MISFITS FC

#boys lit #football #series #potential Can Jack lead his club of misfitsto success or will his football dreams drown in Hodgson-on-Sea?

At eleven-years-old, Jack Wilson's football career is on the rocks. A family move forces Jack to leave his all-conquering team and join Hodgson FC, a scrappy tin-pot club with a serious habit of losing. Jack's fast feet and silky skills make him Hodgson's best player. But his ambition of captaining a band of misfits to success leads to conflict with his best friend Skya nd X, the team'sloud-mouthgoalie. Jack'sdisillusion grows when the club hires a female coach and a new girl player crushes Jack at juggling. It's a boys team!Will he ever make the big league? And is that even what success looks like? As Jack doubles down in pursuit of greatness, his determination and single-mindedness clashes with something deeper - a yearning for acceptance and belonging at his new club. Misfits FC is a story about football, friendship and the ups-and-downs of chasing a dream. It explores themes of friendship, personal development, rivalry, jealousy, and wider societal issues of gender equality, diversity in sport, and immigration. In the spirit of Jamie Johnson and Ted Lasso, it is a feel-good story for anyone looking for a place to call home. Dean Wallis grew up in the East End of London before stints of living in Italy, Switzerland and Belgium. He has coached football and has taught junior school for 10 years, and today he splits his time between writing, tutoring and social impact projects. These include helping found an academy in Sri Lanka, working with displaced children in Kosovo, mentoring young entrepreneurs and helping students overcome their maths anxieties. Dean champions the notion that children learn best when surrounded by love and respect, as true on the football pitch as it is in the classroom. Dean is coordinator for SCBWI Belgium. Misfits FC is his debut.