Premier League football news from the Barclays Premier League …

by on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 | No Comments

The popular initiative aims to inspire families to pick up a book and read more often and is run by the Premier League, the National Literacy Trust and the Football Foundation.

New signings for 2009 include big name internationals Wayne Rooney and Jamie Carragher, but the list is once again dominated by goalkeepers.

This year 11 of the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs have nominated goalkeepers to act as their Reading Stars, including England trio Robert Green, Paul Robinson and David James who is the only player to have been involved in all seven seasons of the project, with 99 different Premier League players now having acted as Reading Stars.

Scroll down and click on each player's name below to view their choice of book.

The players have selected the usual wide variety of books, including a number of classics, autobiographies and popular children's favourites. The choices are eclectic and personal, ranging from the fun and accessible to the aspirational and unexpected. Manchester United striker Rooney chose Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, whilst Liverpool defender Carragher selected Michael Morpurgo's moving children's story War Horse.

North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have also recruited new players to the scheme for 2009, with Gunners defender Bacary Sagna reading Muhammad Ali's autobiography The Soul of a Butterfly and White Hart Lane midfielder Didier Zokora recommending popular children's football book The Kick Off by Dan Freedman.

Players have also been busy writing books of their own. Everton goalkeeper Carlo Nash has penned a travel book called Luxury Backpackers and regular Reading Star Mark Schwarzer continues his Megs Morrison football story with the second book in the series called Scarves and Sombreros.

The project has a simple central premise. Each season the twenty Barclays Premier League clubs nominate a player as their 'Reading Star'. The player selects their favourite children's or adult's book to create a twenty-strong book list.

All clubs have adopted at least one library, who receive free copies of all the recommended titles. Families who take part in sessions at the library have the chance to meet their Reading Star and a local author, as well as getting involved in a series of football-based literacy events throughout the initiative.

A study launched today by the National Literacy Trust has also revealed that other than family members, sports people are the most likely role models for young people, and the most likely public figures to inspire reading.

West Ham United goalkeeper Rob Green is his club's Reading Star and has chosen the epic Trojan war story, The Iliad. He said: "Reading is such a big part of all our lives, everyone should try to make a bit of time each day to read more.

"You should never be scared of a book either, reading classics like The Iliad might seem daunting, but if you take your time, they really are interesting to read and you gain such a lot from trying them."

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney chose Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first in the Potter series. He said: "Harry Potter is almost every child's favourite book and the same goes for a lot of adults too! JK Rowling is a fantastic author and I would encourage any child to read the Harry Potter books; they are full of excitement and adventure and they really get your imagination going."

Sir Dave Richards, Chairman of the Premier League said: "With Premier League Reading Stars, we hope to be able to use footballers' favourite book choices as a way of inspiring families to read together. It gives players the opportunity to act as positive role models and shows that by using the power of football we can successfully change people's attitudes to reading."

Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust, said: "Football is such a huge cultural influence in this country, and many people aspire to be like footballers. Sports people have be shown to be powerful public role models, particularly as a way to engaged those who wouldn't normally be interested in reading.

"Where we can harness the power of footballers to act as Reading Stars, we can reach out to young people and their families, and change attitudes. To engage people with reading, as with many things, it's best to start with what you love. For so many, that means starting with football."

The PLRS scheme has been developed as part of a partnership between the National Literacy Trust, Football Foundation and the Premier League, and will be supported by a series of family reading groups at libraries across the country. Funding is provided by the Premier League, Football Foundation and Arts Council England.

For more information on Premier League Reading Stars, click here

Click on each player's name below to view their choice of book.

Arsenal - Bacary Sagna

Aston Villa - Brad Friedel

Blackburn Rovers - Paul Robinson

Bolton Wanderers Jussi Jaaskelainen

Chelsea - Henrique Hilario

Fulham - Mark Schwarzer

Hull City - Boaz Myhill

Liverpool - Jamie Carragher

Manchester City - Daniel Sturridge

Manchester United - Wayne Rooney

Middlesbrough - Ross Turnbull

Newcastle United - Steven Taylor

Portsmouth - David James

Stoke City - Danny Higginbotham

Sunderland - Craig Gordon

Tottenham Hotspur - Didier Zokora

West Bromwich Albion - Chris Brunt

West Ham United - Robert Green

Wigan Athletic - Emmerson Boyce

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