Read the winning stories from our
Schools and Home-educated writing competition
The winners in the three age categories won prizes from AFC Bournemouth, including their names in the matchday programme, a tour of the Vitality Stadium (photos below!) and AFCB shirts with their names on them.
The Hungry Bear
By Eleanor, aged 7
Hi, my name is Kevin, and I am a bear. This is how I became the mascot of AFCB. Right shall we get to the story now…..
One day I was visiting Bournemouth for a nice calm holiday. Just then I got really hungry. So, I went to lots and lots of places to look for yummy insects. It was hard to find the insects.
Just then I saw a big bright light up ahead. So I went to this big bright light. I took half an hour to get there. On the way I saw beautiful butterflies and lovely tweeting birds and chicks. It was great, lively and amazing.
As I arrived, I saw a fence. I could see players on the pitch and hear a crowd cheering. The only way in was to dig a tunnel. But I dug too far and popped up in the middle of the pitch where I saw a lovely squishy ball. The referee had to stop the game. I forgot I was hungry, and I wanted to play so I picked up the ball and took it back to my tunnel.
But the tunnel was too small so I came up and started to play with the ball on the pitch. I realised the crowd started cheering me on so I started to dribble the ball towards the net and I kicked it into the top corner. The crowd went wild!!! I had scored a goal!
The crowd started shouting ‘bear, bear, bear…’ The players were so happy they gave me some cherries and they were delicious. The crowd then started shouting ‘Cherry Bear, Cherry Bear, Cherry Bear…’. It really was amazing. After the game, they made me the official mascot of AFCB. I was so, so happy!
Now whenever there is a game instead of making tunnels I cheer on the team and get all the cherries and insects I need!
Winners were announced in the official matchday programme in the Cup victory versus Stoke City.
Malagasy's Marvellous Match
By Leo, aged 8
There once was a giant earthworm called Malagasy, who lived in Madagascar, and loved football.
He was on a yacht headed for Brazil to see some of the greatest footballers ever play in the World Cup. But a storm sent the yacht the wrong way and Malagasy landed on the south English coast instead. Disappointed, he sniffed the air and could smell the turf of a football club close by...the Vitality Stadium. As a hungry earthworm, Malagasy wriggled his way to AFC Bournemouth and burrowed down into the pitch. He was in heaven!
Popping up to watch training sessions. Checking out Kiefer Moore, Lloyd Kelly, Jefferson Lerma and of course, Neto, in action! The grounds people were not so happy - where were all these holes coming from?
It was a Saturday afternoon when Malagasy could hear chants and singing and popped up to see what the noise was all about. The Cherries were mid-match against Man City! Malagasy watched with wonder. The stadium was packed with red and black scarves and flags flying.
As Marcus Tavernier went to take a corner, Malagasy realised he was on the goal line. But he couldn't take his eye off the ball as it soared through the air. Ederson leapt up and punched the ball but it went straight into the air. The crowd gasped. Players pushed each other to position for the header. Malagasy stretched his body under the ground. The ball zoomed down, spinning... Malagasy felt a bump on his head. Ball and keeper fell into the goal and Ederson was defeated. The crowd roared.
No one had seen Malagasy, not even the VAR. The goal counted. Bournemouth won the game 2-1. Malagasy returned to the earth and started to make his way home again, glowing with Cherries' pride.
Photos from the visit to the Vitality Stadium
Pitch Problem
By Sadie, aged 10
On an ordinary day, on an ordinary evening, in an ordinary house, there was a girl who loved football. She was called Molly. Her dad, Jayson, was saving up for her birthday to go to see Bournemouth play. She’d been asking for ages. Molly was one of those girls who was the odd one out at her school.
When it was her birthday, she was so excited for her presents. The last one was her favourite – tickets to see Bournemouth. Her eyes swelled up as she cried with happiness and joy. She was turning eleven today. As they drove there with smiles from ear to ear, Molly was daydreaming of her playing for Bournemouth one day. As they arrived, they could see sparkly white lights beaming out of the top. Her small eyes stared and reflected everything in front of her.
By now Molly was sitting down with a confused face. There was a mole on the field. It was making holes in the pitch. Could Bournemouth still play? Molly had to do something. She stood up and ran over to the pitch, jumped over the wall and on to the field. The referee stormed over to stop her but a footballer argued not to. She grabbed the mole and stared into its hopeless eyes. She realised it had nowhere to go. A footballer came over to her and said, calmly, “I think you should keep that mole, he has no home.”
Molly shouted to the crowd, “I’m going to look after this mole because it has no home!” The crowd cheered.
They lived together as best friends.