We are proud to announce that No More Red won The Community Award at the Leaders Sports Awards, while The Arsenal Forest matchday programme initiative was also a runner-up in the Sustainability category.
The Community Award celebrates organisations that use sports to tackle social barriers and create a lasting platform for positive engagement.
2021 saw the highest number of teenage murders in London on record and cuts in government budgets saw 750 youth centres close. Together with adidas we are uniquely placed to play a vital role within London to help provide alternative pathways, authenticated by our 35-year history in supporting young people in the community.
Our aim was to leverage our platforms to launch No More Red as a long-term initiative developed with the objective of addressing the root causes of youth violence by supporting young people through the creation of safe spaces and active mentorship with trusted role models.
We launched No More Red with a bold statement, removing the iconic red and creating an all-white kit symbolic of the ambition behind the name of the initiative. The white kit, which will never be for sale, is a symbol of positivity and continues to be awarded to local individuals who are using their creativity to shape their own future and inspire those around them.
The campaign continues to fund new pitches in the local area, giving young people access to safe spaces for football in the heart of the community, with the first pitch now in full use on the Harvist estate near Emirates Stadium and further builds in development.
Thank you to the many people who contributed to No More Red, and to our community team whose work over 35 years laid the foundations to make such a campaign possible.
We know we won't solve knife crime alone, and there are no quick fixes. We hope that No More Red will continue to send the strong message that by pursuing talent and focusing on aspirations and positive influences, there are alternatives.
Meanwhile the Arsenal Forest initiative in our matchday programme saw us partner with CarbonLink a non-profit carbon forestry company that specialises in carbon offsetting projects in the UK and Africa.
The project has resulted in us planting in excess of 16,000 trees in Bore, Kenya together with our supporters. Congratulations to our matchday programme team for the recognition their excellent work has received.
You can read more about The Arsenal Forest and how you can plant a tree here.
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