Arsenal and adidas unite to tackle youth knife crime in London
2021 was the deadliest year on record for London teenagers. The number of homicides reached its highest levels since 2008, with 27 out of 30 teens stabbed to death. This comes after the closure of 750 youth centers over the last 10 years, with 4,500 youth workers now out of work.
As a leader and influential voice in the community, Arsenal FC couldn’t sit back and watch this continue.
In response to 2021’s shocking knife crime statistics, we brought a proactive idea to Arsenal and adidas. We designed a one-off, historic, all-white Arsenal shirt. We removed the iconic red colour to symbolise no more bloodshed on London’s streets as a result of knife crime and youth violence. The white kit is not for sale and will be awarded through the No More Red Collective to young people who are using their creativity to avoid knife crime and inspire those around them.
We also created a launch film which was published across social with support from current and ex- Arsenal players including Ian Wright and Bukayo Saka, as well as the legendary Arsenal fan Idris Elba.
The film was also shown on ITV in the pre-match coverage of the FA Cup Game. A series of longer-form films were also created to further highlight the issue and show how role models and creativity can form part of the solution.
Bringing this all together is the multi-year initiative: the No More Red Collective, where we will be working with ‘Arsenal in the Community’ to reward and celebrate those that are finding spaces outside of gang crime.
The campaign picked up enormous organic coverage on ITV pre-match channels, major news channels and sports press including BBC, Sky Sports, COPA90 and many more. Praise came from footballers including David Beckham as well as celebrities and politicians including the Home Secretary Priti Patel and Mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn.
It’s too early to understand the long-term impact of the campaign, but the sentiment and halo effect has been outstanding.
Client
Specialisms involved
2021 was the deadliest year on record for London teenagers. The number of homicides reached its highest levels since 2008, with 27 out of 30 teens stabbed to death. This comes after the closure of 750 youth centers over the last 10 years, with 4,500 youth workers now out of work.
As a leader and influential voice in the community, Arsenal FC couldn’t sit back and watch this continue.
In response to 2021’s shocking knife crime statistics, we brought a proactive idea to Arsenal and adidas. We designed a one-off, historic, all-white Arsenal shirt. We removed the iconic red colour to symbolise no more bloodshed on London’s streets as a result of knife crime and youth violence. The white kit is not for sale and will be awarded through the No More Red Collective to young people who are using their creativity to avoid knife crime and inspire those around them.
We also created a launch film which was published across social with support from current and ex- Arsenal players including Ian Wright and Bukayo Saka, as well as the legendary Arsenal fan Idris Elba.
The film was also shown on ITV in the pre-match coverage of the FA Cup Game. A series of longer-form films were also created to further highlight the issue and show how role models and creativity can form part of the solution.
Bringing this all together is the multi-year initiative: the No More Red Collective, where we will be working with ‘Arsenal in the Community’ to reward and celebrate those that are finding spaces outside of gang crime.
The campaign picked up enormous organic coverage on ITV pre-match channels, major news channels and sports press including BBC, Sky Sports, COPA90 and many more. Praise came from footballers including David Beckham as well as celebrities and politicians including the Home Secretary Priti Patel and Mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn.
It’s too early to understand the long-term impact of the campaign, but the sentiment and halo effect has been outstanding.
33M+
people worldwide saw the campaign.
£0
spend on paid media
1500+
pieces of global coverage
Highlights
