A FOOTBALL tournament will unite some of the county’s most vulnerable residents when it kicks off tomorrow.

The Oxford Social Inclusion Cup 2014 aims to tackle stigmas surrounding mental health, homelessness and substance misuse.

Sports organisation Streets Revolution will host the six-a-side tournament at Oxford City Football Club’s Community Arena, in Marsh Lane, between 10am and 5pm.

It will also celebrate and mark both World Mental Health Day and World Homeless Action Day.

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Event organiser and Sports Revolution founder Jon Regler said: “It does not really matter where you come from, we all speak football.”

It is the fourth time the tournament has been held and it has attracted 18 teams from Oxfordshire, as well as Newbury, Poole in Dorset, and Birmingham.

Teams include drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre The Ley Community, mental health organisation Oxfordshire Mind, alcohol and drug support service Lifeline Oxfordshire, and Thames Valley Police.

Mr Regler added: “The end result is that if people saw the tournament going on, they would not know who was homeless, who had mental health issues, who had drug and recovery issues and who was the police officer and who was the local lad. It’s a level playing field. “ Mr Regler, 49, founded Streets Revolution in April 2010 after volunteering in Milan, Italy, during the Homeless World Cup the year before.

He then hosted the first Social Inclusion Cup in October 2010.

Robert Day, 23, will be playing as part of the Streets Revolution team.

The Cowley resident said he was made homeless at the age of 16 and has suffered with autism, as well as emotional and behavioural difficulties, since childhood.

He added: “This is important because I get to see different races and different genders and people from different walks of life united for this one cause.”

The event is being run in partnership with Oxfordshire Football Association and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

For more information contact Jon Regler on 07713 333359.

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