Fact 1...75% of 9-13-year-olds play at least 27 minutes of football a day. Football is a part of contemporary culture that young people have a high level of contact with - they are excited about watching football, playing football, and buying the latest kit.

Fact 2...Young people aged 9-13 are a massively under-resourced age group in churches. Spanning the 'tweenager' and 'tweenie' age zones, young people of this age are increasingly fashion-aware, media-savvy and worldly-wise. They don't regard themselves as children but are not yet adults.

This new book addresses both the need and the cultural interest.

In 10 sessions, this book tackles some of the central Christian beliefs using the features of football to help your youth group connect with the theological message in terms they can relate to - from Fans (God's Great Love for us) to Team Tactics (the Church as a Body) - with an introduction to the book covering all you need to consider in terms of health and safety, child protection, and how to handle the aspects of football culture that are not always very godly.

Mixing it up with Football will help young people to engage with their faith with the same enthusiasm with which they hit the football pitch!

Each session is divided into five parts and includes photocopiable material:

• Beforehand (to help leaders prepare the session)
• Opening Activity (introducing the session to the young people in an interactive and fun format)
• Football Focus (exploring the theme for the session, discussion and feedback)
• Bible Focus (a Bible verse that deals with the Christian perspective of the theme)
• Prayer Response (prayer activity drawing on the theme and giving space for response)