This Country v That Country

13 Sep This Country v That Country

This Country v That Country is a charity football match with the first half played in London and the second half played in Belgium at the site of the 1914 Christmas Truce in World War One.

To be played on Saturday, October 9, the National Children’s Football Alliance (NCFA) match will deliver a Peace Poppy Football from the Market Road pitches in Islington to The Last Post at Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium.

Twenty-four footballers will play the first half at Market Road and on the same day the second half will be played at Flanders Peace Field, Mesen.

The Market Road pitches will be officially twinned with Flanders Peace Field through the NCFA’s Peace Field Project charity. After the match the football will be laid at Menin Gate in commemoration of North London’s war dead.

The money raised will provide young people with the opportunity to participate at the Global Peace Games, a week-long peace education through play programme celebrating the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.

BAFTA award-winning This Country stars, Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, are patrons of the NFCA and their father and fellow on screen actor, Paul Cooper, is NCFA co-founder and director.

Paul Cooper said: “The game of course will be fun but the driving force is that under-privileged children from war torn countries will benefit from being special guests at the 2022 Global Peace Games where they will meet 80 children from 20 different countries enjoying the same once in a lifetime experience.”

Charlie Cooper said: “As patron of the NCFA I had the pleasure of working at the 2019 Global Peace Games and the change in the children over the week was astonishing. This programme really does change lives.”

Daisy May Cooper added: “Please support this amazing initiative and help change children’s lives and create ambassadors for peace.”

The first half of the charity game in Islington will be joined by Arsenal in the Community players and the second half in Flanders will feature FC Bruges in the Community players.

‘TC v TC will be very special for all those participating and most importantly, for all those that will benefit from the experience of playing at the 2022 Global Peace Games,” said Philippe Servais of Bruges FC.