MICHAEL Carrick is encouraging Middlesbrough fans to get behind today's No More Red initiative at the Riverside in an effort to highlight the dangers of knife crime, an issue the club feel "very strongly about", says the head coach.

Boro will be wearing a one-off white kit for today's game against Coventry City and are urging supporters to leave their red shirts and scarves at home in a bid to raise awareness in the aftermath of the release of some worrying figures.

In a twelve month period from August last year to this July, a third of all knife crimes in Cleveland involved young people aged 24 and under and 57% of all serious violence involved a knife or bladed weapon.

In that time period, 186 people aged 18 to 24 were victims of a knife crime in the Cleveland Police area and 63 young people were caught in possession of a bladed weapon.

Those figures prompted Boro to act and today's efforts will not just raise awareness but also crucial funds for the Chris Cave Foundation, a local charity which supports victims of violent crime, and for the MFC Foundation's Kicks Scheme.

"It's a great initiative, it's important as a football club to try and make an impact in a situation like this," said Carrick.

"The numbers aren't acceptable. To have something so serious so close, it's important for us to try and improve the situation.

"We feel that by doing this we'll bring it to everyone's attention and hopefully improve the situation."

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Carrick has long used his profile to support causes he feels strongly about, with the Boro boss's own Foundation helping to provide opportunities for disadvantaged young people.

"It's important to me," he said.

"Communities in and around football clubs are vital and football clubs are massively important within communities. So I think we have to be very thorough, very careful and very proactive in terms of how we can make a positive impact.

"The Foundation is fantastic at that, and it’s important the players are fantastic at doing their part as well and impacting as much as possible.

"I think it’s a responsibility that comes with the role these days and you then try and put your own feel and your own personality on that. As a club, we feel very strongly about this - how close to home it is and what’s going on in the local community. We want to try and help and this is certainly a great initiative to try and make as big an impact as we can."

Hometown Boro player Hayden Hackney, who captained the side at Norwich last week, agrees.

“It’s massively important," he said.

"We’re from this area so it feels like there’s a bit more responsibility to try and raise that awareness.

"Middlesbrough Football Club can have a big impact in the community and that’s why it’s so important that we help raise awareness of important things like this. We want the kids of Middlesbrough to feel safe.

"The No More Red will hopefully be a massive statement because obviously the majority of people will wear red at most matches. So to see very little red on the day, hopefully that can make a big impact. Ultimately, it could be the case that it even helps save someone's life."