ACADEMY U12S TAKE THIRD PLACE IN TRUCE TOURNAMENT

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U12s combine football and education as they learn more about the Windrush generation

2023-11-28T17:00:00.000Z

ACADEMY U12S TAKE THIRD PLACE IN TRUCE TOURNAMENT

U12s combine football and education as they learn more about the Windrush generation

2023-11-28T17:00:00.000Z

U12s combine football and education as they learn more about the Windrush generation

Burnley FC Academy U12s travelled to the Premier League Truce Qualifying Tournament this month, with the youth side putting in a strong performance both on and off the pitch.

The tournament forms part of a two-part football and education competition, to win a place at the Christmas Truce Tournament in Ypres Belgium, during December.

The qualifiers are held annually at RAF Cosford in Wolverhampton on Remembrance Weekend, with the winners of each group qualifying for the tournament in Ypres.

In conjunction with the tournament itself, an education challenge is also held, where players take part in a series of workshops to learn more about the Truce, with the top two projects winning a spot at the main event in Belgium.

Burnley faced Liverpool, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Leeds United, and the Clarets put on a strong display finishing the day with 10 points from a possible 15, just two behind overall winners Liverpool.

ACADEMY U12S TAKE THIRD PLACE IN TRUCE TOURNAMENT - Image 1

A pre-tournament remembrance ceremony saw three Academy members play key roles, Michael Levandis read ‘In Flanders Field’, Obed Mensah recited the names of all Burnley FC players and staff who fought in the war, and Carter McDevitt laid a wreath.

When the action got underway again the Under 12s claimed victory over Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Leeds United and drew with Sunderland, just narrowly missing out on qualification. Despite not qualifying, some key moments included William Stanley-Jones’ late goal to beat Manchester City, and Harvey Kopczak’s last minute penalty save to beat Middlesborough.

Off the pitch, the players and staff were busy putting the finishing touches to their educational project, which saw the group engage with Burnley FC in the Community to write postcards from the Windrush generation and send them to local school children who had also been learning about the topic.

The activity allowed the U12s to picture what it would be like for the Windrush generation, with the postcards covering how they would be feeling approaching Britain and the circumstances which would have led to them being on the boat.

ACADEMY U12S TAKE THIRD PLACE IN TRUCE TOURNAMENT - Image 2

The players found the experience valuable and offered the following feedback:

“I enjoyed working with my team off the pitch.” - Roman Walker

“It was fun to learn about different times throughout history.” - Michael Levendis

“I enjoyed learning about the footballers who fought for our country.” - Ethan Walker

“I learnt that the Windrush Generation had to face challenges, but they made a big impact. It shows that we can make a difference even when things are tough.” - Zahra

“I like hearing the stories of the families who came on the Windrush. It's like hearing stories from my own grandparents.” - Saad

“I never knew that some people from the Caribbean came here to be nurses and builders. It's interesting to know how they helped in different ways.” - Hamza

“It's good to know that the Windrush Generation brought their music and food, making our culture more colourful and tastier.” - Zak

Burnley FC Academy staff are immensely proud of the boys for how well they engaged with the project and performed in the tournament. They carried themselves well throughout and displayed great care and respect for the important issues touched upon. Well done!