The fifth episode of our Football & Me series season three has been released, with an all-female panel joining ahead of International Women's Day to discuss the topic of faith and football.
Taking place at St. George's Park, the show was hosted by sports presenter Mina Ibrahim and broadcaster Virdi Mazaria, a former contestant on the BBC’s hit show ‘The Apprentice’.
They were joined by five special guests who work across all levels of the game and represent the major faiths of England - Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Jewish; Layla Banaras, Kira Rai, Charlotte Lynch, Chloe Morfey-Greenberg and Shruti Saujani.
And the conversations were based around a variety of topics about their own faith and their involvement and development in football.
Layla Banaras, who plays professionally with Birmingham City's U21 side, on a previous dual registration with Wolves, is Muslim and she revealed how growing up in Birmingham has allowed her to help explain and educate people around her beliefs.
"People do ask questions, because I wear leggings and always cover my legs when I play," she explained.
"So people are curious about that and it's about educating people and the communities have been very welcoming.
"I think Birmingham is a really multi-cultural city, with people from South Asian backgrounds, African backgrounds and loads of different religions."
Kira is also another high-level player, a midfielder for Derby County in the FA Women's National League with over 100 appearances under her belt, she's Sikh and admits she's heartened to see how the approach for South Asian girls playing football is changing.
"For me, football started in the garden with my dad and that was my first involvement," she revealed.
"Once I started school, a couple of the girls joined our local club Burton Albion at around six before I joined Derby at age ten.
"My parents and grandparents have always been so supportive since day one, but I know that hasn't always been the case for a lot of girls in my community back in the day.
"But that's changing now and it's really nice to see parents now showing the same sort of encouragement that I had when I was growing up."
For Charlotte Lynch, her Christian faith has been the bedrock of her career in football as a player, content creator and sports journalist.
"Football has so many highs and so many lows, one minute you can be starting all the games and the next minute you can be injured or a new manager comes in," she revealed.
"But my faith gives me that centredness and reminds me that beyond the pitch, I still have an identity.
"Whether that is praying, listening to gospel music or reading scripture before games, it gives me peace to just know that what happens in the game, it doesn't matter because I still have a purpose beyond the pitch."
For Chloe, who is Jewish and the founder and director of Beyond the Ball which provides football sessions for women and people from all backgrounds and abilities in London, it was football which provided her with solace while mourning the passing of her mother.
And now, with Beyond the Ball booming, she knows how important involvement and participation in football can be.
"We try and make sure when women come to the sessions that they feel able to bring their whole self, whatever that might mean," she said.
"For them to be able to dress comfortably in whatever they want to wear and to make sure that no matter how they play of the level of their ability, they're not judged by anybody."
Shruti, who works as an EDI lead for FA Education, came into football from a previous role in cricket which has given her an insight into how powerful sport can be in changing representation.
"The challenges are similar across sport in terms of representation and we often talk about 'if you can't see it, you can't be it' and I think that rings true across all sports," she added.
"There are opportunities across football for under-represented groups but the power of sport to connect communities and unite the nation is huge and we have such an incredible sport to do that.
"We're on a journey...there's been huge building blocks built and the moment we see representation is another block. We have to continue to adapt and be agile and make sure we meet the needs of our audiences.
See all episodes of Football and Me here:
Seasons 1 and 2
Season 3
