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 PL 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, PL Primary Stars uses the appeal of football to help children to be active and develop essential life skills.
The Premier League is proud to support 100 professional football club community organisations across England and Wales who will give away the free books to local primary schools, as part of the delivery of PL Primary Stars.
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 this World Book Day, Premier League Primary Stars and the National Literacy Trust hosted The Great Big 2024 Footy & Booky Quiz, with football school author, Ben Lyttleton.
Almost half a million pupils tuned in to the free, virtual event which promoted reading, engaged pupils in reading activities and showcased reading role models through the medium of football.
Premier League Charitable Fund Chief Executive, Ruth Shaw OBE, said: “Since 2017, more than a quarter of a million children across England and Wales have received a free book thanks to Premier League Primary Stars and the National Literacy Trust.
We know how important reading for pleasure is for developing confidence and positive mental health, and through the Premier League’s primary school education programme we want to continue to support children across the country to enjoy the many benefits that reading can bring.”
Jim Sells, Sport and Literacy Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: “World Book Day celebrates reading for pleasure for everyone, which is central to our vision at the National Literacy Trust.
We‘ve seen first-hand how choosing a book of their own can inspire a child’s love of reading, give them confidence, and support them at school, so we are delighted to be able to provide 45,000 free books directly to schools, thanks to our generous partners at World Book Day and our-long term partners at the Premier League Charitable Fund."
Currently, 104 professional football clubs from across the leagues run in-classroom PL Primary Stars sessions in local partner schools. More than 68,000 teachers have signed up to access free online national curriculum-linked resources, to date.
The total Premier League investment into PL Primary Stars, via the Premier League Charitable Fund, is £61.9million, to date.
For more information, please visit Premier League Primary Stars
