Kick into Reading is an RTG programme funded by www.artscouncil.org.uk and supported by the Professional Footballers' Association(www.givemefootball.com), where football clubs deliver stories to schoolchildren at their local libraries.

Kick into Reading explained
Kick into Reading - what's happening now
Clubs who have taken part in KiR

Watch a short video below about KiR

A QPR family day

KiR in action

Storyteller Patrick Ryan

Kick into Reading explained
Professional storytellers, led by Dr. Patrick Ryan, are working with the National Literacy Trust and football clubs to provide positive role models for reading and to stimulate speaking and listening.The project supports literacy work among families and professionals such as teachers, librarians and other community workers.

A storyteller trains community coaches, and in some cases academy students and first-team players, how to perform and tell stories for children. Once trained, the club staff and players hold sessions in libraries where they perform the tales, whilst showing children how a love of books, reading and telling stories is an important and fun part of their lives.

Download 'KiR explained' (pdf)

View some images from the sessions

What's happening now
A further grant from Arts Council England has been secured which will facilitate the programme at 18 clubs from January 2007.

The history
Kick into Reading, is based upon a successful idea which trialled with ex-Chelsea star Peter Rhoades-Brown (now a community officer for Oxford Utd FC), and Oxfordshire Libraries.

Funding
An initial grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has been followed by significant funding from Arts Council England.

Programme responsibilities
Clubs provide staff from their community teams, academies or centres of excellence and sometimes their first team to be trained and to deliver the storytelling.
Libraries host the events.
Schools provide the audience.
RTG facilitates and coordinates the partnerships and the storytellers.

Clubs who have so far taken part in KiR:
Arsenal
Barnet FC
Brentford FC (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Blackburn Rovers FC
Charlton Athletic FC (2003, 2005, 2007)
Colchester United FC
Fulham FC (2005, 2007)
Liverpool FC
Manchester United FC
Mansfield Town FC
Nottingham Forest FC
Norwich City FC
Oxford United FC
Portsmouth
Plymouth Argyle FC
Queens Park Rangers FC (2003, 2005, 2007)
Reading FC (2004) (at Slough libraries 2005, 2006, 2007)
Stoke City FC

Evaluation
65% of children want to read more as a result of KiR.
55% of children who were library members joined because of KiR.

Download an interim report (pdf) detailing activity from the 12 club Arts Council England grant (2006).

You can also download a report (pdf) about the scheme's findings from 2003.

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