'Representing the Premier League will live with me forever'

Earlier this month, 32 girls from across England and Wales had the opportunity of a lifetime as they headed to Belgium to take part in the Under-18 girls' Premier League Kicks Truce Tournament.

Held in the historic town of Ypres, the tournament's focus was the Christmas Day Truce of 1914, where amid the horrors of the First World War, soldiers on opposing sides reportedly laid down their weapons on 25 December to play football and exchange gifts.

Delivered by the Premier League Charitable Fund, the Premier League Kicks Truce Tournament is one of the competition elements of the Premier League's flagship and longest-running community programme, Premier League Kicks, and celebrates the League's commitment to increasing opportunities for girls and young women to play.

During the three-day event, as well as competing on the pitch, participants took part in educational and cultural activities, to learn about the sacrifices made by servicemen and women in the First World War. This included an evening ceremony at the Menin Gate to commemorate the fallen and an immersive experience of the trench conditions suffered by the soldiers.

The Premier League Kicks tournament runs alongside the annual Premier League Christmas Truce tournament where Under-12 academy players from clubs across England join their international counterparts to learn about the importance of sacrifice and friendship.

We spoke to some of the girls who took part in the Premier League Kicks activities:

Mahirah, Chelsea

"This is a very new experience for me, I've never experienced anything like this before.

"We've basically been on a tour where we learned about what happened during World War One and how life was for the soldiers. I found it very interesting, I learned a lot of things that I hadn't already learned in school.

"I think the Truce Tournament has been really good, it relates to football, and you do get that knowledge, that experience.

"Premier League Kicks is a really good opportunity for people like us, people our age. Our team work together well and we get to have different, new experiences.

"We learn new things, we get to come here to places like this, we get to travel. But we also get to play football, so it all correlates."

Ella, West Bromwich Albion

"We've just been to Tyne Cot Cemetery, and then to the fields where they played the Christmas Truce football games and looking at the trenches. What's quite memorable to me is the cemetery, seeing my own last name, people from my local area, from Warwickshire, Staffordshire, it really brings it home.

"It's lovely to spend time with my team-mates and coaches, we've known each other a long time but getting that time to gel abroad together has been really nice.

"It's such a privilege for the Premier League to bring us out here. It's such a memorable experience getting to understand the factual stuff as well as the football. Walking around as part of a big company, wearing your club badge and representing the Premier League is something I’ll take with me for life.

"It's great that they integrate all the different activities and relate it back to football, so we get all kinds of new experiences.

"It's important for girls to be out here. It's good because girls get to learn alongside the boys, hearing about the same facts that the boys are coming out to learn.

"I've met a lot of people. For girls this age, the Premier League does a lot to show how you could get into coaching or other football jobs. I just think Premier League Kicks is extremely valuable to have in the community, especially for girls looking to progress further in football."

Priya, Southampton

"I got into football because, from a young age, I saw people playing it and I wanted to do what they were doing. Once I’d tried it, I really enjoyed it.

"The Truce Tournament was an amazing experience; it was really nice to meet so many people from different areas.

"It was nice to also get the same opportunity as the boys to play in the tournament. It's important that the girls get the chance to play. We all deserve the same opportunities to play football. I think it’s really important that girls and boys get the same opportunities.

"We came to the remembrance service at Menin Gate and I read out a poem about those lost in the war. I think it was a really nice thing to do and I feel honoured to be able to do it. It was quite scary but I'm glad I did it. I felt quite nervous, but I knew I could do it. I feel happy to be part of this, it's an amazing experience.

"Premier League Kicks is a really nice experience; it gets you to meet such a range of new people. It gives you lots of opportunities. The best part has definitely been meeting so many new people and having fun together.

"I would say to anyone, definitely take the opportunity to come here as it's such an amazing experience."

Paige, Swansea City

"I was very happy and shocked to learn I was coming on the trip to be honest with you. I got told on the bus on the way home from college, because my dad couldn’t hold the excitement in any longer. I was almost speechless that I had this opportunity to go.

"I never had a passport before so in the space of five weeks I had to get a passport and everything I needed.

"I started my journey through the normal Premier League Kicks sessions about two years ago. And then I progressed to going to two Premier League Kicks Cups, started volunteering and then got invited to come to the Truce Tournament, which has been an amazing opportunity.

"It's really exciting to put on the Swansea top. And it's not just Swansea we're representing, it's Wales too - it's really important that we are respectful.

"It's a whole different opportunity that some people don’t get to have so I feel really lucky.

"I have four siblings. I kind of feel like being here is for them too because now I can go home and show my family and all my friends what I've seen and what my perspective of that is and maybe through the photos they can see what I was seeing. It's really important that they get to see it too because they’ve helped me with this opportunity, they’ve got everything ready for me to get me to here.

"Back when I started playing football girls didn’t have as much opportunity as the boys did. Now we get that same treatment. It’s really important.

"Premier League Kicks means so much. It's so meaningful to me. I've been able to experience so much. The coaches have done so much for us and asking us to come on this trip means a lot."