Football match to mark 50 years of Peace Studies

Football uses some of the same skills that can be required when negotiating peace, said an expert

A "friendly" football clash will take place between two rival universities to mark 50 years of the study of peace.

Teams from the University of Bradford's Peace Studies department will play students from King's College London's War Studies department on 9 June, at 14:00 BST at Laisteridge Lane, Bradford.

The football match, known as the Tolstoy Cup - after the Russian author of War and Peace - was, at one stage, an annual event. It last took place in 2018.

A spokesperson explained how a game of football emulates "the skills needed for peace", including team work and respect for rules.

The match was last played in 2018

The Tolstoy Cup was oncecited as one of the top five college sporting rivalries in the UK.

The team from Bradford has won nine of the 12 matches played since the showdown began in 1992.

This year's game will be part of the Peace Studies Golden Jubilee Conference, held at the University of Bradford from 6-9 June.

Supported by the Quaker Peace Studies Trust, the University of Bradford was the UK’s first School of Peace Studies when it opened in 1973.

Professor Prathivadi Anand, who heads the department, said skills frequently deployed in football, such as a willingness to accept and respect the decisions of rule-enforcers, fairness and ethics mirror many of the skills needed in peace negotiations during conflict.

He added: “Many sports personalities are Unicef ambassadors, and sports can open up new ways to reach into our communities to build a peaceful society, bottom-up."

The department of Peace Studies and International Development at Bradford runs eight Masters programmes, as well as BA programmes in International Relations, Politics and Security Studies.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].