Meet the author

T.Z. Layton.

Writer · United States

T.Z. Layton: author of the bestselling Academy series — fast, underdog football adventures with short, cliff-hanging chapters that reliably turn sports-mad 8–12s and reluctant readers into page-turners.

T.Z. Layton is an American children's author, a former collegiate footballer, youth coach and lifelong fan of the game, best known for the bestselling Academy series of middle-grade football adventures. The books follow Leo Doyle, a small-town Ohio prodigy invited to trial at an elite London youth academy, and track his underdog journey through benchwarming, tournaments, injuries and international call-ups. Fast-paced, big-hearted and built around short, cliff-hanging chapters, they are engineered to hook football-mad children and reluctant readers alike, threading real lessons about grit, teamwork and comebacks through the on-pitch drama. A genuine reluctant-reader engine for sports fans aged 8–12, the series has sold strongly, reached the New York Times bestseller list and been optioned for film.