Reading books has helped me through injury - Colwill

Chelsea's Levi Colwill is back in partial training after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in August From the St Mary's estate in Southampton, where several of his family members still live, to becoming a Club World Cup‑winning England international, Chelsea 's Levi Colwill has had time recently to reflect on his journey. The 23‑year‑old has been out for seven months after surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury - the most serious setback of his career to date - and has been managing that enforced pause through books. It has given him space to think about life away from the pitch. "Because I'm using less energy day‑to‑day, I find it harder to switch off at night," Colwill told BBC Sport. "Reading helps me wind down. I put my phone away, stay off social media, turn the TV off and read." Colwill says he prefers self‑improvement books and named Atomic Habits by James Clear as a recent read - a book he says "didn't help me win the Club World Cup but maybe made a one or two percent difference in helping me build small routines when training". Colwill has since taken a very small stake in a digital reading service, which offers 1,000 books free to children. The service is designed to address a decline in reading, after The Natural Literacy Library found only one in five children read daily and only one in three say they like reading in their spare time. The rate of decline is higher for boys than girls. Colwill says his childhood experiences encouraged him to get involved. "I knew I wanted to be a footballer and nothing was going to distract me," he said. "I had good parents who kept me on the right path and away from trouble." As Barcelona winger and former Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford did with his campaign for free school meals in 2020, Colwill hopes to champion a service he believes can make a meaningful difference. "When I've been injured, I've stayed away from social media," Colwill added. "But this is something I believe in, so I want to be out there and make sure as many schools sign up and take it on." Colwill has returned to what head coach Liam Rosenior describes as "partial training" with Chelsea 's squad before their Champions League meeting with Paris St‑Germain. Tottenham reaction: Pressure builds on Spurs boss Tudor after 'selfish' Kinsky move backfires How Kinsky's horror night unfolded before 17th-minute substitution Germans protest against Russia on Paralympic podium Scot Squad's top cop deals with colleagues, bams and family alike How to manage caring for ageing parents Stacey returns for more life-changing decluttering The accidental origins of the English samurai The Brits travelling in their thousands to 'Costa del Cheltenham' The 'big brother' helping Arteta's Arsenal 'over the line' Fallout from first race since biggest rule changes - F1 Q&A Frozen out? The 'mixed' team event with one female player Four big calls Borthwick could make to revive England Old Firm chaos: What happened? Who said what? What now? Should lower-ranked teams always play at home in the FA Cup? India triumphant again - do the rest have any hope of catching them? Five talking points from round four of Six Nations Is time-wasting in the Premier League getting worse? 'Everything was groundbreaking' - 50 years since historic Cheltenham race Why is figure skating not in the Paralympics? Winter Paralympics daily guide: Seven golds to be decided on Wednesday 'England's style of play is tedious and doesn't allow players to express themselves' Was new-era F1 really racing or more like a computer game? Russell 'imperious' and Bearman 'raced beautifully' - driver ratings 'I saw a drone hit the US consulate' - Patten's escape from Dubai Who is to blame for Spurs' chaotic descent towards relegation? 'There were tears - but I had to peek behind curtain of head injuries in rugby' Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.