Tottenham’s Under-12s have taken part in this year’s Christmas Truce Challenge, and the boys used it to honour the medical staff who served in the First World War, with a stop at the archives of former Spurs player Walter Tull along the way.
The challenge is a Premier League education project that asks young players at clubs around the country to learn about the Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers from opposing sides briefly stopped fighting during the war. The Tottenham Under-12s take part every year.
This time the boys chose to recognise the work of medical personnel, a contribution that is often overlooked, both during the war and today. The club says they took to it through a series of creative and social activities.
What did the Under-12s do for the Christmas Truce Challenge?
The first stop was the National Army Museum. The players took part in interactive First World War poppy and medical workshops, tried on historical uniforms and looked at wartime medical equipment up close.
They also went through archives about Walter Tull, the pioneering former Spurs player recognised as the first black outfield player in the Football League, who was killed in action in 1918. The boys looked at records of the club’s other players who died in the conflict too.
A shirt and an award for the Chelsea Pensioners
From the museum the group moved on to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where Chelsea Pensioners showed them around the grounds and shared stories from their own military service.
The boys gave something back. They designed and made a Special Commendation Award for the Pensioners, and presented it to them afterwards along with a customised Tottenham Hotspur shirt.
‘Compassion, curiosity, leadership and teamwork’
Nathan Jopp, the Academy’s schoolboy player care officer, was full of praise for how the group handled it.
“Throughout the project, the boys demonstrated compassion, curiosity, leadership and teamwork, developing a greater appreciation of service, sacrifice and Remembrance,” he said.
“Each year, our Under-12s take part in this Premier League project and once again we feel it was extremely beneficial and enlightening for our players. We’re thankful to all of the personnel and organisations who we met during the challenge and we look forward to incorporating our learnings into our future projects.”
Why the Christmas Truce Challenge matters at Tottenham
Most Academy news is about contracts and results. In the last few days we have covered England Under-18 captain Oscar Sandiford signing his first professional deal and the Under-21s losing their unbeaten start to Chelsea. This is the other side of it.
Not every one of these boys will make it as a professional, but they all now know the name Walter Tull and what he gave. Choosing the overlooked medics as their theme showed real thought from the group, and the shirt for the Pensioners was a lovely touch. It is exactly the kind of work Spurs should be proud of.
