Middlesbrough FC will ditch red kits to highlight knife crime on Teesside

Middlesbrough FC will be hanging up their traditional red shirts in a bid to highlight the dangers of knife crime on Teesside, which has one of the highest rates of the crime in the UK.

As part of the campaign, Boro will be wear an all-white kit when they play Coventry City on Saturday 2 November.

For the game they are urging fans to show their support by leaving their red shirts and scarves at home to make it a 'No More Red' day at the Riverside.

Middlesbrough players Hayden Hackney and Dael Fry launching the one-off all-white kit. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

The players will also be wearing shirts in the warm-up to highlight the work of the Chris Cave Foundation - a local charity set up by Theresa Cave, Chris' mother, after he was stabbed to death in Redcar aged just 17-years-old.

Ms Cave told ITV Tyne Tees: "The Chris Cave Foundation works extremely hard educating young people on the issues around violent crime.

"We show the dangers, consequences and ripple effect of knife crime, gun crime exploitation and county lines.

"We are overjoyed to have been chosen by MFC to join their campaign against knife crime and to be supportedthrough funds raised which will be an enormous help to our work."

Chris Cave was stabbed to death in Redcar by another teenager in 2003. Credit: Family handout

Over half of all serious violence in the Cleveland force area - 57% - involved a knife or bladed weapon, according to the force.

As well as this, Cleveland Police figures show a third of all knife crimes in 2023-2024 included young people under the age of 24.

Ahead of the match, players Hayden Hackney and Dael Fry attended an MFC Foundation Kicks Session to launch the campaign alongside members of the Chris Cave Foundation and Cleveland Police.

Middlesbrough player Hayden Hackney signing footballs at the launch of the campaign. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Speaking to ITV Tyne Tees, Boro's Hayden Hackney said: "I think it's important that we raise awareness to knife crime especially in this area because I think its one of the highest in the UK."

At this weekend's match, a nine-year old boy from Middlesbrough FC's academy will read his own poem written about the issue.

Jacob Krishnan's poem will be shown in the stadium ahead of the team's match against Coventry.

Middlesbrough players at the No More Red knife-crime campaign launch at Teeside University Credit: ITV

Middlesbrough Football Club's Helena Bowman said: "This is a very serious issue affecting our community.

"We want to highlight this and make people aware of the dangers and the effects this has on the lives of people.

"We hope that changing our strip at the Riverside and by creating awareness of this problem and asking our fansto do the same and not wear their usual colours will have an impact on people and make them think twice."

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