Graham Daniels grew up with football in his blood, signing for Cardiff City as a young player while still at school.

He went on to study philosophy at Cardiff University, playing for the club throughout his studies but it wasn't until he reached 21, that he really gave his life to Christ.

Rather than leaving football behind, Daniels found a way to weave his sporting career together with a call to ministry. He played professionally for Cambridge United and then Cambridge City, all while pursuing theological training. He has also moved into football management too, taking charge at Sudbury Town, Histon, and eventually Cambridge City.

In 1989, upon completing his ministry training, Daniels joined the staff of Christians in Sport, a UK charity dedicated to reaching athletes and the sporting world with The Gospel. He became its General Director in 2002 and has held the role for decades.

Daniels later earned a PhD for research into identity formation among Christian professional footballers, and has written and co-authored several books exploring the relationship between faith and sport, including Born to Play.

In this episode of The Profile he speaks to deputy editor Emma Fowle about the huge numbers of Christians he now sees in sport, how he avoids profiles of 'famous' athletes and the support Christians in Sport shows to young people in clubs around the country.

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Released on 13 Aug 2026