Virgil van Dijk, the center defender for Liverpool, and Ollie Watkins, the top scorer for Aston Villa, together with other football legends, led Happy Readers and Fun Football sessions throughout the United Kingdom over the Easter holiday. Every event featured a read-along of Little People Big Dreams by Happy Readers library and specialized Fun Football teaching for area kids.

Throughout the day, the football superstars gave away thousands of books and footballs to families that came to visit them at each location. They also gave away 5,000 books to three local charities: Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, Skylarks in Birmingham, and Displaced People in Action in Cardiff.

The invitation-only events highlighted McDonald’s continued efforts to support families and communities in the UK and Ireland, including the Happy Readers program’s distribution of over 10 million books and the Fun Football sessions that provide over 2 million hours of free play each year. They also highlighted the positive effects of reading and physical activity on children’s development.

“Liverpool is a unique place, and I love being able to give back to the community that supports us so passionately,” said Virgil van Dijk. Similar to McDonald’s, I believe that children should play and learn. I’m here because my family and I have strong feelings about this issue.

McDonald’s is supporting families by providing more free books and coaching for Fun Football. We distributed more than 3,000 books to kids today, and based on what I observed in the reading area and on the field, we might have future authors and football players.

“We want every child to be able to enjoy reading and football, regardless of their circumstances or background,” stated Michelle Graham-Clare, Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s UK and Ireland. Our two biggest initiatives, Happy Readers and Fun Football, will debut in 2023. Our goal is to bring kids from different backgrounds together and demonstrate that reading and athletics can be enjoyed together. We will make sure that families have unrestricted access to both of these. This year, we have more interesting Happy Readers and Fun Football programs planned for UK areas.

“We’re excited to see McDonald’s fusing football and books for this incredible series of events,” said Jonathan Douglas CBE, CEO of the National Literacy Trust. Kids’ interest for sports might motivate them to read, as the National Literacy Trust has observed. According to this recent study, reading and exercise don’t necessarily have to go hand in hand for a youngster to enjoy and grow. The encouragement of reading while exercising by inspirational athletes is heartening.