A football predictions app devised by an office worker on his lunch breaks is nowbeing downloaded by thousands of people.

Former Chalvedon School pupil Daniel Macdonald’s Football Fortune app went live on Apple’s app store shortly before Christmas.

Its release was the culmination of more than a year of design work and fundraising efforts by the 21-year-old.

Daniel, of Ingaway, Basildon, designed the game as a way for people to make predictions without having to bet with money.

He said: “I was on a train home from London and I wanted to put a bet on the Champions League final, but I didn’t have any money.

“Straight away in my head I had the idea of creating something that would allow people to feel involved in the match without spending money.

“Around the world there are so many fans who are adults who don’t gamble or children. It’s such a big potential group.

“Starting the very next day, I spent the next two months at lunchtimes designing the app on Powerpoint, using squares and text boxes.”

Players are pitted against each other in a bid to correctly guess the results of football matches in Europe’s top leagues, as well as cup competitions such as the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Daniel approached app developers in the hope of bringing his idea to life, but was unable to afford the prices quoted to design the game.

He was then encouraged to approach investors to help fund the project.

Daniel said: “I had only ever watched Dragons’ Den, so I had no idea how the process worked.”

After months of rejection, he eventually managed to secure an investor who was willing to pay for the cost of creating the app.

Football Fortune became available for iPhone and iPad users to download in December, and Daniel has quit his job as an assistant underwriter for Lloyds of London to focus full-time on developing the concept.

Download the app for free by searching for Football Fortune on the Apple app store.