Products You May Like
Arsenal will wear a once-off all-white kit for their FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Sunday in a bid to raise awareness about the high levels of knife crime among young people in London.
The highest number of teenager murders in a year in London since records began was registered in 2021 with most of them involving knife attacks.
The “No More Red” campaign is designed to build on work already being done by the club to provide safe spaces for young people and spotlighting people who are making a positive difference.
– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– ESPN+ viewer’s guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more
“Growing up in Thornton Heath in Croydon, I heard stories. There were always situations where you would hear something on the news about it happening close by,” Emile Smith Rowe told Sky Sports at the launch of the jersey.
“It would be a little bit scary at the time.
“If I did not play football, what would I have done? Where would I be right now? Sometimes I do think about it.
“I feel like at that time there was definitely a turning point for me. My friends were doing different things, maybe doing things they should not have been doing.
“I know how tough it is as a young person growing up in an area like that. It is hard to say no sometimes because you don’t know what else to do. That is when my family came together and told me, ‘This is not what you want to be doing.'”
The jerseys will not be commercially available and instead Adidas and the club will award it to individuals who are contributing positively to their area.
𝗡𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱 ⚪
Last year saw a record number of teenagers murdered in London.
It’s time to make a real change, through real action.
Our white shirt is not for sale, not for profit. No More Red. pic.twitter.com/jnmE4b0GpC
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 7, 2022
Players will also donate 10 jerseys worn during the FA Cup tie to organisations who are working to address the root causes of knife crime and youth violence.
“When I was younger there was not as much opportunity to get away from certain things in life,” Ainsley Maitland-Niles told Sky Sports. “We need to change the way that we are trying to make change.
“Football is a powerful tool in London and worldwide. People will listen and hopefully they will see that we are trying to do something positive.
“There is light there at the end of the tunnel and there is a different path that they can go down, instead of shedding a lot of blood. The message is a really straightforward one but it is a powerful one at the same time. No More Red.
“That is a powerful statement.”
As well as donating jerseys, Adidas and the club will also be investing in creating and refurbishing safe places to play football, creating a mentorship scheme for creative talent in the community and providing regular access to Arsenal’s talent network that will help create tangible opportunities for young people.
Actor and founder of “Don’t Stab Your Future” Idris Elba has joined the scheme as a mentor.
“From the time young people leave school, until the time they’re at home with family, there is often a void, a dangerous spike of nothing to do, where nothing can easily turn to something dangerous,” he said in a statement.
“If there continues to be no options for this after-school period, we will always see gangs form. Let’s create options for these young people.”