“I don’t think footballers get the best rep when it comes to education,” says Ben Davies.

That’s something that Davies, who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the Welsh national team, would like to change.

He recognises that professional footballers, like himself, can be powerful role models for young people. According to a 2022 report from the National Literacy Trust, 93.4 per cent of children and young people aged 7 to 18 had at least one role model - and almost half (45.8 per cent) of boys said that they looked up to a footballer.

Yet, the reason for those boys looking up to professional athletes is often more about how well their heroes can handle a ball, rather than a book.

Now, Davies - who was speaking to Tes after participating in a literacy workshop run by the Premier League Primary Stars and the National Literacy Trust - wants to help redefine the stereotypical image of the footballer role model.

Having benefited from a positive influence around reading during his own childhood, he’s keen to ensure other children develop a love of books - and come to see that sporting ability and enjoying getting stuck into a good yarn are not mutually exclusive.

Ben Davies’ love of reading

“Reading is something that was always encouraged in me by my parents when I was younger,” Davies says.

“Probably the simplest way to go about that was to get a book in my hand. I can remember being gifted a Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - and it just captured my imagination straightaway.”

Football and reading can often appear to be incompatible interests, and for those who decide to pursue a career in the former, it can leave academic endeavours by the wayside.

But through work with Premier League Primary Stars, who aim to support teachers in building their pupils’ confidence in key areas - including PSHE, PE, maths and English - Davies hopes to show aspiring young footballers that reading is not only still important but also something to be enjoyed.

“I used to play any and every sport I could,” Davies explains. “Whether that was in school or outside of school, it was pretty constant. But there are a lot of football players that don’t make it and my parents knew it was important for me to have something to fall back on. That kind of mentality has probably always stuck with me.”

This mentality was something that set Davies apart as he made his way through football’s youth system. While at Tottenham Hotspurs’ academy, he made time to return to his old school once a week to finish his maths A level - an achievement that he says was driven by his family, rather than the club.

“I’d always have a book with me,” he says, “and that’s probably following my dad, who is exactly the same. My dad, to this day, is constantly reading. Whenever he used to finish with a book, I would try and get hold of whatever was on the shelf. A lot of them tended to be sports books so I was a pretty happy kid.”

Davies recognises the important contribution his dad made when it comes to his own love of books. And their shared interest is indeed no coincidence.

According to the National Literacy Trust, more than half (52.9 per cent) of children and young people who had a role model agreed that seeing their role model read would make them think it’s OK to read, while three in 10 (30.4 per cent) agreed that seeing their role model read would make them think that reading is “cool”.

Reading role models

In his work with the National Literacy Trust, Davies is keen to offer children their own reading role models. But far from seeing himself as a lone trailblazing bookworm, he claims there are plenty of other players out there who also enjoy reading.

“I know so many footballers that will get a book out on away trips,” he says. “And not just sports autobiographies - we’re talking history books, business books. There are a lot of players who are very focused on their education. And I think this kind of thing isn’t necessarily spoken about.”

The influence of the Premier League and its leading lights has perhaps never been greater, and Davies sees a real opportunity here, to change children’s minds not just about reading, but about the power of education in general.

Having completed a degree in business and economics at The Open University, Davies is now in his first year of an MBA in business management run by the Professional Footballers’ Association - something he could certainly never have achieved without reading and, perhaps, without that maths A level.

“I think it’s a worthwhile cause,” he says. “If I can be that person to encourage these kids to begin reading, to realise the importance of literacy and see that a book is also a nice way to spend your time, then I think it bodes well for the future.”

Premier League Primary Stars reached more than 1.1 million pupils in 2023. Find out how you can get involved here