Jeriah Boateng, an Under-12 player from Brighton & Hove Albion's academy, has been named the Premier League's Young Academy Writer of the Year 2024 for his story Back in Time.
Adversity to opportunity
Inspired by his own experience with racism, the 11-year-old's story creatively imagines a conversation with Laurie Cunningham, the first black player to represent England competitively, who shares his lessons on resilience and overcoming adversity.
Reflecting on the competition's theme “Heroes”, Jeriah explained: “I started jotting down ideas, and then I realised I could develop this further. Vinicius Junior has experienced racism and I thought it would be a good link.”
Judges praised Jeriah’s ability to weave his personal hardship into a powerful story, demonstrating outstanding maturity.
Jeriah accepts his award
Meet Jeriah, Young Academy Writer of the Year 2024 👏📖
— Premier League Communities (@PLCommunities) October 23, 2024
The @BHAFC_Academy player’s creative writing piece about racism in sport has now even been turned into a book!
Watch the special day when Jeriah received his award in front of his parents, teachers, coaches and pupils 👇 pic.twitter.com/AAcuskFZ1I
Encouraging excellence on and off the pitch
The Premier League Young Academy Writer competition is designed to nurture and promote literacy skills among young players at club academies and is a key initiative to emphasise the importance of education alongside sports.
As the winner, Jeriah's school, Whitgift, received a visit from the Premier League Trophy as well as reading and writing workshops led by the best-selling children’s author Dan Freedman.
Jeriah reading an excerpt from his book
Building on his success, Jeriah has already expanded his award-winning story into a full-length book. He follows in the footsteps of previous winners such as Rico Hinson-King, whose story Strong and Tough was published by Bloomsbury.
An illustration from Back In Time
The next Young Academy Writer competition will open in January 2025 and is open to Under-9, Under-10 and Under-11 players at Premier League clubs. With over 1,000 entries since its inception, this initiative is a vital platform for young voices to share their stories and make an impact.
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