Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts) has announced today (Wednesday 21st October 2009) that the team will play in a special commemorative jersey on Saturday 7th November against Hibernian at Tynecastle.
The shirt, which will feature the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial and the poppy, will mark the club's respects for Remembrance weekend and acknowledge the special part played by the club's players in World War I.
In November 1914, with Hearts sitting at the top of the first division in Scotland, Hearts players were the first footballers in Britain to enlist as a team. The players' actions formed the impetus for supporters, shareholders, staff and other professional footballers to join the war effort. Many people credit their move as also saving the game at a time when football was coming under severe scrutiny from the wider public when young men were dying in the war. Most Hearts players enlisted with 'C' Company of the 16th Royal Scots, Sir George McCrae's battalion.
Seven Hearts players made the ultimate sacrifice and the club erected a memorial at Haymarket in the west end of Edinburgh in 1922 to remember their comrades and teammates. Tramworks in Edinburgh have necessitated that the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial is currently in storage and the Remembrance Service that is held annually at Haymarket will now take place at Tynecastle on 8th November.
A club spokesperson said: "The history of Hearts and the sacrifice of our players is well documented and it is something the nation can be rightly proud of. This year we felt it was appropriate to acknowledge our players, supporters and staff that made the ultimate sacrifice by including an image of the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial on the shirt.
"For many years now we have paid respects to our own players along with the players and staff of teams including Hibernian, Falkirk and Raith Rovers at the memorial at Haymarket. In the absence of the memorial we felt it was appropriate to retain its significance to our supporters by providing a lasting memory on the jerseys of the team that plays Hibernian on the 7th November."
Hearts have also announced that they aim to raise up to £10,000 for three charities by releasing a limited edition shirt for sale to supporters through the Hearts Superstore at Tynecastle and Hearts CityStore in the St James Centre. All proceeds will be divided equally between Erskine, the charity that cares for ex-service men and women, PoppyScotland and McCrae's Battalion Trust.
