I Googled all the whole England women’s football squad to find out if they were Christians and here’s what I learned

It’s Women’s Football World Cup and after the Lioness’ historic win at the 2022 UEFA Women’s Championship, we’ve got high hopes that it will, once more, be coming home. After coming fourth in 2019 and third in 2015, everyone is watching with bated breath in the hope that this will be their year.

I have a tendency to get really invested in my favourite shows/films/sports teams, and I often find myself glued to screens wondering – I love them but do they love Jesus? If you would like answers to this question too, I am here to serve. I’ve spent the day doing a Google deep dive into the faith of all 23 members of the squad and I’ve got the lowdown for you:

No mention of faith

Unlike the men’s football team, the women have given far fewer interviews online where they reference any religious beliefs. For these players, I couldn’t find any mention of religion online at all.

·       Hannah Hampton, 22 (Chelsea, 2 caps)

·       Millie Bright, 29 (Chelsea, 66 caps, 5 goals)

·       Lucy Bronze, 31 (Barcelona, 105 caps, 12 goals)

·       Jess Carter, 25 (Chelsea, 18 caps, 1 goal)

·       Esme Morgan, 22 (Manchester City, 5 caps)

·       Georgia Stanway, 24 (Bayern Munich, 50 caps, 15 goals)

·       Rachel Daly, 31 (Aston Villa, 69 caps, 13 goals)

·       Katie Robinson, 20 (Brighton & Hove Albion, 5 caps)

·       Alessia Russo, 24 (Unattached, 22 caps, 11 goals)

Non-religious

The internet suggested that the following players are completely devoid of religious beliefs. This, of course, doesn’t mean it’s a fact. No one knows what’s in someone’s heart, but it does mean that bloggers and updaters of Wikipedia pages believe it to be the case. Prayer shawls at the ready, these women could still do with a dose of the good news:

·       Alex Greenwood, 29 (Manchester City, 75 caps, 5 goals), stated that she “doesn’t consider herself a religious person.”

·       Bethany England, 29 (Tottenham Hotspur, 21 caps, 11 goals), is the only player who the internet suggests is a confirmed atheist.

Could be Christian

The following is a list of people who the internet considers to be Christian. In some cases there’s a pretty loose justification for this assumption. Some have been labelled Christians because they went to Church of England schools, or because they have a name that’s also from the Bible. With not one of the team outwardly speaking about their faith, it’s hard to know if this information is accurate. So let’s say that these players are “assumed Christian” or “culturally Christian”:

·       Mary Earps, 30 (Manchester United, 34 caps)

·       Ellie Roebuck, 23 (Manchester City, 11 caps)

·       Niamh Charles, 24 (Chelsea, 7 caps)

·       Lotte Wubben-Moy, 24 (Arsenal, 10 caps)

·       Laura Coombs, 32 (Manchester City, 5 caps)

·       Jordan Nobbs, 30 (Aston Villa, 71 caps, 8 goals)

·       Ella Toone, 23 (Manchester United, 32 caps, 16 goals)

·       Keira Walsh, 26 (Barcelona, 59 caps)

·       Lauren Hemp, 22 (Manchester City, 38 caps, 10 goals)

·       Lauren James, 21 (Chelsea, 11 caps, 1 goal)

·       Chloe Kelly, 25 (Manchester City, 26 caps, 6 goals)

·       Katie Zelem, 27 (Manchester United, 8 caps)

The Woman Alive podcast is out now! Available on Premier.plus, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Please do rate and review the podcast and share the episodes you’ve enjoyed, with the women – or indeed men! – in your life.