Andy Devaney
Arsenal have never needed help filling the Emirates on a matchday, but this week the club and adidas gathered people for something quieter, heavier, and far more meaningful than a roar after a last-minute winner. As the No More Red initiative marks its fifth year, the spotlight falls not on goals, but on the hard graft of keeping young Londoners safe—one trusted adult, one safe space, one opportunity at a time.
No More Red, launched in 2022, is built on decades of Arsenal in the Community’s work tackling the root causes of youth violence in London. It’s a partnership shaped less by slogans and more by consistency: refurbished pitches, open-access play, and the kind of steady mentoring that doesn’t disappear when the cameras do.
A walk that carried more than scarves
This year’s anniversary centred on a walk with the family of Arsenal supporter Tashan Daniel, who was killed in 2019 while travelling to Emirates Stadium to watch the team he loved. Supporters, players, campaigners, charity partners and local community members joined the journey—joined, too, by Arsenal first team players Noni Madueke and Alessia Russo.
They walked with Tashan’s parents from Hillingdon station to the Emirates, and then watched as his parents made their way to Tashan’s seat, completing his final journey together.
A new film released today captures that route—ordinary streets made extraordinary by memory—while pointing to the ongoing work aimed at building a safer future for young people across the city.
The impact in numbers, and the meaning behind them
If you want proof that this is more than good intentions and a nice badge, it’s here in black and white—well, white and red, if we’re being faithful to the theme.
Impact of No More Red (2025 / 2026):
- 794 football training sessions delivered across four refurbished pitches
- Over 10,000 hours of safe, open access to pitches – the equivalent of 416 days of play
- 1,546 young people engaged directly with Arsenal in the Community coaches through football, learning and personal development opportunities
- 54 local role models awarded the iconic white No More Red shirt in recognition of their positive impact in their community
Those figures matter because they represent repetition—the unglamorous sort. Turning up again. Keeping facilities open. Giving young people somewhere to be, and someone reliable to speak to, when the alternatives are louder, faster, and often more dangerous.
Safe spaces in Islington and Camden, built to last
Since the launch, adidas and Arsenal have delivered four new and refurbished pitches across Islington and Camden. On paper, that’s infrastructure. In real life, it’s permission: permission for kids to play, connect, and grow in places designed to feel safe and accessible—not gated behind fees, not rationed to the lucky few.
And beyond the pitch lines, No More Red has pushed into workshops, partner projects and career pathways—routes into volunteering, education, and employment. The goal is simple: replace risk with belonging, and replace dead ends with options.
The voice of the partners: pride, patience, and trust
adidas said:“adidas is incredibly proud of the work that has been done in the first four years of No More Red, and each year brings more inspiration from the stories of people doing powerful work in their communities. Collaboration and connection has always been a core component of the initiative and while there is much more to do, by working together we can make meaningful progress towards a safer future for young people.”
Freddie Hudson, Director of Arsenal in the Community said: “No More Red builds on four decades of Arsenal in the Community’s inner-city work listening to and supporting young people. We understand some of the challenges they face are complex, support often needs to be long-term and requires trust and consistency.
Through the spaces we provide, access to trusted role models coupled with meaningful connections and opportunities, we are confident it is helping to keep young people safe.
When young people feel they belong to something positive, they become confident in the choices they make.”
That last line lands because it’s the point of the whole exercise. Football can’t fix everything, but it can offer structure. It can offer a circle of adults who care. It can offer a reason to show up.
The white shirt that can’t be bought
The white No More Red shirt remains the project’s core symbol: striking, simple, and deliberately out of reach of the marketplace. It will never be sold. It can only be awarded. Since 2022, 272 community champions have received it—people recognised for doing the daily, often unseen work that makes neighbourhoods safer and futures wider.
In an era where “limited edition” usually means “limited by your bank balance,” No More Red flips the logic. The shirt is limited by character.
What this means for Arsenal, and for London
Clubs love to talk about values. The test is whether those values survive outside the stadium walls—on the walkways, platforms, underpasses and estates where life is lived in full colour and full consequence.
Five years into No More Red, Arsenal and adidas are still turning up, still funding facilities, still backing role models, still making space for young people to belong to something better. And if football teaches you anything, it’s that momentum isn’t magic. It’s built—step by step, session by session—until the result starts to look inevitable.
For Londoners who want a safer city for the next generation, that’s not just a campaign. It’s a promise in motion.
