Off to the women’s World Cup, it’s Roy’s sister Rocky

IT IS a beloved comic strip following the fictional football team Melchester Rovers and their star player, Roy Race.

Now Roy of the Rovers is having a makeover ahead of next month’s women’s World Cup, with Roy’s sister, Rocky, becoming the star of her own series.

It will be the first Roy of the Rovers tale to feature a female lead and will follow the fortunes of England’s Lionesses in the World Cup, which starts on June 7. Rocky is described as Roy’s spirited younger sister who loves football, The Times reported.

The comic will follow her on her travels around France supporting England with her brother Roy and her football coach Ffion.

The new storyline is likely to be slightly less dramatic than some earlier Roy of the Rovers adventures, which saw Roy being shot, surviving a terrorist attack and losing a foot in a helicopter crash.

The choice of the name Rocky may cause some confusion to staunch Melchester Rovers fans because Roy Race’s son, Roy Race Jr, is also known as ‘Rocky’ in the comics.

Children’s author Tom Palmer will write the story, which will be offered to children for free and is designed to increase interest in the tournament. The project has been developed by the National Literacy Trust, the Football Association and Rebellion Publishing, and will only be published online on the National Literacy Trust’s website.

Roy of the Rovers first appeared in Tiger comic in 19 4 and was last seen on a regular basis in 2001 in Match of the Day magazine.

The first segment will be released today.