To mark World Book Day 2024, the Premier League will be giving away more than 50,000 free books to children across England and Wales through its Premier League Primary Stars education programme.
Since Premier League Primary Stars began in 2017, more than 300,000 free books have been gifted to young people with an estimated value of £2.4million, thanks to the education programme’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Launched in 2017 and available to every primary school in England and Wales, Premier League Primary Stars uses the appeal of football to help children to be active and develop essential life skills.
AFC Bournemouth's Community Sports Trust is one of 100 professional football club community organisations across England and Wales to give away the free books to local primary schools, with 250 books being gifted to local primary schools in BCP Council area as part of their Premier League Primary Stars delivery.
Head of Community, Steve Cuss, shared his delight at the book donation: “We are thrilled to be able, through the Premier League Primary Stars project, to donate books to five local primary schools.
“World Book Day is an important day in the school calendar and we look forward to supporting pupils in the important subject of literacy.”
World Book Day promotes reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own as according to National Literacy Trust research, children who own their own books are much more likely to enjoy reading, read daily and read to relax.
National Literacy Trust research also found that one in eight children from disadvantaged backgrounds said they did not own a single book of their own at home, and the book ownership gap between them and more affluent peers is the largest seen in a decade.
To create more opportunities for pupils to experience the joy of reading on World Book Day itself, Premier League Primary Stars and the National Literacy Trust will host a free, fun-filled live online event, hosted by a top presenter and featuring the football school author, Ben Lyttleton.
The Great Big 2024 Footy & Booky Quiz will promote reading, engage pupils in reading activities and showcase reading role models through the medium of football.
