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London NFLers turn cleats into canvas of support for national youth charity

Two London-born professional footballers are using a long-running NFL initiative to show support for a national youth charity aimed at helping kids in distress.

Cleats worn by Chase, Sydney Brown designed in support of Kids Help Phone

CBC News ·
London artist Briony Douglas holds a cleat worn by Sydney Brown, a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative.
London artist Briony Douglas holds a cleat worn by Sydney Brown, a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative. Douglas worked with the London-born footballer, and his twin brother Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals, to design their cleats in support of Kids Help Phone. (Submitted)

Two London-born professional footballers are using a long-running NFL initiative to show support for a national youth charity.

It comes as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative, in which players don custom-designed footwear for the season's 13th and 14th weeks to advocate causes meaningful to them. Players can then auction the cleats off in support of the organizations they're championing.

London artist Briony Douglas partnered up with London-born brothers Chase and Sydney Brown for the campaign after being contacted by NFL Canada.

Chase, a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, and Sydney, a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, laced up in support of Kids Help Phone, the nationwide charity that operates a 24-7 crisis line for youth in distress.

Chase also wore a second set of cleats, not designed by Douglas, in support of Eagles Autism Foundation.

London Morning6:20Custom art on football cleats
Briony Douglas is an artist with ties to London with new art on display on the football field. Douglas told London Morning about a unique project, designing and producing artwork for special cleats worn by NFL players Chase and Sydney Brown. The artwork represents charities sponsored by the players for a fundraiser called "my cause, my cleats"

Speaking with CBC Radio's London Morning on Wednesday, Douglas said she worked with the pair on the Kids Help Phone design.

"I did a little research on the guys, and a little bit more on the charity, and then came back with an idea. They all said yes, and then I started painting away," she said.

"On one cleat, there's a teddy bear, which I thought was the universal sign for children, and then on the other is '686868,' which is the number kids can text when they're in a time of crisis," she added.

"There is a little London logo on there, because I thought it was important to pay tribute to where they came from."

Cleats designed by London artist Briony Douglas for London-born Chase Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals
Cleats designed by London artist Briony Douglas for London-born Chase Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals (Submitted)

Douglas said she and her fiancé travelled to Philadelphia over the weekend to watch the Eagles play and present Sydney with the cleats.

"Within moments, it's so obvious that they're such good people, and he's such a good human," she said.

"It's refreshing in a world of, maybe not always refreshing things, to see good people experiencing good things."

Artist Briony Douglas and Philadelphia Eagle Sydney Brown, both of London, pose with cleats designed by Douglas in support of Kids Help Phone.
Artist Briony Douglas and Philadelphia Eagle Sydney Brown, both of London, pose with cleats designed by Douglas in support of Kids Help Phone. (Briony Douglas/Instagram)

Windsor-raised Theo Johnson, a tight-end for the New York Giants, also took part in the initiative to support My Sisters' Place.

The New York-based organization shares the name of, but is not connected to, a London facility which provides drop-in and wrap-around services for vulnerable women.

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