Greenford born Arsenal and England superstar, Bukayo Saka, partnered with New Balance to celebrate the opening of the latest New Balance store in Westfield, White City.  

Paying homage to his younger years, Bukayo welcomed children from his former schools, The Edward Betham C of E Primary School and Greenford High School to meet him at the New Balance store on Wednesday 6 December.

The children were selected for the exclusive event, based on academic, athletic and behavioural performance, providing an amazing incentive for pupils to focus on their education and receive the ultimate reward for their hard work.  

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 communities and tell 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."

Bukayo Saka greeting his old teachers from Greenford High School at the new New Balance store in Westfield, White City (credit: New Balance).

The event was also an opportunity to raise awareness of the UK Based charity, Street Soccer Foundation, a sport-for-change charity which uses football as a catalyst to improve the lives of vulnerable and homeless young people across the country.

Bukayo has been a long-standing supporter of the charity, most recently donating over 100 pairs of his limited-edition Furon v7 Seven Edition football boots that launched in September.

New Balance says: "To leave a legacy of the event, the New Balance Westfield White City store will stock a limited number of the Own Now boots.

"Only available at select retailers, the boots are highly saught after and will only be available in store for a limited time."

Bukayo Saka spoke to local students at New Balance's new store event in Westfield, White City (credit: New Balance).

Marco Alvez, Retail General Manager for EMEA at New Balance, said: "When Bukayo reached out to us about the new store opening, we were thrilled to host his community event in store.

"The retail concept of the new store is all about putting people, not products at the heart of the retail experience, meaning the store is built for the community.

"What better way to celebrate the store opening, than with this event, which perfectly showcased this ethos."

For more information or to find a store near you, visit newbalance.com. 

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