Oldham Athletic will be commemorating the centenary of one of the most iconic moments of the First World War - the 1914 Christmas Truce – as part of a week of remembrance activity in December 2014.
'Football Remembers Week' will take place from 5-14 December. A joint collaboration between The FA, the Premier League, the Football League and the British Council. The aim is to engage football fans and players at every level about what took place on Christmas Day one hundred years ago on the battlefields in Belgium.
On 25 December 1914, soldiers from both sides put down their weapons and crossed into ‘no man’s land’ to share in an impromptu ceasefire. First-hand accounts from the time include references to football being played and photographs taken.
All photos uploaded to social media using #footballremembers will be automatically uploaded to a special website – www.footballremembers.com. The site shall act as a moment of record of football in 2014, a century on from the First World War, and will be preserved for future generations.
HRH The Duke of Cambridge, President of The FA, said: "It promises to be a powerful way to engage and educate young people about such an important moment in our history. We all grew up with the story of soldiers from both sides putting down their arms on Christmas Day, and it remains wholly relevant today as a message of hope over adversity, even in the bleakest of times."
How it will work:
- For ALL matches taking place from 5-14 December, all players involved will pose together in a mixed group photograph as a mark of respect to those on both sides that took part in the 1914 Christmas Truce.
- Fans, teams and schools will be asked to upload their pre-match pictures via social media over the course of Football Remembers Week. Any match of any size can be uploaded, from school to Sunday league fixtures, five-a-side matches to kickabouts in the back garden.
- Those posting photos to social media should use #footballremembers to ensure it is uploaded to the special footballremembers.com website. Any other information is welcome.
- The website shall act as a moment of record of football in 2014, a century on from the First World War, and will be preserved for future generations.