Early life
Daniels grew up in Llanelli, South Wales, and attendedPlaying career
Daniels joined Cardiff City as a schoolboy, then continued playing for the youth and reserve teams alongside studying philosophy atManagerial roles
At the age of 29, Daniels took up the role of player-coach at Sudbury Town in the Southern League. He became the manager of Histon in theFootball Director
Daniels returned to Cambridge United to inaugurate and chair the Cambridge United Community Trust in 2010. The Trust has had a significant impact on the city and has earned recognition at local and national level, in particular in relation to mental health issues. Daniels joined the club's main board in September 2013. When Paul Barry purchased the club, he seconded Daniels to become Director of Football from 2017 to 2020. Daniels helped guide the club through a turbulent time on and off the pitch, and worked alongside Ben Strang, who was appointed Head of Football, to develop a long-term leadership and management strategy. During this period, Cambridge United went through a rebuilding phase, strengthening its board and building a structure on the playing side which led to Mark Bonner becoming head coach in 2020. At that point, Strang was promoted to Sporting Director and Daniels stepped back from the Director of Football role to return to his previous, non-executive role on the board as the U's went on to win promotion to League One in 2021. When Cambridge United created a women's team board in 2022, Daniels became an inaugural memberChristians in Sport
Daniels became a Christian during his playing career at Cambridge United and moved to Cambridge City in order to combine his football career with theological studies at the University of London and Tyndale House (Cambridge) between 1985 and 1989. On completing his training for Christian ministry, Daniels joined the staff of Christians in Sport in 1989 and was appointed General Director in April 2002. In light of his experience in combining the Christian faith with professional football, Daniels has published two popular books explaining the relationship between Christianity and Sport - Born to Play and My Mate's Gone Mad. The growing cultural interest in mental health led Daniels to explore the relationship between Christian faith and athletic well-being. In 2020 he published a joint paper on 'Sports Chaplaincy, Theology and Social Theory Disrupting Performance-Based Identity in Elite Sporting Contexts'. Daniels gained a PhD for his thesis entitled 'Identity Formation in Christian Professional Footballers' from the University of Gloucestershire in 2022 and was appointed Associate of Ridley Hall Theological College, Cambridge. In the summer of 2023, a 14-year-old girl died at an event organised by Christians in Sport, held at Repton School.Public speaking
Daniels has been a regular speaker at St Andrew the Great Church, Cambridge since October 2000 and frequently hosts the Christians in Sport podcast. He has spoken widely about the themes of faith and sport on mainstream media channels including Sky Sports, Talksport, the BBC and in podcast interviews.Personal life
Daniels is married to Michelle. They have three children and five grandchildren.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Graham Living people 1962 births Alumni of the University of Gloucestershire Cambridge City F.C. managers Cambridge City F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Footballers from Llanelli Men's association football midfielders Men's association football fullbacks Welsh football managers Welsh men's footballers Welsh Protestant ministers and clergy English Football League players