Once again Charlton Athletic is leading the way on using the universal language of football to influence change in society for the better and more specifically, with this initiative, to make our streets and neighbourhoods safer places for all the community.

The key message for those people presently in gangs is that it is much better for everyone for you to be part of a positive team than part of a very negative and dangerous gang culture where individualism is lost in a tide of collective actions that has and will lead to the loss of life.

I hope this initiative will be adopted by many other football clubs across the UK and be the catalyst for having an ongoing joined up approach with all the key front line services to eradicate this issue.