From the playground to the premier league, Leo K. Doyle is a soccer star in the UK...but a soccer wannabe in the highly competitive, international Tournament of Champions
Last season, Leo and his teammates saved the Lewisham Knights...only to learn that their team is in jeopardy again thanks to a division reshuffle. And placing in their league is no longer enough to save the Knights or Leo's Olympic-sized soccer dreams.
But all might not be lost. The team owner has entered the U14s in the Tournament of Champions, an ultra competitive, youth summer league for the top teams in the world. And the Knights aren't just playing for a trophy: a loophole assures the winner of the tournament will stay in the youth Premier League.
As Leo juggles tourney pressure, a new teammate with some serious attitude problems, and someone on the inside trying to oust the U14s from the competition, will the young soccer star find a way to pull his team together and have a fighting chance at winning?
For premier fans and soccer enthusiasts, T.Z. Layton's third book in award-winning The Academy Series is perfect for middle grade readers and sports fans ages 7-13.
Keep score with the other books in The Academy series:
| ISBN: | 9781464268816 |
| Publication date: | 6th January 2026 |
| Author: | TZ Layton |
| Publisher: | Sourcebooks Young Readers an imprint of Sourcebooks |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 294 pages |
| Series: | The Academy |
| Genres: |
Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction Football Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Bullying and harassment Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: First / new experiences and growing up / coming of age Sporting Stories |