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Arsenal’s innovative inclusion event

Arsenal hosted our biggest disability inclusion event to date in April 2017, welcoming 60 children and young people to Emirates Stadium for a unique day of activities.

The event was the first of its kind in football, bringing together the delivery expertise of Arsenal in the Community along with a variety of specialist projects that have been funded or supported by The Arsenal Foundation. We invited young people and adults from across north London, engaging them in a range of activities.

The overall aim of our Arsenal for Everyone initiative is to ensure that everyone feels welcome at Arsenal, and this event reached out to local people and fans that may not be able to take part in the usual football sessions led by Arsenal in the Community.

Our guests experienced a variety of projects that have recently been supported by The Arsenal Foundation including arts and music company Funky Pie, The Stress Project, which specialises in adapted yoga therapy sessions, and Bag Books, who provide a unique sensory storytelling experience.

Other activities on the day included a session with adapted cycling charity Pedal Power and adapted dance sessions with disability dance charity Act One Arts Base, both of which have also been supported by The Arsenal Foundation.

Arsenal in the Community disability officer Luke Howard said: "I am incredibly proud to host an inclusive event of this size. We had to ensure that we could offer safe and adapted activities with specifically designed opportunities for those in the local area who would love to be with Arsenal, but potentially face barriers with getting involved."

“We will look to expand our current Community offer to ensure we meet the needs of those who would like to be involved. Events like this show our commitment to enabling everyone to access Arsenal, as well as the dedication of the club to the local community and the amazing projects that The Arsenal Foundation support. It’s all about using football and Arsenal to bring together people who may need the support.”

Through a number of initiatives undertaken in the community, inside Emirates Stadium and throughout the club, Arsenal endeavours to ensure that everyone associated with the club feels an equal sense of belonging.

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If you'd like to get involved in a future inclusion event, please contact Luke Howard at lhoward@arsenal.co.uk