The Norwich City Academy embraced this year’s Premier League ‘Truce’ project in October 2023.
This year’s project focused on the players learning of Walter Tull, the Christmas Day Truce and the Windrush generation.
The project was launched with an interactive workshop by Big Ideas, educating the players on the key topics and launching the project.
The players learnt that Walter Tull was the first black officer in the British Army. He was also a footballer, playing for Clapton, Hamburg and Tottenham Hotspur.
Walter Tull was present at the Christmas Day Truce in 1914, where allied and German Forces stopped fighting on Christmas Day to exchange gifts and play a game of football. Walter Tull died in battle in 1918 and is remembered as a hero at the Arras Memorial.
The players also learnt that, 30 years after Walter Tull’s death, a boat called the HMS Windrush travelled from Jamaica to England carrying passengers from all over the Caribbean. Caribbean people were looking for opportunities to live and work in England. The British government had formally invited people from the British West Indies to come and support British industries like the NHS and transport services.
The Under-12s invited Lynda and Catherine from Museumand, the only Black Caribbean Heritage Museum in the country, to the Norwich City v Leeds United match as guests in the Academy box. This was their first ever football match and they loved the experience.
Each player was given a podcast from Museumand ‘Objeks and Tings’ to listen to and share their learning about Caribbean culture.
Many of the players shared their learning in their local communities with a Caribbean Night arranged at a local Jamaican restaurant.
To further embed their knowledge and understanding of Walter Tull, the Truce and the Windrush generation, On October 24, the Under-11 and Under-12 teams visited Sky Studios to create a news report on the key topics. Not only did the players share their knowledge and understanding but they also learnt about careers in the media industry and the finished product was produced solely by them.
Finally, as part of the social action part of the project, the players learnt about the Windrush Barrel children. They decided to fill a barrel with their old football kit and send to a charity in Trinidad and Tobago. The barrel was filled with kit from the Under-9 to Under-12 age groups following a Caribbean-themed football tournament and a Truce remembrance service.