Oxford United’s official charity has launched a fundraising initiative, and it is encouraging fans to sign up and support its work to help improve lives through football.
Friends of Oxford United in the Community has been launched as a way for supporters and local businesses to get behind the charity’s work and unlock several exclusive member benefits in return.
In its recently released 2023/24 Impact Report, the charity delivered £937,182 of social impact across the county, provided 2,378 hours of programme delivery and engaged more than 1,650 participants across 28 venues.
Now, it’s looking to expand its impact even further with direct support from the Oxfordshire community. People can subscribe for £5 each month and in turn, enter a quarterly draw to win prizes including matchday hospitality packages and signed shirts. In addition, they’ll receive a pin badge and regular newsletters demonstrating the social impact of funds donated.
Businesses can also become an official partner of the charity for £100 each month with three events per year, a quarterly prize draw, monthly impact updates and a place in the charity’s web directory forming part of the package.
The charity has set a £25,000 fundraising target, with each person’s annual contribution enough to provide two weekly inclusion football sessions which help adults living with a learning difference to be active or a kit pack for two mascots to walk out with besides the first team.
Each business membership meanwhile will help fund 60 hours of free youth football coaching and mentoring or provide 10 kit packs for male and female players who have been offered a funded space within the charity’s Elite Development Centre.
To celebrate the launch, the charity will hold its first Friends of Oxford United in the Community prize draw on Monday, 31 March. People and businesses who subscribe by Thursday, 20 March will be automatically entered into the draw which includes an annual giveaway where one subscriber will win tickets to the Club’s end-of-season awards dinner and one business will win a boardroom package.
Further prizes will be distributed to lucky subscribers in June, September and December. Matt Everett, CEO of Oxford United in the Community, said: “To date, our operation has relied on central funding via EFL in the Community and the Premier League Charitable Fund plus generous donations from supporters through one-off payments of supporting our paid-for programmes.
“Launching Friends of Oxford United in the Community simplifies people’s ability to support our work and unlocks the opportunity for fans to win prizes and help make a genuine difference to the communities they live in at the same time.
“As a charity, it’s also a great opportunity for us to better tell our story to those who sign up and demonstrate first-hand how much football can truly transform lives for the better.
“Our ambition is to make 20 per cent of our paid-for activity spaces, which are vital in supporting our wider charitable work, free to access for those that need to. By subscribing as a Friend of Oxford United in the Community, subscribers will have a direct impact on us achieving this.
“This initiative has huge potential to take our delivery to the next level with help from individuals and the local business community and we encourage anyone with a passion or connection to Oxford United or Oxfordshire to subscribe.”
Ten per cent of all donations will also be pledged to the Joey Beauchamp Foundation in support of its commitment to address the pressing need for mental health support and awareness.
Established in February 2024, the Foundation formalised a partnership with Oxford United in the Community to enhance people’s awareness and understanding of suicide, as well as mental health resources should a person be suffering in silence.
Already, the Foundation forms part of the football club’s Can We Talk? campaign and launched its Talk to Your Wingman initiative which will champion a series of local collaborations to help people tackle mental health issues.
