The recent visit of Prince William highlighted the great work of the Perez Centre.  Everyone at the NCFA are excited to work in partnership at the centre to create the first peace pitch in Israel.  The Perez Centre will be an important stakeholder in the ever growing International Children’s Football Alliance, which aims to promote peace and protect childhood through play.

Peace and goodwill were very much the cornerstone of the Prince’s visit to Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish soccer game in the historic city, today part of the Tel Aviv metropolis. The event was hosted by the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and the Equalizer organization, which both work to bring young people together across religious and ethnic boundaries, the Equalizer focusing particularly on sports.

The Prince showed off his soccer skills, taking penalty shots against some of the young people who had just played a short match against one another. As an Englishman, he was always going to miss the first one. But the prince dispatched the second to cheers from onlookers.

Club President & Director of TOPSoccer Hobe Sound Soccer Club, said, ‘We are honored and very much looking forward to twinning Hobe Sound Soccer Club with Flanders Peace Field’.We will kick off the twinning of our home field William G. “Doc” Myers Park with Flanders Peace Field at our “3V3 Live” Tournament on December 29, 2018. This 3V3 tournament is open to all area Clubs and teams. We are expecting to have 40 or more teams participating in this inaugural event.  We are very much looking forward to this event. 

UPDATE 03/03/19

Mick Gale (left) International Children’s Football Alliance, Peace Fields Project (PFP), Ambassador, presents the Hobe Sound Soccer Club, PFP to Justine Blanckaert, The Peace Village, Messines, Belgium.  The presentation was made inside The Peace Village in front of The Christmas Truces statue.  The Hobe Sound Soccer Club PFP plaque will be mounted on The Peace Wall at The Peace Pitch which over looks the site of the 1914 Christmas Truces.

The First Peace Pitch in Italy.  ENDAS Ente Nazionale, facilitated the first Italian Peace Pitch in Terracina. Peace Ambassadors from Leonardo Da Vinci school who represented their community at the 2017 Global Peace Games proudly presented the peace poppy ball to Terracina’s designated area of play – their new peace pitch – which is now officially twinned with Flanders Peace Field, Mesen, Belgium, site of the 1914 First World War Christmas Truces.  

Peace Field Project Manager, Pierpaolo Chiumera, said, ”We commemorate the extraordinary events that happened in the 1914 First World War at the Christmas Truces.  We celebrate world peace through an act of humanitarianism – a moment in history that took place in No Mans Land.  We have come to spread the principles of fair play, sharing, friendship and citizenship, through sports and social inclusion.”

The Peace Pitch is open to everyone, where the only goal is to socialize.  Together with The National Children’s Football Alliance (UK) we help form the ever-growing International Children’s Football Alliance. (ICFA).  An organisation that seeks to protect the universal interests of childhood through play.  Two Peace Fields Project plaques where presented to the community in Terracina by students from Leonardo Da Vinci High School.  The students represent Italy at the 2017 Global Peace Games where they participated in a peace education programme and gained recognition for their outstanding contribution to the United Nations International Day of Peace.

The students gained competencies in conflict resolution, communication and equality.  The boys and girls received their certificates and passed on their experiences to the new participants who will be attending in September 2018.  John Carmichael, ICFA, NED, said, ‘The fact that young Italian people are taking the lead to promote peace to all members of the community – it is a very important message in the current world climate.  We are very proud that they value the past through commemoration and celebrate the future , through play and promoting peace.

The Peace Pitch, Terracina. A Monument to Peace.