Arsenal and adidas are set to continue their ‘No More Red’ campaign against knife crime for a third consecutive year, and this time it will see the men’s team wearing the signature whiteout kit at home for the first time.
‘No More Red’ was first launched with adidas in January 2022 to support the long-standing work being done by Arsenal to help keep young people safe from knife crime and youth violence. It saw the team play in their FA Cup match against Nottingham Forest in a kit drained of the club’s traditional red colour, leaving a striking whiteout look. The move was replicated a year later for the game against Oxford United, and this year the kit will make its home debut, with the men’s team set to don it for the clash with Liverpool on 7 January. Arsenal Women will also wear the all-white kit on pitch for the first time when they face Watford in the FA Cup fourth round at Meadow Park on January 14.
According to the latest data by the Office of National Statistics, there were 13,503 knife-enabled crimes in London between June 2022 and June 2023, up 21 percent on the previous 12-month period, highlighting the ongoing need for support in the fight against knife crime.
While the ‘No More Red’ kit has never been for sale, to mark the third year of the campaign, adidas and Arsenal are launching a ‘No More Red' t-shirt. Designed by Nellie-Rose, a young person from Arsenal in the Community who took part in one of the 2023 No More Red Social Action Projects, which bring together groups of young people from the local community to connect them with inspirational talent from the creative and sports industries, the bespoke community t-shirt will be available to purchase for £30 at Arsenal stores from January 29.
100 percent of the retail price of each t-shirt will be donated in equal proportions to each of the following No More Red Charity Partners: The Arsenal Foundation, Abianda (Abi Billinghurst & Associates); Octopus Community Network Limited; Box Up Crime; Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation; Ben Kinsella Trust; Copenhagen Youth Project; and St Giles Trust.
Freddie Hudson, Head of Arsenal in the Community, said: “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. Throughout the first two years of No More Red, we’ve worked in our local area with adidas, our local authority and our charity partners to build on our support for young people by providing more high quality safe spaces to play sport, access to trusted role models and to shine a light on the positive work being done across our community.
“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.”
More information on No More Red can be found at arsenal.com/NoMoreRed and adidas.co.uk/footballcollective.
