Bolton Wanderers fan Phil Mason is the only full-time chaplain in the English game — now he is on a mission to spread his message of faith, family and football. Fellow Whites supporter Steven Thompson went to meet him at a very different kind of pre-match warm-up.

I AM sat in the Whites Hotel, overlooking the pitch at the Macron Stadium, ahead of the big game.

It is an hour before kick-off and on a big screen, we are watching highlights from Whites' defeat away to Blackburn Rovers, while town centre chaplain Keith Armstrong gives his views on why Wanderers have conceded so many last minute goals of late. He does an admirable job but he is no Alan Hansen.

Around me are a handful of young families who have come along to Faith Family Football (FFF) — an attempt by Whites chaplain Phil Mason to introduce a different kind of pre-match experience to the Macron Stadium.

The pre-match get-togethers involve an interactive 45-minute discussion on topics such as teamwork, leadership and courage.

There is also a bit of punditry on previous games, sometimes a football quiz (our table won, thanks mainly to me), and some games for the youngsters.

There have been FFF events before the home games against Huddersfield and Brighton and this is the third and final session of the season.

"I did some research a while ago as chaplain and spoke to players about what were the most important things to them as footballers," explains Mason.

"These were the three words which came up most — faith, family and football.

"Taking that motto, we thought it would be good to have an event where we explore that along with a bit of pre-match punditry.

"We talk about what it is to be part of a team and part of a family and also explore issues of faith.

"We look at things like teamwork and leadership, or aspirations and courage, for example.

"It is about having faith, not just in God but in yourself and others — in the the team and in the town."

Millwall are the visitors today — often a testing occasion for police — and Mr Mason gloomily predicts he won't see much of the game this afternoon.

He is club chaplain and head of Bolton Wanderers Community Trust — but on matchdays, he is also a safeguarding officer, meaning that if police have to detain anyone under 16, who does not have an adult with them, then Mr Mason is there to look after them.

He has become a well-known face around the club and the town. Formerly the minister at Bolton Methodist Mission at Victoria Hall, Mr Mason is now full-time chaplain at Whites, having originally done the job on a part-time basis.

He spearheaded the fundraising drive to build a statue of Wanderers legend Nat Lofthouse outside the ground and gained a national profile amid the media circus which surrounded the on-pitch collapse of Fabrice Muamba.

He visited the Whites star in London and prayed at his hospital bedside as the #prayformuamba Twitter hashtag

Mr Mason leads an annual service of remembrance at the club — a chance for Whites fans to remember loved ones — and has also been involved in much of Whites' charity work.

And last year Archbishop of York John Sentamu met Mr Mason at the Macron Stadium and spoke with him about Muamba's miraculous recovery.

FFF is free and families who attend also can take advantage of discounted £10 tickets.

It is essentially a short, snappy, 45-minute service — but there is no singing (they save that for during the game), no bible readings, lots of chat about football, and a prayer at the end. As Mr Mason himself says, it is very "light touch" in terms of religion.

It strikes me that going to the football is a lot like going to church. It is a regular event and you sit with the same people every week.

There is a sense of community there and there is definitely a need for faith in the team — especially if you are a Wanderers fan. Mr Mason agrees.

"I've often said that the stadium is very similar to a cathedral," he says.

"Getting people together from a across the town or community.

"It is interesting that people often express their faith within the stadium too. People get married here, they celebrate anniversaries and people will often have their loved ones' ashes scattered on the pitch. We also have our walkway of fame outside the entrance to the ground where people dedicate a brick to a loved one.

"People often say they don't have a faith — but through football they are expressing their faith by sticking with their team."

Mr Mason is joined at FFF by Mark Cowley who works for the Church of England as young adults missioner in Bolton.

His remit in his work for the Manchester Diocese is to reach you to young families and young people aged 18 to 40 — so when he found out about FFF he jumped at the chance to get involved.

"I have a strong belief in health and wellbeing and we want to present that through football," he says.

"Bolton Wanderers really plays its part in being a leader in the community.

"That's what a church does too. This initiative is great from my point of view — we are reaching out to young parents with young children.

"We are getting a good turn out and it seems to be working.

"Phil is pretty extraordinary. He is the only full-time chaplain of any football club and Bolton Wanderers, in terms of their community trust work, can be very proud of themselves. They are top of the league.

"Phil talks about this being something other clubs can learn from. It is pretty groundbreaking stuff."

The session ends with a prayer before we all dash off to take our seats for the game.

Whites are 2-0 up by half-time — the score stays that way giving us a much-needed win — and half way into the second half, I glance across to where Mr Mason usually sits, on the back row of the directors box.

He is still there. His prediction that he would be called into action has not come to pass. He must have prayed for a good result in more ways than one.

* More FFF events are planned for next season. For more information go to bwfcfff.blogspot.co.uk, twitter.com/bwfcfff or search for BWFC FFF on Facebook.