Team members at Oxford United’s official charity have taken part in a dedicated wellbeing workshop designed to help staff manage stress, avoid burnout, and feel more confident in supporting the organisation’s new mental health initiative.
The interactive session was delivered by experienced psychotherapist Rebecca Lisi, who recently became a ‘Friend of Oxford United in the Community’.
The bespoke training formed part of a growing partnership between the Wantage-based therapist and the charity. Oxford United in the Community launched its ‘Friends of the Community’ fundraising scheme earlier this year, offering businesses the opportunity to support its work by donating £100 a month.
Each membership could fund 60 hours of free youth football coaching and mentoring or provide 10 kit packs for players joining the Elite Development Centre.
After joining the initiative, Rebecca Lisi led a workshop at Oxford United’s training ground for the charity’s coaches, focusing on practical tools, strategies and mindfulness exercises to help staff maintain their mental wellbeing.
“Football has the great power to unite and inspire people, but it can also be a demanding and stressful environment,” she said. “The training plan the team completed gave them strategies, mindfulness exercises, and personalised support. It means they now have the practical tools to better manage stress, prevent burnout and promote wellbeing at work.”
Lisi, who specialises in supporting organisations with male-dominated teams, emphasised the importance of making mental health support accessible for men, highlighting cultural barriers that often prevent them from seeking help. The charity’s coaches responded positively to the session, and Lisi praised the organisation for taking staff wellbeing seriously.
Founded in 1989, Oxford United in the Community operates as an independent charity and delivers wide-reaching social impact programmes across Oxfordshire. Its most recent impact report recorded more than £973,000 of social value created annually, working with over 1,600 programme participants in 28 venues.
The charity recently launched its Match Fit campaign, aimed at improving wellbeing across the wider community. CEO Matt Everett said the partnership with Lisi had already made a meaningful difference.
“The support from Rebecca Lisi has transcended being simply financial, with her wealth of experience and knowledge put to fantastic use with our team,” he said.
“Myself and the team really benefitted from the workshop, both in promoting our own wellbeing and in having the confidence in the tools we are now providing to the wider community. It’s a relationship we are looking forward to enhancing further in the weeks and months ahead.”
