Arsenal x Adidas #NoMoreRed Campaign
Arsenal faced Oxford United on Monday night in an FA Cup third-round clash at the Kassam Stadium. Despite a goalless first half, Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory with an opener from Mohamed Elneny and 2 goals from Eddie Nketiah, heading into the 4th round.
The focus was taken away from the football match, with Arsenal and Adidas sending a powerful message with their limited edition #NoMoreRed kit. The Gunners sacrificed their usual red kit for an all-white strip, in an initiative to give young people more opportunities and tackle the root causes of knife crime, which is prevalent in London.
The Metropolitan Police stated that there were 134 murders in London last year and 85 were caused by knives, totalling 63%. In the previous year of 2021, 74.4% of all homicides were caused by knives or sharp weapons.
Sadiq Khan has been under enormous pressure to sort these issues out in London as knife crime has increased during his time as Mayor of London. Undoubtedly, the Arsenal and Adidas initiative has highlighted the issue to a wider audience across England and the world.
This is the second occasion the Gunners have ditched their usual red strip for the white kit, as they also wore it in the FA Cup last season against Nottingham Forest. The limited edition kit produced by Adidas is purely a non-profit campaign and the kit will not be released for purchase, despite the majority of Arsenal fans loving the clean design. However, a number of these white kits will be given out to volunteers of the #NoMoreRed campaign.
Another aspect of the campaign is that the London club are heavily investing in safe spaces for kids to play football in London. Sports clubs take children and young adults off the streets and provide them with a safe haven to improve their fitness, mental health and social life. It is not known whether Arsenal will wear the kit again this season but it looks like the Gunners are fully committed to tackling this issue in their home city. The #NoMoreRed campaign sends a powerful message about the importance of tackling knife crime in London and across the UK. It shows that football clubs are willing to use their platform to help address this issue and to raise awareness of it. This is a great way to get people talking about knife crime and to encourage people to take action in their own towns and cities.
The kit is also a visual representation of the campaign, which can help to inspire young people to stay away from knife crime and to find positive outlets for their energy. The fact that Arsenal are investing in safe spaces for kids to play football is also excellent and shows that they are committed to helping young people stay safe and build better lives.