Arsenal and England superstar and Team New Balance Athlete Bukayo Saka returned to his childhood neighbourhood on Wednesday 6th December, to celebrate the opening of the latest New Balance store in Westfield, White City.

Bukayo used to frequently visit the Westfield shopping center and was raised just a short distance from the new store. In remembrance of his early years, Bukayo invited students from his previous elementary and high schools to visit him at the New Balance store. Based on their achievements in academics, athletics, and behavior, the kids were chosen for the invitation-only event, offering a fantastic incentive for students to concentrate on their studies and earn the greatest reward for their diligence.

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The event, in partnership with Meta, is part of Instagram’s ‘Elevate’ program which involves partnering with black athletes to support and elevate their voices online, help them connect with their own stories.

When asked about the event, Bukayo said ‘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. I wanted to go and do something to celebrate the opening that would be nice for the local community and to involve kids who are growing up in a similar area to me, to hopefully encourage them to have big dreams too.’

Additionally, the event serves as a chance to promote awareness of the UK-based charity Street Soccer Foundation, a sport-for-change organization that works to better the lives of vulnerable and homeless youth nationwide by using football as a catalyst. As a longtime supporter of the organization, Bukayo most recently donated more than 100 pairs of his exclusive Furon v7 Seven Edition football boots, which were released in September.

A certain quantity of the Own Now footwear will be available at the New Balance Westfield White City shop as a memento of the occasion. The highly sought-after boots are exclusively available at a few merchants and will only be in stock for a brief period of time.