Arsenal will wear a one off all white kit during Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest as part of a new initiative that tackles knife crime and youth violence.
Teaming up with Adidas, the ‘No More Red’ campaign will provide a mentor scheme, with the likes of Ian Wright and Idris Elba on board as well as safe spaces for people to play football, starting with the pitch on the Harvist Estate just minutes away from Emirates Stadium.
“The white shirt is a symbol of that stand against knife crime,” said Jack Ironside, who has worked on Arsenal’s schemes in London communities for 15 years.
“What we are trying to do there is actually work with young people off the pitch rather than on it. So that the pitch itself and that football activity is the tool to engage. But it’s actually how we support them away from that football pitch that really matters.”
“When I was younger there was not as much opportunity to get away from certain things in life,” Arsenal’s 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.”
The kit will never go on sale instead it will only ever be awarded to individuals who make a positive difference in the community.
