Brian Glynn, Communications Officer
What do you get when you combine over 100 years of professional football experience with a delicious curry?
Write your own punchline… but this isn’t a joke; it’s exactly what happened in September as Derby City Church invited Graham Daniels to host an evening with Steve Spooner and Darren Moore at Okra Curry House. The evening was a chance to invite guests to listen to Steve and Darren sharing stories from their playing and coaching careers, and how their faith in Christ shaped, and continues to shape their lives throughout the highs and lows of top-level sport.
Steve enjoyed an EFL career spanning three decades before transitioning to coaching. He was one of a small number of Christian professional footballers who connected together in the 1970s, including Graham Daniels.
![A gathering of Christian professional footballers in 1976 including Steve Spooner [pictured centre].](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0a3424_2b84a452ae934ed7b4c3a4f2b4aef8f8~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_49,h_28,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0a3424_2b84a452ae934ed7b4c3a4f2b4aef8f8~mv2.png)
Darren played nearly 300 Championship games and over 80 in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion and Derby County. He has since spent almost a decade in management and is well known within the game for speaking openly about his Christian faith.
![Darren Moore [pictured right] played over 350 games across the Premier League & Championship](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0a3424_f531d59d132a409290bb650d0d4cb506~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_98,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0a3424_f531d59d132a409290bb650d0d4cb506~mv2.jpg)
Graham reflected:
“It was a brilliant evening put on by the church. Darren has just been appointed to coach England’s Men’s U20s and Steve recently retired after 50 years in the professional game, so the insight into professional football was incredible, combined with both men sharing their testimonies and hopes for the future.”
After being interviewed, a Q&A was held before Graham gave a short explanation of the Christian faith, tying together the themes discussed throughout the evening. Andy Lenton, Pastor of Derby City Church, then concluded the evening with an invite to their upcoming Alpha course.
Darren enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on over 30 years in football:
“It was a great evening sharing the joys I’ve found in the lord throughout my career to date and how grateful I am to be able to share this with others. It’s wonderful to see how the Lord continues to be ever present in my life in football and is there for all who know him and seek Him.”
Steve shared his encouragements from the event:
“Hosting the evening at a curry house made for a relaxed atmosphere for guests – and it was really well attended. There was great conversation long after the event concluded and the feedback has been very positive. A pastor from another church shared with me that someone is attending Alpha off the back of it which is a wonderful outcome to praise God for.”
Christians in Sport have had the privilege of working within professional football, from almost day one of its inception to today – 50 years on – when the number of Christian players has grown from a handful to 75% of clubs in the top six tiers having Christian players in first team squads.
Individuals like Steve and Darren have been among the drivers of this change, faithfully living and speaking for Jesus, connecting faith in Christ with elite sport in a context where this had seemed implausible.