Arsenal players Gael Clichy, Manuel Almunia and Robin van Persie swapped footballs for paintbrushes when they met with world famous cartoonist Gerald Scarfe at Arsenal’s training ground earlier this month.
The unusual meeting took place so that players could share their ideas with Gerald and help design an Arsenal-themed Citroën C4 which will be raffled to raise money for Arsenal’s Charity of the Season, Teenage Cancer Trust.
The car, generously donated by Arsenal Football Club’s official car supplier, Citroën, will feature the design which will be personally created by Gerald with the help of the players. Gael, Robin and Manuel shared their thoughts and ideas with the cartoonist around Club culture, supporters and what they felt it meant to be part of the Club.
Welcoming Gerald to the training ground Robin van Persie, whose father is an artist, said: “This is something different for us to be involved in and my ideas were very much centered around the pace of the game and the style of football Arsenal play. My father has been inspired in his work by the supporters and I’d like to see this reflected in Gerald’s design too. Gael and Manuel had very different ideas, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he puts all the ideas together to design this unique piece of art. I hope it inspires supporters to keep up their amazing fundraising for Teenage Cancer Trust and I hope they buy lots of tickets to try to win the car!”
Artist, Gerald Scarfe said: “Although it’s a slightly unusual project, I am used to dealing with sportsmen from a distance, but the consultation today gives me the chance to understand exactly what these guys want – I need to make their thoughts work on the car to make it an interesting vehicle for the ultimate Arsenal fan.”
The specially designed Citroen C4 will be unveiled in February and will be on show at various locations including Emirates Stadium. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase in person at a number of outlets or via the partnership’s dedicated website www.beagoonerbeagiver.org. from March 2009.
Supporters will give input at a later date about what they would like to find inside the hatchback which can be won by buying a raffle ticket for just £2 from March 2009 with all monies going to the charity dedicated to improving the lives of teenagers with cancer.
Over the course of the season, through the ‘Be A Gooner. Be A Giver.’ campaign, the Gunners aim to raise £300,000 enabling Teenage Cancer Trust to increase its support for teenagers and young adults with cancer in the London area by building a unit within a brand new Day Care Centre at University College Hospital, London.
Arsenal is the first to commit to funding part of Teenage Cancer Trust’s unit in the Day Care Centre. The Club hopes that other organizations will follow their lead, helping the charity to raise a further £1.2million to complete the development of their unit.
The Education Zone will be a dedicated space where those being treated can keep up with their studies and also learn more about their cancer. The zone will include computers and laptops with wireless access, enabling them to contact their school, keep in touch with their friends and even join in with lessons via webcam.
For more information on the partnership or to donate visit: www.beagoonerbeagiver.org.
Source: Be A Gooner Be A Giver
