- Evangelos Marinakis to donate 1,000 Nottingham Forest kits to school children across Nottinghamshire
- Donations began with over 100 kits being delivered to children at St. Ann’s Well Academy and Nottingham Primary Academy
- Men’s first team players Ryan Yates, Neco Williams and Zach Abbott, as well as Women’s first team players Sophie Haywood and Millie Chandarana, attended both schools to personally hand out kits
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is to donate 1,000 official club kits to children across Nottinghamshire as part of a heartfelt initiative to inspire the next generation of Forest fans and to ensure kit is available to those most in need.
‘The Red Thread: One Thousand Kits, One Shared Future’ initiative aims to ensure that more young people across the region, regardless of their background or circumstance, have access to kit for use within schools for PE lessons, training and matches across various sports.
Working in collaboration with the Nottingham Forest Community Trust, it will ensure that thousands of children have the opportunity to wear the famous Garibaldi red with pride, with kits to be distributed to local schools identified as the most in need across the county.
To kick off the donations, Club Captain Ryan Yates, his teammates Neco Williams and Zach Abbott, and Women’s first team players Sophie Haywood and Millie Chandarana, visited St. Ann’s Well Academy and Nottingham Primary Academy on Thursday to personally deliver the first set of kits to children.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said: “This football club belongs to its people. Every child who dreams of playing for Forest, or cheering us on at the City Ground, should be able to feel part of this special journey we are on.
“We want every young supporter to feel seen, valued, and inspired when they pull on the shirt. It’s a gesture of connection and pride with our community – this journey is ours to share, and our youngsters will help shape the future of our great club and the city as a whole.”
Nottingham Primary Academy Headteacher Andrew Staszkiewicz said: “This is a wonderful gesture by Mr Marinakis and the Club. Our pupils were very excited to receive the kits from the players and they can’t wait to wear them. We will greatly benefit from this as a school, so thank you to the owner and everybody at Nottingham Forest who’s ensured that we can continue to give the children of our community the best chance to enjoy playing football for years to come.”
The campaign forms part of the Nottingham Forest owner’s wider commitment to community investment, youth opportunity, and inclusivity across football.
Distribution of the remainder of the kits will take place next week in collaboration with the Nottingham Forest Community Trust.
