The Arsenal Foundation Charity Ball, otherwise known as A Night To Inspire, is an annual tradition that shines a light on the fund-raising activities of The Arsenal Foundation and the work of Arsenal in the Community while raising money to help continue that work.
Sadly the Covid pandemic has put the event on hold since 2020, so we’re looking back to the last event in 2019 as a reminder of what we do and what we stand for. As our then-managing director (and now CEO) Vinai Venkatesham said in his introduction, “We don’t just play football at Arsenal, we play a role.”
A Night To Inspire is an opportunity to reflect on the work we have done both in the local community and in the wider world, for example through our partnership with Save the Children and our Coaching For Life programme in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan and Jakarta, Indonesia. The 2019 event featured an address by Academy manager Per Mertesacker, who has himself visited the Za’atari refugee camp to see how we are helping refugees displaced by the war in Syria.
A Night To Inspire is also an opportunity to raise money to support the work of Arsenal in the Community and our charity partners. In 2019 we achieved this via a live auction, a silent auction and a prize draw, while the players also maintained their tradition of donating a day’s salary to The Arsenal Foundation.
Finally, of course, it is an evening of top-class entertainment and hospitality, with the 2019 featuring Dermot O’Leary as host, a menu from Raymond Blanc and live music from Rudimental, who also just happen to be Arsenal fans.
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