The unexpected Christian roots of Premier League football

This Saturday lunchtime, Tottenham Hotspur play Aston Villa in the Premier League. More than 60,000 people will fill the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and millions more will follow the game around the world. But behind these two global football clubs lies a surprising story: Bible classes.

Aston Villa’s connection is particularly direct. In 1874, four members of the Male Adult Bible Class at Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel decided they needed a winter sport to complement the chapel’s cricket club. They chose football. Aston Villa was born.

Tottenham’s story is slightly different. In 1882, a group of schoolboys who played cricket together decided to form a football team. The following year, John Ripsher, their Bible-class teacher at All Hallows Church, became the club’s first president.