The prospect of attending an awards ceremony on a Sunday night is not something I generally much cherish. For me, the Sabbath is more about a very intense Mass, followed by a long period of reflection and an early night. But I’d been asked by the English Football League Awards to present the prize for best young player. This was an honour; it seemed churlish not to go.

The English Football League (EFL) is composed of the three divisions below the Premier League. It plays a distant second fiddle to the Premier League, but plays it very well. Its top division alone, the “Championship”, is the third most watched football league in Europe; more people attend matches in what is effectively our second division than go to the top divisions in either France, Italy or Spain. That’s pretty remarkable.

And Leagues One and Two (effectively our third and fourth divisions) are watched by crowds far bigger than anything you’ll see at comparative levels elsewhere in Europe. This strength in depth is something to celebrate. It’s where the soul of our national game lies.