Black Country football legends kicking off new 'Peace Field' initiative
Black Country footballing royalty will come together this week to launch an initiative which will open opportunities for hundreds of youngsters.
Willenhall born Allan Clarke and his brothers Wayne and Derek will visit Rushall Olympic to officially launch their Dales Lane ground as a Uefa recognised Peace Field – one of only 65 around the world.
Peace Fields are named in honour of the British and allied soldiers who stopped fighting in the week leading up to Christmas 1914 to sing festive songs and later play games of football.
The project will allow children within the Walsall community regardless of their financial circumstances, gender, race or religion, to play football on a top-quality football pitch, with Rushall having installed a 3g surface four years ago.
Allan joined Walsall when he left school in 1961 and scored 46 goals in 82 appearances before going onto play for Leeds United and England. Wayne scored 30 times for Wolves between 1978 and 1984 and also played for Birmingham, Everton, Walsall and Shrewsbury in a career spanning over 440 games.
Derek also played for Walsall and Wolves, making nearly 220 appearances in the football league. The three will officially launch the Peace Field before Rushall's pre season game with Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Allan, who now lives in Scunthorpe said: "Along with the other members of the family, I am extremely proud to be involved in this initiative.
“It is always an honour to come back home to the Black Country and I was only too happy to accept the invitation from Rushall Olympic chairman John Allen, and vice-chairman Nick Allen to launch the Allan Clarke Peace Field at Dales Lane Stadium.
“This project will do much to bring football to all youngsters within the local community regardless of their circumstances, so they too can have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful game.”
John Allen said: "We are delighted to be involved with this project as we extend our reach to the local community. There is no better person to put their name to this project than someone from the Black Country who went on to achieve so much at the very highest level of football.
"We hope Allan, along with wife, Margaret, and brothers Wayne and Derek, enjoy their evening with us here at Dales Lane and we look forward to seeing how this project develops in the weeks, months and years ahead."
The game against Aston Villa will kick of at 7.45pm on Tuesday, with the Clarke family available before the fixture for autograph and photo opportunities.
