus Christians with football abilities can respond by using God given talents to impact their sport and beyond.27 For some Christians, the responsibility to practise the stewardship of creativity given by God is seen in the development of football skills. Both the educational and socialising worth of football have been embraced by some Christians as part of the worship philosophy for participation. Firstly in terms of education, the Muscular Christianity movement continues today as Christians are involved in football to instil character into potential leaders.28 This is taking place at local grass root levels through to international academic institutions such as Christian colleges and universities who are offering a variety of Sport and Christianity courses.29 Additionally the socialising aspect of football can be a platform for evangelism. The use of sporting talent could be a natural way of reaching people involved in football because

22 Coleman, pp. 30-31. 23 Weir S, What the Book says about Sport. Oxford: Bible Reading Fellowship, 2000, pp. 24-42 covering G. Daniel’s argument from Genesis 1-3 and Romans 12. 24 McCown, pp. 33-34. 25 Wier, p. 203 quote from ‘Chariots of Fire’ film. 26 Garner, J (ed), Recreation and Sports Ministry: Impacting Post-modern Culture. Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003, pp. 31-34 summary of headings. 27 Connor, p. 10. 28 Watson, Weir and Friend, p. 18. 29 Watson, Weir and Friend, p. 19 offers courses at York St John College, Notre Dame, Neuman College, South African Theological Seminary and University of Gloucestershire are a few examples in a growing sector.

6 Christian sportspeople are already part of that culture.30 In contemporary society, experience is seen as a way of validating truth, 31 therefore for Christians, the football arena could be seen as a place for truth to be tested in the crucible of the sports experience. In this arena the proclamation, integration and experience of commitment to faith could be communicated. Some Christian involvement in football has been to ‘release off enough steam’ so as to sublimate violence. There is little support for this belief though with the observations of rising crime and increase of wars in the sport saturated 20th Century. However there is much to be said though for participation in football to counter the obesity pandemic that is engulfing the Western world, where Christian participation could offer an alternative healthy lifestyle.32 From the context that has been set by defining football plus briefly highlighting the historical participation of Christians with the sport and the underlying philosophies for this participation, the scene has been set to consider why football could be so special for increased church engagement in order to impact football culture.

2/ What is so special about football? It is recognised that there are many good and worthwhile activities e.g. art, music, drama, business, medical professions etc that Christians can participate in and as a result of this participation develop mission strategies. Therefore this section will seek to address the question of why should football be seen as different, special or even unique compared to the examples of many other worthwhile claims and activities for Christian participation.

a) Football can be seen as a universal language Football is an anthropological universal as it is found in some form in every culture and society. Football can transcend economic, race social, political, language, and religious barriers thus promoting inter-culture dialogue, strengthened interaction and enhanced co- operation. Football is played everywhere and increasingly being recognised as a language of movement by governments and world organisations. Football to one degree or another seems to enjoy universal appeal e.g. the English Premier League has coverage available in 199 territories reaching 586 million homes around the world.33 Christian football organisations have found in their experiences around the world that cultural barriers have been broken down and connections have been made through participating in football.

b) Football can be seen as relevant to contemporary culture Football permeates all levels of contemporary society as it fulfils a number of functions e.g. leisure time activity, achievement, mode of self-display/performance or for a social gathering. In the West, the leisure culture is increasingly dominating economic activity and time. The emergence of a leisure ethic out of a work ethic is an alternative that is being chosen by many in contemporary society.34 The European Sports Conference Charter describes sport (and thus football) as an inalienable right of each person; therefore it can be

30 Connor, p. 12. 31 McCown, p. 64. 32 Watson, Weir and Friend, p. 24. 33 www.thefa.com website 34 Garner, J (ed), Recreation and Sports Ministry: Impacting Post-modern Culture. Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003.p. 4-5, identifies a Gallop poll that recorded 90% of Americans watch, read or participate in sports once a month and 70% once a week.

7 a very powerful social tool through its inclusivity, person-centred focus and capacity to mobilize people. The growth, variety and diversity of people attracted to engage in football is a testimony of this.

c) Football can be seen as a microcosm of life Football often reflects the culture in which it is played 35 hence lessons learnt from football could be transferred to wider society and back again. The environment of football can help reveal and shape character, be a place of instruction in glory and disappointment as football covers many of the emotions found in the collective and individual challenges of life. Priceless and foundational skills can be attained through football experience especially amongst children thus the sport can provide an environment for whole life valuing training. Community football educational initiatives have a proven track record of success in heightening self-esteem, motivation, focus among young people and in driving literacy, numeracy and the popularity of vocational training. Additionally football can play its role in helping to make a contribution on the issues of health, education and social inclusion. There are many examples of educational initiatives (including Christian ones) through football all around the world in different cultural settings that are making a difference for good in people’s lives.

d) Football can be seen as a medium or vehicle to communicate a message Football is an effective communication channel as a multi dimensional, catalyst to compliment or create opportunities for other activities. The Apostle Paul recognized the qualities of sport and used it to communicate examples of spiritual disciplines that are highlighted in the sporting world. Paul could see parallels between Christianity and sport that meant Christians could take lessons from sporting life and apply it to the Christian lifestyle. Stuart Weir notes that “Paul used the experience of the sportsman to motivate his readers to commitment to a higher cause... Paul and other New Testament writers recognized sport as an integral part of the society of their day and therefore saw it as an obvious source of imagery in describing the Christian faith.”36 This approach continues today as people share Christian truth through the medium of football.

e) Football can be seen as an International Social Phenomenon Football is now a social phenomenon; an intricate part of people’s lives as it is connected to major spheres of social life such as family, education and even religion. 37 It can have the power to divide a city or unite a nation, realize dreams or break hearts. Football has a massive community as it the national sport in the majority of countries and followed by every country. The 208 member countries of FIFA contain over 265 million male and female players in addition to 5 million referees and officials. The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final attracted more than 600 million people tuning in to watch at least part of the match. 38 The football family is ambitious to be perceived as a responsible industry that does make a positive contribution to its local communities, a contribution to goes beyond the sporting entertainment it provides. Christians increasingly want to play and are playing their role around the world in this international movement.

35 Coleman, p. 21, (e.g. Genesis 1:26 mandate). 36 Weir, pp. 16-17. 37 Coakley, pp 5-6. 38 www.thefa.com website

8 f) Football can be seen as a fun, healthy and holistic activity Football can lead to friendships as relationships seem to come easy when something as powerful as football holds people together. It is special in that it does have a ‘feel good’ factor and very few activities claim to offer as much excitement as football does. Therefore Christian participation in football can be viewed as part of a healthy, wholesome and balanced life.

In view of this massive cultural package that is football, the church and Christians do have a potential opportunity to make a significant impact on the football culture and the wider world through participation and effective engagement. Some of the six reasons mentioned above individually might be sufficient to encourage Christian participant in football but when considered as a whole, the social reasons for special focused church impact seem compelling because of how pervasive football culture has become. Whilst this may be a compelling motive to establish common ground between football and the Christian church, further understanding of what is the football culture is still needed before this engagement can be effective in terms of impact.

3/ What is football culture? Within wider society and sport in general, the sub culture of the “football world” has emerged over the last century and it has become increasingly important in our modern world. What we learn from studying humans in wider society can also be applied to studying people who are part of football culture. Obviously there is an overlap between football culture and general culture as football people inhabit both worlds but there do seem to be defining characteristics of the football culture that are helpful to consider in order for Christians to ‘fit in’ and be effective in their participation and impact upon the football world. However an evaluation of what is football culture is a difficult question to answer in view of the size (mass participation), breadth (multitude of football expressions) and depth (different levels of playing standards) of the football world. The fan watching football on the television is part of the football world just like the multi millionaire football star but their lives are very different and as a consequence Christian participation with each of these people could well look quite different too. Football culture is, of itself, too wide a group to consider as a whole because this could involve anything from supporters to elite superstars or a children’s school playground kick about to a World Cup Final. The Lausanne working group definition39 of culture is ‘an integrated system of beliefs, values, customs of institutions which express those beliefs, values and customs which binds a society together and gives it a sense of identity, dignity, security and continuity.’ Therefore culture is the total way of life of people and football as a result is the total way of life of football people which will include behaviour, language, customs, ideas, assumptions, learning from childhood, accumulated knowledge and an integrated system that is continually changing, moving and developing. In this paper some of these aspects will be highlighted as football culture is considered. In order to understand the football culture better, a breakdown of football into cultural categories (that could be considered to proximate to the standard of football but not exactly) is offered. Hence a very general categorisation is provided to help understand

39 Taken from the working documents during the Lausanne conferences in the early 1970’s.

9 participation in the football world more easily. Thus the football experience (a combination of mindset, perspective and ability) may be categorized in the following way40:

3.1/ Spectators. The largest people group within the football culture are spectators as usually regardless of involvement of football at some point most people are spectators of football. This includes attendance at events or having access to following football through the media. Spectators are vicariously involved in the football action and sometimes perceive football heroes to be successful not only in their sport but in other areas of life. Often spectators will watch a variety of football matches at various levels but usually their allegiance will be focused on one team in particular leading to passionate expressions of devotion in dress, language, time commitments and social networks. Therefore the sense of identity, self esteem and belonging to a football club can be very visible in dress, language and behaviour.

3.2/ Novices (predominantly youth football). Novice includes people who are new or at an introductory standard to football, therefore skills tend to be at a basic level with little or no level of experience but these people are active learners who are seeking to improve performance. Within this category adults could be included as they can learn football as well but generally because of the wide spread pervasion of football; this is a category with a focus on children and youth. Football activity for novices can include competition nights, tournaments, camps, clinics, teams, leagues, after school football programmes and coaching maybe even up to college and academy programme levels. There has been a particular strong Christian emphasis within this sub category through youth focuses football programmes such as soccer schools, schools work and youth teams and tournaments.

3.3/ Leisure (recreation football). Most football participants are part of this category of football culture. Football for these people is played recreationally with the emphasis on fun, fitness and enjoyment. These people are attracted to football activities that encourage participation rather than performance or winning. This could include park football, pick up games and social times around participation in football. These activities could well be organized but the emphasis is on participation and a hobby to be enjoyed. A number of churches around the world do organise recreational football activities e.g. spontaneous ‘kick-abouts’ and organised mass participation football events.

3.4/ Players (Could well be serious amateur or semi pro levels). This player category encompasses a wide spectrum of ages and involvement in football (player, coach, official, administrator etc) but several features are generally present.41 There is a:  Performance oriented focus from participants

40 The breakdown offered and resulting explanation is only a summary and an application to football culture of what is covered in much greater depth in McCown, L and Gin, V, J, Focus on Sport in Ministry. Marietta, 360 Sports, 2003. 41 http://www.servingthepeopleofsport.net/

10  Sense of identity, self worth and esteem found in the participants football experience  Perspective of participants seeing the world and themselves primarily through their football experiences;  Competitive mindset and an attitude that remains long after participation in football is over.

The characteristics of people in this category are competitiveness, performance based and internally driven to be the best. Whilst the title of this categorisation is ‘player’ it can include coaches, officials and administrators as well. The higher the level of competition the more sacrifices made by a player, the more important the performance, the greater the focus on ability levels and the sense of identity found within the sport. Often self-image is linked to football with the result that the player’s lifestyle and experience can be affected especially if known in the community. For some people in this category their football defines their lives and they define themselves by their football. If you ask them to tell you a bit about themselves, they will say "I'm a football player", “I’m a football referee” or "I'm a football coach"; therefore they identify themselves through football. Training and sacrifice (physical, social and pleasure pursuits) are often priorities for players and as a result other interests and relationships can be impacted. The impact on family life can be significant as a result because it has to tolerate the highs and lows of the football experience as well put up with unsociable hours. Player participation by Christians has often been through playing/coaching teams (Church based and secular), tours, coaching programmes, tournaments, officiating and administration. Players as a group are different from the other categories considered so far in that much of their identity is linked to their football rather than outside of it i.e. it will be of greater importance in their life in terms of who they are than say their occupation or relationships. There will be a dominant achievement pursuit mentality within the culture of competitive football that is beyond just physical exertion for fitness but a focus on success and even glory. Someone who plays competitive football will usually emphasise the importance of winning, training and performance especially if their identity and sense of self-worth is tied up in their sport.

3.5/ Elite (could well be pro-level). An elite footballer has all the characteristics of the player but with the additions of extra weight of expectation and greater rewards. There is the greater opportunity to fail because the benefit gains from participating at this level in football e.g. financial rewards, kit, special coaching, travel opportunities and other privileges can be very tangible and attractive. Football can give status leading to thinking with an elite mentality which may well never be lost even beyond playing days. There is a huge psychological significance when moving from player to elite standard in that performance becomes more important. Within the world of football the shift from player to elite could be easily typified in the shift from amateur/semi pro to professional level with the resulting financial, time and social impact that such a shift in standard could cause. Thus the elite player devotes a great deal of attention to the issue of how to prepare for the game because performance is so important at this level. However, identity questions could well arise e.g. do people like the elite football person because of who they are or because they are a top player? The social complexity of this role means identity could start to be performance based i.e. a sense of self worth could

11 be linked to the last game played, medals won etc thus creating instability, excessive mood swings, self doubt etc. The pressure to win is no longer just for oneself but for possibly the family who sacrificed so much, the expectations of representing a community of people and this social complexity results in more pressure to win. There is complexity in relationships in that a team-mate one day can be a rival on the next day for a place at higher level. In training an elite player is co-operating with people with whom they could well be competing with for a place in the starting line-up. As competition within the team increases, relationships within the team can become strained and even break down. Therefore the elite footballer shares much of the same characteristics as a player but there is a greater fear of failure due to the increased pressure to perform as it may well impact their livelihood. Relationships can be a problem for these players because of the fame. Therefore it is difficult for elite players to know real friendship because sometimes people associate with them for vicarious glory. Many of these elements are found in football because of the global popularity and central role of the sport. Through involvement in playing, coaching, chaplaincy and mentorship, Christians can come alongside football people participating within this competitive environment.

3.6/ High Profile (Could well be internationally renowned players). A high profile player has all the player and elite characteristics but with the addition of greater the fame from being very well known not just in a team, town but more at country or international level. Often high profile players cannot go out and do ‘normal things’ because of their fame and resulting attention off people. Celebrity status can be achieved because of sporting prowess with the resulting wealth and pampering that comes with such a position. This is the smallest and most exclusive category within the football culture and as a result high profile football people sometimes feel exempt from society’s rules. The experience of being idolised by fans means little privacy for these people. Whatever is experienced by elite football people is taken to another level of intensity in the high profile category.

Some observations on such a categorization. a) There will be some overlap between categories across football and as the individual’s perceptions plus recognition develop and change over time e.g. moving from a novice to player to elite to high profile. The nature of the characteristics will intensify. Additionally it can be difficult at times to clarify where some players fit into which categories e.g. when does a player becomes an elite football person? b) A greater sense of identity for the individual is found within football as you move from categories 3.4) - 3.6) i.e. the right hand side of the map in the next section see figure 1 below. Additionally the pressure of the importance of “win/lose” individual performance mindset generally increases across the categories as you move from categories 3.4) - 3.6).

4/ How can effective engagement with the football culture be mapped out? Whilst the summary above provides a very basic breakdown of football sub cultures, it does not particularly provide guidelines on how Christians can participate effectively within these sub cultures. Lowrie McCown in his book ‘Focus on Sport in Ministry’ sought to address this

12 issue42 by adding a spiritual dimension to the breakdown of sports sub-cultures thus creating a ministry in sport map (Copyright Lowrie B McCown – [email protected] see figure 1 below).

Figure 1 – McCown Sport in Ministry Map

Christ Like

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0 -1 El Novice Leis Player, -2 ite , ure, perfor Hi Occasi -3 mance S Spor g onal oriente pe t for -4 h player fitne d pr ct -5 at ss of -6 or ile , -7 Fa n Atheist

In his map, McCown on the horizontal axis places the sport sub divisions highlighted in the previous section and then adds a spiritual dimension (the Engels Evangelism Scale43) which is superimposed to provide a map like grid. Thus the potential spiritual progress of people who are part of the sports culture can be visualised which can be a useful tool when assessing Christian engagement with football.

a) The Sport in Ministry Quadrant approach. As a result of the intersection of the vertical spiritual axis with the horizontal sport experience axis, 4 clear quadrants (see figure 2 below) emerge that can help shape not only Christian participation with football but intentional Christian engagement with football to impact the culture for good.

Quadrant 1 - Mass appeal, evangelistic programmes for fans & recreation level participants. Quadrant 2 - Evangelistic outreach to competitive football people. Quadrant 3 - Discipleship of recreational football people and fans. Quadrant 4 - Specialized appeal of following up experienced competitive football people.

42 McCown, L and Gin, V, J, Focus on Sport in Ministry. Marietta, 360 Sports, 2003. 43 The Engels Evangelism Scale is a line of spiritual advancement with the idea that a relationship with God is a journey from no belief (atheism) at -10 towards increasing revelation that leads to receiving Christ at the axis crossing point of 0 and further spiritual growth onto being Christ-like at +10. For each person this journey of spiritual progression with Christ will take different length of time with spurts of growth, stagnation and even back sliding in development. This concept of a spiritual journey with Christ can be helpful in assessing where a person (including sports people) is at in their relationship with Christ.

13 Therefore on the left hand side of the map in Quadrants 1 & 3 the emphasis will tend to be on “Presenting Christ through Football” i.e. Teaching Biblical concepts and spiritual truth through the illustrations provided by football stories to be spiritually applied to the lives of spectators, novices and recreation people either to move them towards Christ, come to Christ or grow in Christ-likeness. This would be very much the approach of the Apostle Paul in the Bible using sport illustrations to teach spiritual truth to his listeners. On the right hand side of the map in Quadrants 2 & 4 – the emphasis will tend to be on the “Presence of Christ in Football” i.e. Use of the shared football experience as Christians participate at this level. This bridge of participation facilitates the passing on of biblical truth that could lead to application for the football person in either their football or life, thus offering the possibility of players, elite and high profile to move towards Christ, come to Christ or grow in Christ likeness. Working with people on the left hand side of the map will differ from working with people on the right hand side of the map. Therefore the most effective mission engagement will be the one where the football activity or participation is set to match the ability of the football people involved i.e. novices grouped with novices, players grouped with players etc. An activity for elite football people (where a competitive performance orientated emphasis dominates) but is focused on recreation (participation for fun) football people would not be a comfortable experience nor a sustainable activity as recreational football people would feel out of their depth and not continue. Alternatively setting up a novice training session for an adult player would not be well received as the player would feel patronized and not taken seriously enough. Similarly a Christian participant in football will find greater success in effective engagement if the level of participation is set correctly. A recreational standard player with a recreational mindset will struggle to gain acceptance on the sports-field with say elite players due to the gulf in thinking, attitude and ability. Alternatively an elite player could struggle with feelings of frustration at participating in sport at lower levels thus causing tensions both within the player and for other participants. Therefore activity should match ability and mindset of participants so as to prevent either possible anxiety or boredom of a one size fits all approach to football mission. On the bottom half of the map in Quadrants 1 & 2 the emphasis on intentional Christian mission engagement with the football world is evangelism i.e. communicate the good news of Jesus Christ in the hope of moving people towards accepting Christ as their Lord and Saviour. On the top half of the map in Quadrants 3 & 4 the emphasis on intentional Christian mission engagement with the football world is discipleship i.e. helping people to grow up in their relationship with Christ.

14 Figure 2 - McCown Sport in Ministry Map - Engel scale

Discipleship: Presence of Christ in Sport

3 +10 4 +8 'In Christ' +5 Spectator Leisure +3 Elite Novice Player High Profile -3 -5 1 2 'Toward -8 Christ' -10 Evangelism: Presenting Christ through Sport

Bringing all these underpinning elements together produces four main areas of focus for participation especially for mission purposes:44 i. Mission to the people of football – This is for people who play football at a competitive level (quadrants 2&4; players to high profile in Figures 1 and 2 of section 4/ in this training session) and is based around evangelism plus discipleship to reach what is perceived as un-reached people group by most Christians. Therefore this is a focus on Christian participation and involvement with players, coaches and officials who are actively part of the football culture at a competitive level. ii. Mission through the people of football – This is where churches use football as a platform for sharing the truth of Jesus Christ. This has normally been done (but doesn’t have to be the case) through the faith stories of Christian players often by the testimony of high profile and elite players using their platform of popularity and position to communicate the Gospel with (usually) spectators and youth. Therefore this is where football is a mission platform in order to communicate faith. iii. Mission in and through the activity of football – The opportunity to experience sporting endeavour together can accelerate and enhance friendship from which football mission can take place. The relational connection that comes about easily through football makes this one of the most natural ways for Christians to share the love of Jesus. Therefore the sharing of the football activity/experience leads to enhanced opportunities for relationships and friendships that could be developed leading to ‘natural’ possible mission opportunities e.g. friendship evangelism. iv. Mission service in and through football activity – This area of football participation by Christians focuses on social concern and education. The characteristics of football and the opportunities it allows means that encouraging participation can help meet social, physical and mental needs in the world today. Therefore this mission focus

44 McCown, pp. 133-136 heading summary.

15 can be considered to be where humanitarian or social needs can be met through Christians and churches participating in football.

The Sport in Ministry map can provide a picture of the historical Muscular Christianity emphasis on making the bad of society good through evangelism (bottom of map Quadrants 1 & 2) and making the good of society better through discipleship (top of the map Quadrants 3 & 4). Thus in using this map, it is not necessarily creating a new model of Christian engagement with football but more a visual aid of a re- visitation of an older model of approach that still is being used today. However just as with the matching the football activity to the standard and mindset of the sports participant for effective engagement, care should be taken in the presentation of spiritual truth to match where the listener is at in their spiritual journey. Difficult theological concepts or Christian jargon could well be a barrier for people in the bottom half of the map who do not have a relationship with Christ or have little understanding of the Christian faith. Whereas receiving repeated Gospel messages would not help a Christian football person (top half of the map) grow as quickly as they could compared too if they were taught well in Biblical principles plus given ministry opportunities to develop their gifting, calling and Christian character. Therefore presentations and programmes should seek to match the spiritual understanding of participants so as to truly engage effectively with football people in their spiritual journey.

b) The Sport in Ministry Personal Approach. Whilst the Quadrant approach is helpful in general terms when considering Christian participation in football with a view for intentional mission engagement some people may wish to take it further i.e. Personalise their impact and engagement with football and explore a possible mission calling to the world of football. Therefore the map can be helpful when exploring further questions of personal mission calling, effective engagement with football people and possible strategic approaches in football mission. An initial application question might well be ‘Where would you locate yourself on the Map?’ In answering this question the potential participant does a sporting assessment of their involvement in football i.e. spectator, novice, recreation, player, elite or high profile level plus a spiritual assessment of where they are in their relationship to Christ. Thus as a result of answering these questions honestly the potential participant assesses their own God given gifting, ability and mindset as well as acceptance level amongst other football people. Following this personal assessment the potential participant can mark on the map where they are and this then provides visual foundation point for answering other mission questions. The next possible question to consider Is more focused on God given calling and passion as it seeks to address the issue of mission ‘target group’ that the potential participant is seeking to impact within football culture. Therefore the potential participant may ask ‘Where on the Map are the people you want to be involved with or reach out too?’ In answering this question it may be necessary to shade in an area of the map and shade in a number of areas due to differing groups of focus for the potential participant. These shaded areas could be very long i.e. covering a broad range of levels of spiritual understanding of Christ, or very wide i.e. in that a breadth of football standards are covered or very small focused shaded area e.g. outreach to un-churched novices. Whatever area is

16 drawn in the map it will provide a visual picture of God given calling and passion for the potential football participant. Another question that would naturally follow from the identification of a particular target people group within the football culture spectrum could be ‘What are the needs and interests of this particular group?’ In answering this question, greater understanding of this people group can be developed by the potential participant in order that engagement with this people group could be done from a position of knowledge and empathy. In seeking to understand the needs and interests of the people group, engagement can be more effective as either the activity of connection or sharing has a greater chance of being relevant to the receiver. E.g. the needs and interests of a novice un-churched football person would be very different from a believing high profile player. A novice un-churched football person could appreciate football coaching and equipment whereas the high profile Christian player may want friendship and support in maintaining their witness under the glare and pressure of the media. Assessing needs and interests will help in developing effective strategies for engagement and impact on football culture. In terms of strategizing about effective approaches in mission to the chosen football people group, the following question may be helpful ‘What do you need to do to be more effective in integrating (incarnating principle as modelled by Christ and taught by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23) with the group you seek to reach out too?’The response to this question might be very practical e.g. wearing the colours of the fans you are reaching out too, acquiring coaching badges to help novices in their football etc or the response to this question might be an attitude change e.g. Be less competitive with recreational players, look for ways to serve elite players etc. The focus in answering this question is to look to a) reduce the barriers and b) build bridges between the potential participant and people group. Ongoing questions of evaluation about effective engagement might be ‘Has the football activity you are involved with matched the ability level of the participants?’ and ‘What adjustments will you have to make to increase or reduce the level of difficulty to prevent boredom or anxiety?’ In answering these evaluation questions, the hope is to keep reducing barriers and to keep building bridges in order that the potential participant is truly incarnated and effective amongst the people group of their calling. Through this process of personal questioning the desire is to make Christian participation in football effective, through being rooted in Biblical values and community. The potential participant is responsible for the delivery of mission activity within the football culture in order that football is kept as ‘football’ because the game can be at risk through putting it down or promoting it too much. In treating football with a combination of a balanced perspective and a sense of integrity, transformation within individuals and even in the wider sub cultures may well be possible through effective engagement by Christians.

Conclusion. In seeking to answer the question of ‘Why is football culture?” in this paper within a context of a Christian desire to make a positive impact upon the culture, a number of significant insights have been highlighted as a result of considering the specialness of football from historical, philosophical, sociological and practical perspectives. Thus a breadth of argument has emerged for particular attention (and some may even argue for a priority emphasis) to be paid on engagement with football by the Christian church today. Therefore whilst considering the ‘what is football culture?’ question is important it should

17 not be done in isolation from God’s broader Biblical mandates on mission for truly effective participation and impact within the world of football. Some aspects of these broader biblical mandates e.g. ethics will be considered in other papers at this conference.

Bibliography and Additional Reading.

Books;

Coakley, J, J, Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies. Fifth Edition. St.Louis: Mosby, 1994.

Connor, S, Sports Outreach: Principles and Practise for Successful Sports Ministry. Tain: Christian Focus Publications, 2003.

Garner, J (ed), Recreation and Sports Ministry: Impacting Post-modern Culture. Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003.

Ladd, T and Mathisen, J A, Muscular Christianity: Evangelical Protestants and the Development of American Sport. Grand Rapids: Bridge Point Books, 1999.

McCown, L and Gin, V, J, Focus on Sport in Ministry. Marietta, 360 Sports, 2003

Saunders, M, England’s Messiah, Authentic Media; Milton Keynes, 2004

Weir, S, More than Champions, Marshall Pickering, London, 1993.

Weir, S, What the book says about Sport. Oxford: Bible Reading Fellowship, 2000.

Journals

Coleman, J, “Sport and the Contradictions of Society.” International Journal for Theology 5, 205: (1985), 21-31.

Watson, N J, Weir, S & Friend, S, “Muscular Christianity and beyond”. Journal of Religion and Society, 2005, 1-33.

Websites www.thefa.com http://www.servingthepeopleofsport.net/

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