Five football clubs to get official poems

The Guardian

26-02-2025

Five Premier League and Championship clubs will soon have official poems under a new scheme aimed at boosting literacy levels among young fans.
Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers, Stoke City, Luton Town and Portsmouth are participating in A Poem for Your Club, launched by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and Arts Council England (ACE).
Each club will partner with a local professional poet, who will deliver writing workshops and other activities aimed at inspiring fans. By the end of the project, the clubs will each have an official poem written by fans which will 'reflect the spirit and cultures of local communities and can be displayed by the club to inspire others and reinforce local pride'.
Football and poetry 'share a common use of language to express devotion and this project is a fantastic opportunity to engage everyone in celebrating their local culture in both the classroom and on the terraces', said Darren Henley, chief executive of ACE.
The five clubs are located in 'priority' communities, where there has 'historically been a lack of investment in cultural opportunities for local people', according to the NLT. The project, funded by the Compton Poetry Fund, will run from February until the summer, when the football season ends.
'Sometimes described as poetry in motion, football has a unique ability to connect people through a shared language and experience,' said Jim Sells, senior programme manager for sport and alternative provision at the NLT. 'We know that sport can be a great motivator for inspiring reluctant or disengaged children and young people to get involved with writing.'
Poet Naz Knight, who was born and raised in Luton, will be working with fans at Luton Town FC. 'Football and sports provide one of the last spaces where people can express their emotions freely and without judgment,' she said.
'By combining this openness with the transformative power of writing and performing poetry, we can foster connection and unity, elevating the sense of togetherness in our community.'
Poet David Swann has been matched with Blackburn Rovers, while Alan Barrett will work with Stoke City and Dan Simpson with Crystal Palace. The poet for Portsmouth is yet to be announced.
'I've supported Palace since my childhood and can't wait to work with the communities the club supports,' said Simpson. 'Without books and footy, my life would be empty!' added Swann. 'That's why I'm so happy to be working on this project.'
The scheme was designed in response to 'declining writing levels', said the NLT. In a 2024 survey, the charity found that just three in 10 children aged eight to 18 enjoy writing in their free time, with enjoyment levels dropping by 18.1 percentage points over the prior 14 years.
Between 2023 and 2024, the drop in writing enjoyment levels for boys aged five to eight was particularly pronounced, falling 11.9 percentage points across the two years.
The NLT has long used football as what it describes as a tool for 'literacy by stealth', having had a partnership with the Premier League for 20 years. The Premier League Primary Stars programme provides free teaching packs for lessons including 'Roving Reporters', which encourages pupils to write match reports, and 'Lion's Lair', for which students write sales pitches, learning to use persuasive language.