Arsenal will wear a changed all-white Adidas kit during Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool as part of the “No More Red” campaign to raise awareness over knife crime and youth violence.
It will be the first time in the club’s 137-year history that Arsenal have played in white in a home fixture. The Gunners first wore the plain strip in January 2022 against Nottingham Forest in the same competition and did so again in a match with Oxford United this time last year.
The club’s women’s team will also be in all-white for their FA Cup fourth round fixture against Watford on 14 January.
Arsenal’s traditional colours are red and white while this season’s alternative kits are yellow and green. White is more commonly associated with the club’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur who have played in an all-white kit in 2023-24.
Arsenal and Adidas came together to front the No More Red initiative two years ago with the aim of keeping young people safe from knife crime.
Over the past couple of years, they have made more safe spaces available to young people and drawn attention to individuals making a difference in their community.
The club has pledged to open a third community pitch at the Mayville Estate in Islington, support projects geared towards providing young people with opportunities in creative industries and promote the campaign to fans to help support anti-knife crime charities.
The all-white shirt, which features the Arsenal crest, Adidas logo and Emirates sponsor, will not be available for purchase but instead will be given out to fans who are making a difference in their local communities.
Fans will be able to buy a community t-shirt for £30, however, with all proceeds going to various charities including the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation and Ben Kinsella Trust, as well as the Arsenal Foundation.
“No More Red provides a unique opportunity to highlight almost four decades of our local community work that has helped to keep thousands of young people safe,” Arsenal’s head of community Freddie Hudson said.
𝗡𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 4, 2024
For the third season, @Arsenal will wear all-white kits to raise awareness of their 'No More Red' campaign. The initiative tackles knife crime and youth violence in London.
The kits will be worn in their #EmiratesFACup third round tie against Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/elEWD68Qt6
“Young people face multiple challenges as they grow up in today’s world and we don’t have all the answers, but we are confident that by acting together and shining a light on the support network available across our community, we can make a significant contribution to the lives of our participants.”
On 3 January the BBC reported 21 teenage homicides in London in 2023, of which 18 were knife-related, which represented a 33 per cent rise compared to the previous year.
The charities supported by No More Red
Between July 2022 and June 2023, there were 13,503 reported incidents of knife-related crime in the capital, representing a 21 per cent increase on the previous year.
On New Year’s Eve, 16-year-old Harry Pitman was fatally stabbed in Primrose Hill.
Tottenham, the club that Pitman supported, will pay tribute to him during Friday’s FA Cup tie against Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by displaying a photo of him on the big screens. A minute’s applause, organised by fans with the family’s blessing, is also due to take place.
More information on the No More Red campaign can be found here
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/OAJrCgw
Post a Comment