Football Remembers

How will your club be honouring Remembrance Day this weekend?

Remembrance Sunday, which falls this weekend on 12 November, is a day for the nation to remember and honour those who have sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom.

In order to pay tribute to the incredible contribution made by our Armed Forces, we’re asking you to share all of the ways that the Football Community in Hertfordshire is uniting in commemoration of Remembrance Sunday this year.

In 2014, a joint venture title was launched by The FA, Premier League, Football League and the British Council – and supported by HRH The Duke of Cambridge – marked the centenary of the famous WW1 Christmas Truce.

The stories of widespread, unofficial ceasefires across the Western Front in 1914 have been retold through generations, and remain one of the most poignant examples of humanity overcoming the most harrowing of circumstances.

More than 100 years on, football still plays a pivotal in healing divides, building bridges between communities and bringing people together in the joy of the game.

How to play your part in #FootballRemembers

1. Before your game join together with the opposing team and take a picture
2. Upload your images to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
3. Use #FootballRemembers
4. Include the names of the teams in the tweets
5. We’ll then share all the #FootballRemembers images uploaded by clubs across the county on Hertfordshire FA.com on Monday 13th November.

Jets Hosts Charity Game in Honour of Former Player, Tom Lake
(This story was written by Harry Gray and initially published on 3/11/2017 in the Watford Observer)

Oxhey Jets FC are set to pay tribute to former youth team player Tom Lake this weekend, after he tragically lost his life in 2011 while serving in Afghanistan. Jets will take a break from their South Midlands League Premier Division commitments to take on a team from Tom’s Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, 'The Tigers'.

All proceeds from the game will be donated to the British Legion and continues Jets’ tradition of supporting the cause.

For general manager, John Elliott, the cause is a worthwhile one and Tom’s connection to the club means the day will be emotionally charged.

“For us this is a Saturday that Remembrance Day has fallen on and this is probably the one chance we have to show our respect to the troops as a whole and our fallen player,” Elliott said.

“The Tigers are coming from their base in Germany and importantly Tom’s mum will be there to meet the players. There are a number of players who served with Tom and the captain was his Sergeant Major, so it will be a very, very personal day for both sides. I think it will be very emotional on the day, but it will also be a big chance to raise money for the British Legion, with every penny going towards the cause.”

The Tigers’ commitment to travel over from Germany is greatly appreciated by Elliott and the match sees two years of planning come to fruition.Any money taken on the day will be donated to charity, with memorabilia available to purchase and a 50/50 raffle taking place on the day of the match.

For Elliott, Remembrance Day is an important date in the calendar and he believes Jets’ efforts in recent years have left an impression with other clubs of their size.

“Last year we played Leighton Town and made a really big thing of it, which went really well,” Elliott said.

“People started to copy what we were doing and we were the first club at this sort of level to give the full 100 per cent of our takings from the Poppy Day game to the British Legion.We would call it a bigger league gesture to hand all our money over.”

Elliott hopes the match can play an integral role in South Oxhey’s Remembrance Day.He views the match as an opportunity to show how the local community can come together and help support a worthwhile cause, which he holds in the highest regard.

“I think the services deserve a huge amount of respect, and I am hoping that South Oxhey can prove what it can do and treats the match as a central part of South Oxhey’s Remembrance Day commemorations"