More than 100 children joined author Lee Newbery at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday 1st May to take part in a Premier League Primary Stars Club Author Day.
Hosted by professional football club charities, Premier League Primary Stars Club Author Days are part of the Premier League’s free education programme, Premier League Primary Stars, which launched in 2017 and uses the appeal of football to help children to be active and develop essential life skills.
These Club Author Days demonstrate the Premier League’s support for the National Year of Reading 2026, a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust to reignite a love of reading among children and young people.
National Literacy Trust research found that pupils who have author visits during the academic year are twice as likely to read above the expected level for their age and are more likely to enjoy and be confident in their reading and writing.
Premier League Primary Stars supports professional football club charities to create opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to experience the benefits of reading for pleasure through free of charge author visits.
In 2026, 1,000 primary school pupils will have the opportunity to take part in the in-person Club Author Days, funded by the Premier League and delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. Over half a million pupils have already engaged with Premier League Primary Stars virtual author days this year, with further opportunities available to all primary schools registered for the programme throughout 2026. This year, 10 club author days will be taking place across England and Wales.
Lee joined pupils from Ninian Park Primary School to take part in a series of fun workshops and activities designed to inspire a love of reading, including a stadium tour, football drills, and receiving a signed copy of one of Lee’s books.
Luke Jenkins-Jones, Primary Education Coordinator at Cardiff City FC Community Foundation reflected: "We were incredibly excited to host this year’s Club Author Day and were delighted to offer the opportunity to one of our partner schools located right on the doorstep of Cardiff City FC. Reading and books are absolutely vital to engagement and inspiration, and it was a real pleasure for the team to bring this level of inspiration into a larger space while showcasing to Lee what we can achieve through the power of football.
"A huge thank you to the Premier League Foundation for making this possible and for their continued support of our schools across South Wales. Together, we can make a difference that lasts a lifetime.”
Alex White, Chief Executive of the Premier League Foundation, said: “We are incredibly proud to see so many children taking part in the Premier League Primary Stars Club Author Days.
“By working closely with the National Literacy Trust, authors, and professional football club charities, these events help ignite a lifelong love of reading. We are excited to continue this important work as part of the National Year of Reading 2026, empowering more children to discover the joy of books and unlock the many benefits of reading for pleasure.”
Alongside the club author days, more than 300,000 free books have been gifted to young people since Premier League Primary Stars began, thanks to the education programme’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Jim Sells, Senior Programme Manager for Sport and Alternative Provision at the National Literacy Trust said: “Research and decades of experience tell us that meeting authors can inspire a love of reading in children and young people, and this improves their chances of success in school and gives them the literacy skills they need to thrive.
“With this partnership, we tap into the love of football that many children have and use its motivational power to build an interest in reading. Some children think reading and books aren’t for them, but by linking local authors with football clubs, we’re introducing them to reading role models and helping them find books that will spark their imaginations.”
Currently, 104 professional football club charities from across the leagues run in-classroom Premier League Primary Stars sessions in local partner schools. More than 70,000 teachers have signed up to access free online national curriculum-linked resources, to date.
The total Premier League investment into Premier League Primary Stars to date is £75 million, shared to football club charities via the Premier League Foundation.
For more information, please visit Premier League Primary Stars.
