THE POWER OF THE POPPY PROJECT: CLARETS U12s

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Young Clarets take part in Remembrance project with tournament to come

2022-11-11T10:55:00.000Z

THE POWER OF THE POPPY PROJECT: CLARETS U12s

Young Clarets take part in Remembrance project with tournament to come

2022-11-11T10:55:00.000Z

Young Clarets take part in Remembrance project with tournament to come

In conjunction with ‘Big Ideas’, the Premier League every year runs an education project based around World War I and remembrance, and this year has seen Burnley’s own U12s team take part.

With the theme for 2022 titled ‘Power of the Poppy’, over the last few months the Young Clarets have been working with our academy education team – & Burnley FC in the Community – taking part in a series of workshops and events to try and encapsulate the spirit of the project alongside learning all about WWI, the Christmas Truce & the significance of the Poppy itself.

The focus for the project this year is on the medical volunteers who served in WWI and the significance of the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’.

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Throughout today and tomorrow, videos from the U12s journey throughout the project will be published on the Club’s social media channels, while on the big screen at Sunday’s game against Blackburn Rovers, you will be able to see a video in which the squad discuss their project & celebrate John McCrae’s famous poem.

The U12s have also shared their learning with local primary schools, setting the challenge for children to design their own Poppy based on the themes of the project. Receiving over 200 designs, these have been collated and make up the incredible Poppy design on the front of Sunday’s programme.

And the sharing of what they’ve learned hasn’t stopped there with many of the squad discussing their experiences – and what they’ve learned from the project – with their own classmates back at their respective schools.

Meanwhile, before the recent Rotherham United fixture at Turf Moor, they supported the Royal British Legion by selling Poppies to supporters before the game.

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Alongside the education side of the project comes potential reward on the pitch, with qualification possible for a showcase tournament which takes place in Ypres, Belgium next month.

There are two methods of qualification, with the first through the Truce tournament taking place on Sunday at RAF Cosford in Wolverhampton. The Young Clarets will compete with Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool & Everton amongst others for a spot in December’s finals.

Burnley’s squad down in Wolverhampton on Sunday will mark the occasion by reading aloud the names of Clarets players who served during WWI, wearing commemorative t-shirts with their Poppy design on, and placing a wreath in memory of all those who served.

The second route into the Belgian finals comes through the education initiative itself with points – out of a possible 100 - awarded as follows:

- Engage and celebrate the ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem (25 points)

- Design a Poppy for your Club (25 Points)

- Social Action – What did you do in the spirit of the Poppy? (50 points)

Head of Education Conor Craddock is proud to have been one of the leaders for Burnley throughout the project, saying: “Initiatives like the Power of the Poppy are a fantastic opportunity for our Academy Players to engage with the club and community off the pitch and form part of our ‘CLARETS Programme’ – a personal development and lifestyle enrichment plan that we deliver throughout the season.

“It’s been amazing to see the U12s developing their understanding of what ultimately is an incredibly poignant moment in history.

“We would really like to thank Burnley FC in the Community, BFCitC Veterans Project and the following schools for taking part in our project: St Leonards Primary School, Spruce Class - Brunshaw Primary School, Sycamore Class – Brunshaw Primary School, Reception Class – Brunshaw Primary School, Crawshaw Booth Primary School, Cornholme School, Newchurch St. Nicholas C of E School & Burnley St James' Lanehead Church of England Primary School.”