Joey Barton has become a member of the National Secular Society.
The Queens Park Rangers captain recently called for Britain to become a secular state and said that if he were prime minister he would privatise religion.
He has also called for the disestablishment of the Church of England, saying the state should remain neutral on matters of religion, and an end to public funding of faith-based schools.
Stephen Evans, the society’s campaign manager, said it was “great to have the Queen’s Park Rangers midfield general on the team”.
He added: “It’s really encouraging to see public figures like Joey acknowledging the appeal of secularism and the need for the Church of England to stand on its own two feet like any other church.”
In 2013 Barton began a course at Roehampton University studying philosophy.
