We are delighted to welcome Dr Iain Adams to the University of Kent to give a lecture at our Football and the First World War event on Friday 30th November 2018.
Dr Adams worked until his recent retirement at the International Football Institute (IFI) at the University of Central Lancashire, where he worked closely with the National Football Museum (NFM), England.
In 2004, Dr Adams presented the paper ‘Germany 3 – Scotland 2, No Man’s Land, 25th December 1914: Fact or Fiction?’ at the International Football Institute/National Football Museum (IFI/NFM) conference ‘European Football: Influence, Change and Development’. This paper set in motion a series of conversations which inspired sculptor Andy Edwards to create the superb statue 'Truce' displayed in Messines, Belgium.
Dr Adams has continued to give presentations on football and the First World War, including two at the National Archives, and has had seven further academic papers published focussing on the Christmas truce, the football charges, recreational football behind the lines and art. A headteacher attended one of his WWI talks and asked him to write an alternative Christmas play for her primary school which he did, 'A Game for Christmas', and it was first performed in December 2006. It has been performed many times since including at the opening of the NFM's The Greater Game: Football & the First World War exhibition in 2014.
Through the NFM Dr Adams acted as a consultant to the British Army/German Army commemorative game at Sennelager in December 2014 and as a contributing historian to both the British Library 'Europeana 1914-1918' and the British Council's 'Football Remembers' projects.
Dr Adams and the 'Truce' statue in Messines.
