Arsenal football club will play their FA Cup third-round match against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, January 9, in a one-off all-white strip to support No More Red outreach and anti-knife crime initiative.
Arsenal partnered with a sportswear-making company, Adidas to launch the No More Red anti-knife crime initiative. The initiative is set up to help in the fight against youth violence.
Aside from Adidas, movie star, Idris Elba is one of the celebrities backing the initiative. Ahead of the FA Cup game scheduled to take place at City Ground, the movie star told Sky Sports that “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”.
“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 centers like the one I went to in Forest Gate where I played sport and where I actually fell in love with the film”, Idris Elba added.
“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.”
“You can’t buy these shirts, you earn them by doing positive things.”
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 7, 2022
Working with @adidasfootball, @IdrisElba and @WrightyOfficial, our No More Red campaign is here to help young people find their passion by investing in spaces to play sport and developing mentorship programmes
What you need to know about the one-off all-white strip that Arsenal will wear on Sunday
The one-off all-white strip that Arsenal will wear in the FA Cup third-round game against Nottingham Forest is strictly for the game. It would not be available for sale before, during, and after the game.
However, Arsenal and the stakeholders behind the initiative will award the jersey to personalities that are making a positive impact in their communities.
The all-white strip that the 10 outfield players of Arsenal will wear against Nottingham Forest on Sunday will be given to organizations working to solve the root causes of knife crime and youth violence.
Last year, 30 teenagers were murdered in London – the highest number in a single year since records began.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 7, 2022
No More Red is our campaign with @adidasfootball to support young people in our communities.
🔗 https://t.co/txFfDPq7Jq pic.twitter.com/ibBwHDTpDe
Where the idea behind the No More Red outreach and anti-knife crime initiative originated from:
The No More Red outreach and anti-knife crime initiative started after a young Arsenal fan, Tashan Daniel was involved in a knife crime when he went to watch a Cup game between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest on September 24, 2019.
Despite the effort to save the life of the young man, the Arsenal fan died as one of the numerous victims of knife crime in London.
“I remember the game,” Emile Smith Rowe, an Arsenal player who was involved in the cup game told Sky Sports.
“When you are playing, you don’t get a chance to do anything about it. But I think enough is enough.
“There are way too many stories.”
