‘Carry a basketball not a blade’: Basketball star pays visit to first school as part of knife crime campaign

A campaign encouraging young people to ‘carry a basketball not a blade’ was officially launched following two fatal stabbings in Northampton this year.

The chairman of Basketball Northants, a voluntary organisation promoting the sport across the county, was heavily touched by the incidents – particularly the passing of Fred Shand as he lives and has taught students in the Kingsthorpe area where the stabbing took place.

With the success of the organisation's ‘youth justice basketball project’ in engaging with vulnerable Northampton International Academy students, chair Martin Spencer knew there was the scope to do more.

Basketball player Andre Arissol is the face of the ‘carry a basketball not a blade’ campaign.

Andre spent the last season as a professional player for Worthing Thunder in the men’s National League Division 1 – as a result of his hard work since he started playing basketball in Northampton aged 13.

Having played for the England under 20s and with an impressive record at the age of just 26, Andre hopes to become a positive role model in encouraging young people to take up sport.

A launch event was held for the campaign last month, which saw many individuals gather in support – namely from the sport and charity sectors.

Addressing the room at the launch, Andre said: “The most important thing with this project is that when these kids finish school or come out of their households, they feel valued in the streets or by the elders that are leading them that way.”

When Andre was younger he faced a tough decision about what to do with his life, and he expressed his gratitude that his younger self chose to put his time and energy into basketball.

“I want to embody that responsibility to make kids feel valued through sport,” he said. “Sport is fun, cool and will provide for you and your family if you think that big.

“These are the same philosophies that young people think the streets will provide. I want to make sure it’s clear that it’s not the same.

“It is about being able to make them realise [the streets] are not sustainable and the damage it causes.”

The aim of the campaign is to work with as many schools as possible across Northampton, which will see Andre and Martin work with the students directly.

Through presentations, focus groups and making Andre a positive role model for the pupils to aspire to, there is hope that a real difference can be made.

The first school the team visited was Delapre Primary School, where Councillor Emma Roberts was in attendance.

She said: “It was a pleasure to take part in this activity and we are hoping to expand the reach and carry out some partnership-working to help promote physical activity, choices and opportunities for our young people.

“I really see the benefit of this campaign and what makes it extra special is that Andre is a local lad who genuinely wishes to see every kid thrive.”

Cllr Roberts described the morning she spent at the school as “inspirational”, when she joined the school assembly and the students during their time on the basketball courts.

“[There were] great conversations about how we can work together and get behind the campaign,” she added.

The school visit was followed by a meeting with Sir Michael Ellis MP to talk through the campaign – and Martin said he “loved Andre”.

To make this campaign a success, an online fundraising page was set up earlier this year to fund branded merchandise to spread the message even further.

If any local businesses would like to support the campaign, Basketball Northants can be contacted via [email protected].

To visit the online fundraising page and make a donation, click here.