Why did Arsenal remove red from their shirts?

The city of London saw record-breaking crimes against teenagers between June 2020 to June 2021. Knife crimes were the highest among these which caused a major nuisance in society and instilled fear in the youngsters. Arsenal and Adidas have come together to work in order to keep the youngsters of the community safe from such crimes.

The sports brand will help the London-based club's already expansive outreach program to work with young individuals. The aim of the 'No More Red' initiative is to provide positive spaces for youngsters who are having a positive impact in the communities. To give them opportunities to succeed and keep them safe from incidents such as knife crimes.

In order to promote this initiative, Arsenal FC, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, played in an all-white football kit in a recent FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest. They replaced their iconic red and white kit with an all-white kit that was not for sale/not for profit. Furthermore, this kit will be provided only to those individuals who are making a positive impact in their communities.

The Statistics

The gravity of the situation can be gauged by a look at the statistics of the crimes recorded. There were more than a whopping 10,000 knife crime offences in the city of London between June 2020 to June 2021. These attacks were also involved in the record number of teenage murders in the city since the numbers began to be recorded.

Key Steps

• Through the initiative, Arsenal and Adidas will work towards making a positive change. In order to bring about this change, they are going to invest in creating safe spaces to play football in the community.
• The creation of the No More Red mentorship scheme will see young people who do positive work in the community receive support from celebrities like Idris Elba, Ian Wright and more.
• Young individuals will be given access to talent networks that contribute to community outreach work and provide training and other related opportunities for young people.

Major Influencers

One of the major figures associated with the initiative is actor Idris Elba and legendary footballer Ian Wright. The former is also the founder of the Don't Stab Your Future initiative and in response to 'No More Red', he said, "From the time young people leave school, until the time they're at home with family, there is often a void, a dangerous spike of nothing to do, where nothing can easily turn to something dangerous. If there continue to be no options for this after-school period, we will always see gangs form. Let's create options for these young people."

Ian Wright is a former Arsenal player and one of the mentors in the mentorship programme. He was hopeful while speaking in regards to the initiative. He said, "Every young person deserves the opportunity to express themselves. The opportunity to exist within a safe environment. The opportunity to live free from fear of violence. By giving young people more places to play sport, more support, and access to individuals who can inspire them, together we can help make a difference to young people in London."

The iconic all-white kit will also be given to various organisations that are actively working with young individuals to erase the menace of knife crimes. This is a good initiative spearheaded by Arsenal and Adidas that should help young people in the city of London.