Do you have what it takes to be Portsmouth Football Club’s new poet-in-residence?
‘A Poem for Your Club’ is an exciting collaboration between the National Literacy Trust, Pompey in the Community and Portsmouth FC. The bold new initiative hopes to bring together fans across generations and from different communities to tell their stories and have them celebrated through poetry.
The National Literacy Trust is seeking to commission a published poet to take up a ‘mini-residency’ at Portsmouth Football Club. Working with schools and other community groups, the chosen poet will create a special poem for the club and local area. This will serve as Portsmouth FC’s official poem and will be shared widely by the club and National Literacy Trust, such as within matchday programmes, on websites and in the press.
Running between January and July 2025, the role will involve six in-person morning or afternoon sessions as well as independent time to prepare for the workshops and write the final poem.
The successful poet will work in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and Portsmouth Football Club to deliver purposeful poetry workshops as well as other events.
Taylor Monk, the head of Community Development, said, “We’re delighted to have been selected by the National Literacy Trust as one of a select few clubs to have a dedicated poet in residency.
“We can’t wait to collaborate with the local community to bring our very own Pompey Poem to life.”
The deadline for applications closes on Friday the January 17th.
If you are a Pompey Poet with a passion for football this could be for you! Please visit: literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/sport-and-literacy/a-poem-for-your-club/
Written by Caroline Brennan
