The Duke of Cambridge has announced his support for Football Remembers, a national commemoration that will mark the centenary of the Christmas Truce in 1914.

Professional, amateur and school football teams will join in a series of activities between now and December 2014.

A Football Remembers education pack will be sent to more than 30,000 schools across the UK through the British Council. It includes resources to help children learn about the Truce – including eye-witness accounts, photos, drawings and letters from soldiers. The pack includes perspectives from British, French, Belgian, German and Indian witnesses.

The Duke of Cambridge said: ‘The British Council, together with The FA, Premier League and Football League, have put together a tremendous resource for use in the classroom and at home. It promises to be a powerful way to engage and educate young people about such an important moment in our history. We all grew up with the story of soldiers from both sides putting down their arms on Christmas Day, and it remains wholly relevant today as a message of hope over adversity, even in the bleakest of times.’

The Duke of Cambridge is also backing another Football Remembers project, with schools and football academies designing a memorial to the Truce. The permanent memorial will be built at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

The winning design will be chosen by The Duke and Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott. The memorial will be formally unveiled in December.

For more about Football Remembers, click here.

For a first hand account of the Christmas Truce, click here.