Arsenal will wear a new all-white strip when we face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third-round on Sunday.
The kits, which won’t go on sale to the public, have been produced in conjunction with adidas as part of the “No More Red” campaign to highlight increasing youth violence and knife crime.
The initiative will build on the work of the club’s charity wing “Arsenal in the Community” and aims to keep youngsters safe by providing fresh investment for safe places to play football as well as mentorship opportunities.
In 2021, 30 teenagers were killed as a result of knife crime in London.
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
Actor Idris Elba, who stars in the campaign’s launch video alongside Ian Wright, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson, hopes Arsenal’s decision to forego our usual livery will help draw attention to a cause that is close to his heart.
“The idea that Arsenal are going to come out in an all-white kit and say ‘No More Red’ will hopefully make people think ‘Hang on, what’s going on here?’ – then look further and try and find out more,” he told Sky Sports.
“I hope it makes an impact that ripples into other football clubs and inspires other collaboration ideas, and investment in practical things to help young people, whether that’s football pitches, or youth centres like the one I went to in Forest Gate where I played sport and where I actually fell in love with film.
“We need to give young people, especially teenagers, another option and an alternative to knife crime and gangs. It’s about what we can offer them as an option.”
Reinforcing the message, Head of Arsenal in the Community, Freddie Hudson, said: “Keeping safe is just one part, “No More Red” also provides educational opportunities that help individuals make better, informed choices about their future. It also sends a wider message that by pursuing your talent and focusing on aspirations and positive influences, there are alternatives.”
Arsenal will donate the shirts worn on Sunday to organisations doing work in the community to address some of the root causes of knife crime and youth violence.
- Arsenal in the Community
- The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation
- Steel Warriors
- Don’t Stab Your Future (DSYF)
- Box Up Crime
- Copenhagen Youth Project
- St Giles Trust
- Abianda
- Octopus Community Network
- The Ben Kinsella Trust
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For more information on the No More Red campaign, to watch the interviews with Idris Elba and Ian Wright and to hear case studies from kids living on the front line of London’s street violence, see here.
Really proud of the club for doing this, here’s hoping it makes a material impact on such a tragic situation.
A shame they don’t sell them and use 100% of the money four youth programs
There is not a classier club than Arsenal.
Hope the FA won’t charge us for it…
Proud to be a Gooner
It’s a wonderful thing to do and it makes me even prouder as an Arsenal fan that the club recognises the problems in the locality of our glossy new stadium. As someone who taught for 10 years in inner city schools, I think I’ve heard of around five of my ex pupils murdered in our streets. It pains me even more as I taught primary, so I saw these kids at ages 8 and 9, when they were innocent young lads who just wanted to play football and have a laugh. It’s just a shame that these moments of solidarity… Read more »
30 murders last year is a horrific statistic. That doesn’t even factor in the number of non fatal stabbing that leave permanent physical and mental health problems.
What your post highlights is the far reaching consequences of knife crime, not just for the victims, but for their families and friends and the community.
Good on arsenal for championing a cause which (forgive the politics) is ignored because of the demographic it affects.
I had a lad in my class who watched his big brother get fatally stabbed. Imagine trying to rehabilitate an 8 year old who witnessed something like that. You’re absolutely right. One persons life doesn’t end there, the parents life ends there, the siblings life ends there… You don’t get over these things. And when there’s so little support for these families then of course drugs and alcohol are the crutch they spend the rest of their lives leaning on.
And so the cycle begins again.
Our youth stars starting up the youth movement! Lovin it!!
I’ve seen enough red to last a lifetime. 100 in the Premier League era is too damn much.
What a message, reminds me of the guy who’s son Kiyan Prince was murdered in the QPR academy. I’m sure this will put a smile on his face and help him continue to make a difference in youngsters lives. Sometimes all it takes is having someone show you there is another way.
Brilliant from Arsenal, such a classy club. Growing up in a area in Nottingham plagued by knife and gun crime I have seen the devastation it causes to family and the wider community. Hope the gesture is applauded at the game on Sunday.
Did you live in the meadows area? I was there as a uni student for a brief while!!!
The Meadows…. Saint Anne’s and Hyson Green are a bit rum too.
Well done, Arsenal! You make me proud to be a fan!
Fatgooner question: What team should Arteta put out against Forest on Sunday? Bearing in mind that we haven’t played since last Saturday, should he go strong and give the first-teamers a much-needed run-out? Or should he play the stiffs and save Saka and co for the Liverpool game?
Bear in mind that the game at Anfield might not go ahead if Liverpool’s Covid problems are not resolved in time.
Leno, Cedric, White, Holding, Tavares, Xhaka, Lokonga, ESR, Odegaard, Balogun, Nketiah.
Bench; Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Mari, Chambers, Tierney, Saka, Lacazette, Martinelli, Patino.
For Liverpool i would go strongest team possible as we have a 33% chance to win that (the other finalist will already be confirmed by the time we play).
I see Liverpool have miraculously opened their training ground today and resumed full training a mere 12 hours after they were too ravaged by Covid to play us…
We all know it was a delaying tactic and nothing else.
Roma have registered the contract of Ainsley Maitland-Niles who joins the Giallorossi on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season.
The 24-year-old is the first January signing for José Mourinho’s Roma.
He joins the Giallorossi on ‘dry’ loan deal until the end of the season, which means the Serie A giants do not have an option or an obligation to sign the player permanently at the end of the campaign.
While there’s no such pre-agreed option to buy in the current loan agreement, they naturally have an option to buy him in the summer should both clubs reach such agreement then.
A touch of class from Arsenal, using it’s status to spread an important message. I respect Adidas for not putting the shirts on sale, to not profit from all of those deaths. However, I’d have bought one if all the profits went to charities to open Youth programs in London. I’d have worn it to spread that message too. I’ll have to do some digging to see if I can give money directly to a charity.
Years of Austerity and Cutbacks have really hit hard. Disenfranchised kids need to be invested in.
Great point. I don’t normally buy new shirts but I would buy this one if the money all went to an anti-violence charity.
Fantastic initiative!! Hope it has the desired impact.
Please put all those knives in the amnesty boxes dotted all over Greater London and lets live together in harmony, we have plenty of bigger things to be p*ssed off about in this political apocalypse of a world we live in, rather than hating and harming each other. We should unite as a global community and fight the bigger enemy. There, I said it.
Shit must be serious if we’re ready to dress like Tottenham for the day
Sp*ds have so much free space in their trophy cabinet, they could quarantine all the confiscated and illegal knives.
Well done Arsenal. My son is a Met police officer and has told me some horrendous stories about youth stabbings and gang culture. So many youngsters have no stable male role model to look up to. Far better to aspire to be a footballer than a drug dealer.
Has he told you any horrendous stories about what his own get up to?
Always easy to take a dig at the police. They are not perfect but mostly do a difficult job very well, without them the streets would be a far more dangerous place. Your entitled to your opinion its still a free society.
“Always easy to take a dig at the police”. It’s not a dig. “They are not perfect”… That’s an understatement 6th Aug 2018 PC Dean Roberts South Wales Police Rape/Indecent Assault Jailed for 12 years Source: 3rd Aug 2018 PC James Morgans Dyfed Powys Police Assault ABH Eight Months suspended Source: 31st July 2018 PC Ian Bell West Yorkshire Police Sexting 14 year old girl Sacked Source: 25th July 2018 PC Majud Hussain Leicestershire Police Sexual Assault Jailed for seven years Source: 5th July 2018 CI Aneurin Audas Merseyside Police Sexual Assault Sacked Source: 29th June 2018 WPC Katie Barratt… Read more »
I see you have an agenda here so you carry on and the rest of us will stick to talking about football.
That’s about 0.5%
I’m all for the reasons behind this, but it does look a bit Spursy…
👊🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Some football clubs do more for the youth in the community, than the government and local councils do
Bloody brilliant – and beautifully executed video! Wrighty has a future in Hollywood….
North London is white – the first time in 50 years this statement will be accurate
Is there a specific way for Gooners to contribute to this initiative? Is the best way to donate to one of the charities that Blogs so thoughtfully included?