Remembrance weekend to be commemorated by the Premier League, FA and EFL.
The Premier League, The FA, EFL and the PFA are joining forces under the banner of ‘Football Remembers’ to mark the Armistice Centenary and Remembrance weekend.
On 11 November 1918, the Armistice was signed, signalling the end of World War One. One century on, England’s four football bodies will be part of the nationwide commemorations, with support from Premier League Clubs, EFL Clubs and the English national teams paying tribute through a variety of activities.
Remembrance Sunday coincides with the Armistice Centenary, and a range of Football Remembers activity will take place over the weekends leading up to 11 November to mark the efforts of servicemen and women, past and present. Bespoke commemorative coins from the Royal British Legion will be used for the coin toss at every Premier League, EFL and FA Cup match to pay tribute and say thank you to all those involved in the First World War.
In the build-up to Remembrance weekend, Football Remembers will also be backing a number of related projects, including For Club and Country, for which Premier League and EFL clubs across the country will plant trees at their stadiums and training grounds, serving as living legacies to the hundreds of footballers who served and fell in the First World War. Through For Club and Country, which is run in partnership with the Woodland Trust and the National Football Museum, The FA and England planted trees at St George’s Park in memory of the 14 internationals who served in World War One.
Launched in March and continuing through to November, the Tull100 project is using the story of Walter Tull to inspire a series of inclusion projects at football Clubs and community organisations around the country. Walter Tull was one of the first black heritage professional footballers and in 1917 he became the first black heritage Infantry Officer in the British Army.
In a more artistic tribute, the four football bodies are sponsoring The Greater Game at Waterloo East Theatre, a play that tells the story of Clapton Orient and the men who swapped the football fields of London for the battle fields of the Somme in 1916.
In addition, Football Remembers will be promoting the Games of Remembrance which see the British Army and German Army football teams competing in memory of those who fought so bravely decades ago. Two fixtures will take place in Nottingham on Thursday 8 November with Notts County hosting the Women’s game at 12pm and Nottingham Forest hosting the Men’s match at 7pm.
Other events and initiatives taking place across the game over the coming weeks will form part of the Football Remembers initiative and be promoted by The FA, Premier League, EFL and PFA.