Sir Tom Finney pitch in Preston twinned with WW1 truce site

War delayed Sir Tom Finney's football career

A football pitch in Preston has been twinned with the site of the World War One Christmas truce in honour of legendary player Sir Tom Finney.

The pitch at The University of Central Lancashire has been designated as a "Peace Field" and linked to Mesen in Belgium.

The Sir Tom Finney Peace Field follows in the footsteps of a trio of Manchester United legends.

His son, Brian, said his dad would have been proud of the project.

Mr Finney, whose father served in North Africa during World War Two, said: "This an excellent idea - it is tremendous concept."

Sir Tom joined Preston North End (PNE) as a teenager but had to wait until the end of the war to make his league debut, aged 24.

Brian Finney says his father would be proud to be associated with the project

The pitches are part of the Sir Tom Finney Preston Soccer Development Centre, the charity named after the PNE and England legend.

Three other British players have peace fields named after them; Duncan Edwards - in his home town of Dudley, Denis Law - in Aberdeen, and the Cregagh Green pitch in East Belfast where George Best first played football.

The Peace Field Project is an international heritage project offering schools, clubs, groups and associations the chance to link up with the Flanders Peace Village, in Belgium, on the site of one of the matches played during a break in fighting in 1914.

The unofficial truce took place at several places across the Western Front on Christmas 1914.

British and German soldiers stopped fighting and ventured into no man's land to talk, exchange gifts and play football. French and Belgian soldiers also took part.

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