"Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that."
An illustrated history of Tottenham Hotspur
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Bob Goodwin, Derby: Breedon Books, 1995
NB This is not a book review as such – rather, a summary of material on the Christian origins of the club.
Boys from St John’s School formed a cricket club in 1880 and two years later a football club. A football pitch was needed and the boys approached John Ripsher, s warden of the local YMCA who also held Bible classes at the local Parish Church. At a later stage the vicar of Tottenham helped find a better pitch at Dorset Villas – with a condition attached that the players should attend church on Wednesday evenings.
The books tells of a situation where they had no ball for the following day’s game. Ripsher’s reply was “The Lord will provide” and he duly turned up with two balls the following day.