On Wednesday, December 6, Arsenal and England player and Team New Balance athlete Bukayo Saka made a surprise visit to his old neighbourhood to mark the grand inauguration of the brand’s newest location in Westfield, White City.

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Bukayo was reared not far from the new store and used to visit the Westfield shopping centre often. Bukayo invited pupils from his former elementary and secondary schools to come see him at the New Balance store as a way of remembering his early years. The kids were selected for the invitation-only event based on their behaviour, athletic, and academic accomplishments. This provides an excellent motivation for youngsters to focus on their studies and receive the highest reward for their hard work.

The event is a part of Instagram’s “Elevate” program, which collaborates with black athletes to promote and elevate their voices online and assist them in connecting with their own stories. This program is being held in conjunction with Meta.

“I used to go to Westfield a lot when I was young, so it’s beautiful for me to see a store in there with my face at the front of it now,” Bukayo remarked in response to a question regarding the occasion. I wanted to attend and celebrate the opening with something that would benefit the neighbourhood and include young people who are growing up in a similar location to me in the hopes of inspiring them to pursue their own ambitious goals.

The occasion also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the UK-based charity Street Soccer Foundation, a sport-for-change group that uses football as a catalyst to improve the lives of disadvantaged and homeless youngsters across the country. As a devoted follower of the group, Bukayo most recently gave more than 100 pairs of his limited-edition Furon v7 Seven Edition football boots—which were made available in September—to the cause.

As a keepsake of the event, a limited number of the Own Now trainers will be offered at the New Balance Westfield White City store. The incredibly popular boots are only sold by a select few retailers and are only available while supplies last.