Wolves under-12s were one of eight English clubs to travel to Ypres, Belgium, last month to learn about sacrifices made in war and to compete in the Premier League’s Truce Tournament.
The youngsters qualified for the competition for the first time through the qualifiers in November, topping their group ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Aston Villa, Stoke City and Reading.
The annual tournament provides academy players with the opportunity to learn about playing in competitive fixtures, but also important topics off the pitch.
This season’s theme and learning revolved around the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush boat that brought the first generation of people from the Caribbean. The boys also learnt about Walter Tull, a former professional footballer and the first black officer in the British Army.
Wolves were joined by seven other English clubs in Belgium as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion also qualified for the tournament, while Brighton & Hove Albion, Norwich City and Sheffield United were rewarded with a place on the trip following their educational work in the classroom.
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), Club Brugge (Belgium), Genk (Belgium) and Lyon (France) represented the other nations who fought in the field around Ypres during the First World War.
Wolves enjoyed a magnificent run to the semi-final stage of the Truce Tournament as they topped Group B before missing out on a place in the final after defeat to Sheffield United on penalties.
Lead U11/U12 phase coach Courtney Pitt said: “The players equipped themselves really well over the two days. We managed to win five out of six games in the group stage and were unlucky to bow out on penalties after we drew 1-1 against Sheffield United in the semi-finals.
“We were slightly disappointed with our performance in the semi-final, as perhaps the occasion got to a few of the players and affected performance levels. Despite this, the players showed true character to score an equaliser with virtually the last kick of the match to force a penalty shootout. Indeed, this is part of their journey and hopefully, lessons will be learnt for when these scenarios occur in the future.
“Overall, I am extremely proud of the boys for getting so far in the tournament. It proves we have a group with high potential and we as staff, will continue to work hard to enhance their development.”
Away from the pitch, the players and staff engaged in a number of educational activations throughout the trip including a visit to the Christmas Truce memorial in Mesen, participating in the ceremony at the Menin Gate that commemorates the war dead, and an immersive experience of the trench conditions suffered by soldiers during the Great War.
Clubs also exchanged gifts to reflect friendship and the events in No Man’s land on Christmas Day in 1914, where soldiers stopped the fighting, played football and gave each other small gifts.
Player care officer Natalie Scates explained: “The players were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They took so many facts and interesting information on board with the help of our guide Sean who manged to totally submerse the players in the full experience of World War One and the Christmas Truce.
“In the cemetery, the players saw the huge amount of graves and names of the missing - it was hard to comprehend how young and how many had died. The players took a walk around the cemetery to fully understand the loss the British and their allies suffered.
“We had some down time when we arrived back at the hotel and after dinner we explored the local town of Ypres where the Christmas Market was beautifully set up and the shops offered lots of chocolate and goodies.
“We then joined the other clubs and went to the Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate, placed our wreath and the players respectfully observed the minutes silence and listened to the last post.
“The players had a truly once in a lifetime experience and took on board the immense efforts of the British and their allies to overcome the German advances. They learned about the importance of resilience, bravery, determination and friendships, all of which were key themes throughout the time we spent out there.”
