Oxford United outline community activities to the police

IT'S still a frequent misconception that Oxford United in the Community exists to deliver positive matchday experiences to young supporters and regular holiday camps only.

While it’s true those provisions remain key cogs in the wheel of the charity’s operation, our work today extends way beyond those boundaries.

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This month, myself and Rob Porter – our Lead Community Coach – were pleased to accept an invitation from Thames Valley Police to speak at its Neighbourhood Conference held on our doorstep at the Kassam Stadium.

It provided an excellent platform for us to engage senior police officials, PCSOs and local representatives about how we can use the power of football to positively influence the lives of vulnerable members of society.

By vulnerable, we mean individuals at risk of becoming connected with anti-social behaviour and youth violence plus other factors such as loneliness or inequality.

Football is a fantastic ice-breaker activity. It’s why our association with Thames Valley Police stretches beyond this month’s talk to on-the-ground engagement most recently at our weekly Premier League Kicks sessions in Banbury.

Sessions are free and specifically designed to inspire young people aged 8-18 to unlock their true potential via activities on the pitch and discussions off it.

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Part of unlocking that potential this summer was facilitated by the work of PCSO Stephen Birchall.

Rather than turning up to sessions in police uniform, we handed PCSO Birchall his own Oxford United tracksuit to see how participants would respond to his presence in a relatively informal manner.

We noted an immediate difference to how participants engaged with PCSO Birchall – all because of one simple change. They identified him as a friendly face, and not an individual patrolling the streets in uniform.

This tangible difference demonstrates how we can use football to our advantage when working with partner organisations to inspire positive change in our communities.

Explaining this to the room was a point we were really keen to stress, and it was pleasing to speak to a number of PCSOs in roles across the county who expressed a genuine interest in broadening our collaboration.

In line with our Oxfordshire – A Community United strategy, it is our intention to build on the existing programmes and courses delivered countywide and provide all members of the community aged ‘two to 92’ with a positive connection to the football club.

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That means continuing to tackle important issues locally such as enhancing playing provisions for people of all ages and abilities and reducing loneliness and re-offending rates all while continuing to grow our footprint across Oxfordshire’s communities.

So, when you next see a member of our team on the pitch at the Kassam Stadium or out delivering a holiday camp or Development Centre session, take a moment to reflect on the bigger picture of Oxford United in the Community’s work.

And if you have five minutes to spare before kick-off one day, check out our website and see if there’s a programme which could help you develop that positive connection with a member of our coaching staff and the club badge.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.