By Cydneii Lung’aho, Niamh Hatfield and Elspeth Chapman.
“North London Forever” takes on a whole new meaning with Arsenal Football Club’s work in their community. The No More Red campaign is one of the many initiatives run by Arsenal, partnered with Adidas, dedicated to addressing the root causes of youth violence by providing safe spaces for young people to thrive, connecting them with positive role models, and creating opportunities that empower them to lead brighter futures.
Freddie Hudson, Head of Arsenal in the Community, said: “We were proud to launch No More Red with Adidas. It provided a unique opportunity to highlight almost four decades of our local community work that has helped to keep thousands of young people safe.”
Galvanised by Ben Kinsella’s death in 2008, the campaign was built to keep young people safe from knife crime and youth violence. The Gunners’ FA Cup fixture against Manchester United marked the fourth year of the campaign. Donning an all white kit, the men’s team lost in penalties to the Reds, but their message rang as loud as any victory.
Declan Rice shared his pride towards the No More Red Campaign: “Their stories give us inspiration, which fuels our performances. Our community drives us forward, and we win together.”
Photo by: www.arsenal.com
“Knife crime and serious youth violence is incredibly complex. We don’t have the solution to fix the problem, but we know our work with adidas is helping keep young people safe and create opportunities for more positive futures,” Hudson said.
Gunners For Change, another one of the club’s initiatives, champions the same ideals and works to coordinate the Academy players’ engagement with Arsenal in the Community programmes. Targeting areas like safe spaces for young people, education, Arsenal for everyone, and environmental sustainability.
Arsenal and Adidas have partnered to restore the Harvist Estate pitch, as well as maintain the No More Red campaign. The two remain resolute in their mission to break the cycle of violence by helping young individuals build trust, discover their potential, and make lasting connections.
Since 1985, the club has been using its name to positively impact the lives of young people. Delivering sport, social and education programmes to over 5,000 individuals each week, the Arsenal Hub houses a staff of 26 full-time and more than 50 casual/session workers managing, co-ordinating and delivering a wide range of sport, education, social inclusion and health projects.
By supporting initiatives like No More Red, Arsenal and Adidas are proving that, together, sport and community can be powerful tools for change, fostering a safer and more hopeful future for young people everywhere.
All photos sourced from www.arsenal.com
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