Oxford's 12th Man

NEW 12TH MAN WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!

2011-11-21T08:50:00.001-08:00

THIS SITE IS NOW FROZEN

THE NEW 12TH MAN WEBSITE IS NOWLIVE AT

www.ox12thman.org.uk

PLEASE CHANGE ANY BOOKMARKS AND LINKS

SEE THE NEW SITE FOR DETAILS OF HOW TO CONTACT PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH THE 12TH MAN

2011-10-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

No, Robbie won't be selling the badges himself tomorrow, he'll be otherwise engaged, but come and buy yours tomorrow.

Tuesday's two-goal hero Robbie Hall is pictured here with (l to r) Ray Whittaker, Don Gale and Danny Johnston from the 12th Man group.

New design 12th Man badges will be on sale around the ground on Saturday before the Port Vale match at £2 each with proceeds to the fund.

Be sure to get yours and help us build the fund.

Badges on sale this week

2011-10-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

At this week's matches against Plymouth and Port Vale, look out for our badge sellers and get your 2011-12 season 12th man badge.

The following was released to local media last week:

The 12th Man fund, which is run by United fans, recently agreed to provide financial support to Oxford United for Robbie Hall’s second month on loan. 12^th Man badges, in a new design for this season, will be available at £2 each for the two home matches in the coming week. Look out for them around the ground and at the Priory pub.

Don Gale, who has organised the badges, said “We hope fans will like the new badge, which features this season’s kit design. The more we sell, the more Robbie Halls the fund will be able to help bring to the club.”

12th Man terms and conditions

2011-10-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

The terms and conditions of the 12th Man Fund (2011 version) are set out below (click on the read more link to view)

Terms and Conditions

Memorandum of Understanding between Oxford United Supporters and Oxford United Football Club – in relation to the ‘12th Man Initiative’

This document sets out the structure of the Fund for the purposes of improving, enhancing and/or increasing the playing staff of Oxford United Football Club (hereinafter referred to as "the Club") through the Fund known as the "12th Man Initiative Fund” (hereinafter referred to as "the Fund").

The fund was originally administered by the OxVox Supporters’ Trust but is now administered by the members of the 12th Man Working Group of Oxford United Supporters.

1. The purpose of the Fund is to increase the playing staff of Oxford United Football Club, whether temporarily or permanently, in time of need. Any monies donated by the Fund to the Club are to be used solely to bring in new players or loan players, by paying part or all of either an essential transfer fee (in the case of a newly contracted player) or player wages (in the case only of a short term or emergency loan signing). The scheme will not apply to long-term or season-long loans. These monies are to be considered additional to, not a supplement of, the Club's normal budget for playing staff or new signings, unless agreed otherwise by both parties.

2. A Fund Management Committee will administer the Fund. The Fund Management Committee will consist of: two supporter representatives nominated by the 12th Man Working Group, the Club Chairman, and/or another designated representative of the Club.

3. Supporter members of the Fund Management Committee will be selected by a vote of the 12th Man Working Group and will serve on the committee subject to annual review.

4. For convenience of administration, the members of the Fund Management Committee shall agree a chairperson who shall not be either the Club Chairman or Club representative.

5. Any meeting to discuss the use of the Fund must be arranged with at least seven days’ notice unless the Fund Management Committee members unanimously agree a shorter period. A decision to commit available funds will require the Fund Management Committee members to participate, whether in person or remotely.

6. A member of the Fund Committee will be responsible for day-to-day administration of the Fund and its bank account. For the time being, this person will be the OxVox treasurer.

7. The Club may at any time apply to the Fund Management Committee for funds to bring in new players (under the conditions of section 1). Any such application will be considered by the Fund Management Committee on the merits of each application and any disbursements will be subject to the funds being currently available: no application will be granted against anticipated future funds. The decision as to whether to make funds available must be a unanimous decision of the Fund Management Committee.

8. No payments will be made to third parties involved in a transfer or loan deal - e.g. to players' agents, solicitors, advisers etc. All payments made will be net of VAT.

9. Any payments made shall be fully in accordance with the appropriate regulations laid down by the Football League and the Football Association and any other applicable governing organisations. It shall be the responsibility of the Club to ensure the conditions of such compliance are met in full.

10. No individual or group of donors to the Fund shall have the right to veto or otherwise influence any decision made by the Fund Management Committee as to the suitability of a player brought before the Fund Management Committee for consideration. The intention of the Fund is to make available to the Club funds for improving the playing staff that may not otherwise have been forthcoming - not to provide a fans' "veto" on the manager's decisions.

11. The Club will provide a receipt to the 12th Man Fund in respect of each payment made. Members of the Fund Management Committee will observe strict confidentiality.

(The original version of these terms was signed by Kelvin Thomas, Neil Carter and Rob Newton, 3 September 2009. This version was agreed by the 12th Man Working Group and Kelvin Thomas on 19 October 2011.)

Meeting notes, 11 October 2011

2011-10-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

MINUTES OF 12^TH MAN WORKING GROUP MEETING

Held Tuesday 11 October 2011 at Hawkwell House Hotel.

Present: Don Gale (Chair of meeting), John Gould, Rose Green, Danny Johnston, Trevor Lambert, Kim Lamont, Michael North, Paul Ridgley, Ray Whittaker.

Guest: Zoe Fathers.

Apologies for absence: Were received from Maurice Earp, Steven Sykes, Kelvin Thomas, Liam Wakeford, Paul Wakeford.

In SS’s absence TL acted as secretary.

Minutes of last meeting (23 August 2011): Agreed.

Matters Arising:

Fundraising activities:

a) Zoe Fathers – presentation re jewellery: Zoe was welcomed and described her jewellery, which included bracelets, earrings, cuff links, and tie clips. She was able to produce items with 12^th Man logos under a glass tile finish and sample products were circulated and admired by the group. Zoe sold on match days through Sue Trafford and publicised her wares via a FaceBook group. They were made at cost for the 12^th Man and typically £3 would accrue to the 12^th Man on a £5 sale. Zoe passed over £79.50 to JG for the fund from recent sales, and the group extended their thanks to her for her efforts.

Actions: Zoe needs latest badge design in JPEG format (TL to provide); is happy to join the group and attend future meetings (SS to attend to invitation to join email group); will need publicity on flyers and 12^th Man website etc (members to arrange as appropriate); and group will think about additional match day sales opportunities.

b) Standing order donation scheme flyer: Rough draft with text by SS was circulated and approved in general terms. TL confirmed that club had agreed in principle to include the leaflet in the final programme of October. The text would include mention of forthcoming activities and contact points.

Actions: Comments on text from group to TL as soon as possible (all); TL to liaise with James Robinson on layout; JG to advise on content of standing order mandate; Printing, envelopes to be arranged (TL or alternate); team required at 8am on Saturday 29 October at stadium to insert flyers into programmes (all welcome!).

c) Badge sales: DG reported that approximately £1100 had been taken and the cost of production should be covered and the activity should be into profit at the next home match. The two home matches in the last week of October would be targeted with a focused push to publicise and sell on the day, with all major stadium points covered.

Actions: More buckets to be obtained and prominently labelled (DG); previous sellers to be contacted for help (including Mark Bryden and Sean Wilde) (SS/TL); group members to inform DG if they can help on either or both games (all); sellers to be sought via FaceBook and website (TL); Football club and local media to be asked to help with publicity in run-up to the week (SS/TL/others).

d) Lanyards: A small order of 250 was agreed at a unit cost of 65 pence including VAT setup costs and delivery; the proposed sale price was £2.

Action: DG to order. TL agreed to underwrite any losses.

e) 12^th Man Beer: It was confirmed by ME after the meeting that he had received a cheque for £196.40 from Chris Meeson, landlord of the Masons Arms, which is from the sale of 12th Man Beer at the Masons Beer Festival. The group wished to thank Chris warmly for his help.

f) Flag bearer log sheet: PR passed round the log sheet which showed all matches booked for the flag bearer until Saturday 21^st January, with the exception of the JPT cuptie against Aldershot recently announced. The group congratulated PR on his efforts. Vacant dates would be publicised via website and FaceBook group.

Action: Any contacts for flag bearers on vacant dates on sheet to be passed to PR (all).

Use of internet forums: Some of the group were unfamiliar with the world of internet forums. It was desirable that more of the group were aware of how to find and use them, to help the group become more visible.

Action: TL to provide notes on the main OUFC related forums and how to access them, etiquette etc.

Cheque signatories/ bank account: JG had relevant paperwork and was within two or three weeks, he hoped, of setting up a new bank account for the fund which would be completely independent of OxVox signatories. It had been fully recognised for some time that the current position, in which the fund required an OxVox signatory who was not currently involved in the group, was anomalous and needed to be changed as soon as was practical. The signatories on the new account would be JG and 2 others from the group, to be confirmed and decided on the basis of proximity to Oxford, and all payments from the fund would require two signatures.

Action: JG.

Publicity: TL reported that the new website should be ready to go live in two weeks according to the developer Michael Reading, and he would keep the group advised of progress. He circulated a proposed list of organisations and people to contact when there was a 12^th Man announcement to be made, including the football club, local media, supporter groups (OxVox and Rage Online in particular), and interested individuals. The FaceBook group set up by Simon Bradbury was 700 members strong, and assuming facilities stayed in place to message all members under changes currently taking place, it was potentially very useful.

Total in the fund: JG reported that £8,768 was banked in the fund account

Any other business:

a) Terms and conditions: The group was happy with the final draft of the terms and conditions and a copy could therefore be passed to Kelvin Thomas to sign on behalf of the football club.

b) Rob Hall / fund payment: The group was pleased with the signing of Rob Hall for a second month and that the fund had been called upon. No precise amount was known as yet but the club had confirmed that it would not exceed £4,000. Payment would be against documentary evidence of salary costs provided in confidence to JG and to the second person representing the fund on the payment subcommittee to their full satisfaction; it was agreed by the meeting that Danny Johnston’s offer to be the second person for the present would be accepted.

c) Dinner event: TL suggested a possible fundraising dinner event in November and had in mind a local restaurant which may be able to help; he would report back.

Date of next meeting: Provisionally November 15^th 2011, to be chaired by Maurice Earp.

Action: MN to check availability of Kelvin Thomas and of the hotel room, and to book if confirmed, or advise group of alternative dates.

The meeting closed at 9.10pm.

Blog continues for now

2011-10-23T04:31:00.001-07:00

Work on the new 12th man website proceeds.

For the time being this blog page will continue to provide news on 12th Man issues.

Rob Hall loan extended with 12th Man's support

2011-10-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

The 12th Man fund has today agreed to support the seventh player since it was set up, with costs associated with Rob Hall's second month of loan being met from the balance in the fund. The fund's contribution is expected to be between £3,000 and £4,000. Thanks are due to fans for continuing to support the fund. The official club announcement of the loan, released this morning, reads as follows:

____________________________________________________

Robert Hall has extended his loan period with the U's for a further month.

The West Ham striker was due to return to London at the end of the week following the match with Bristol Rovers, but after discussions with all parties his loan period has now been extended until Wednesday 9th November.

The loan deal has been supported by the 12th Man fund which was set up by United supporters in 2008 to help raise additional funds to bring players to the club.

So far the 12th Man has raised £38,000 and helped with the signings of six players including Jake Wright and stretching back to Jamie Cook.

The 17-year-old from Aylesbury in Bucks joined the club in September and has made five appearances, scoring three times - against Dagenham and Redbridge, Hereford and Aldershot.

Hall has represented England at Under-18 level and was part of the team that won the UEFA Under-17 European Championship.

Manager Chris Wilder said: "Rob has made an immediate impact at the club and he has real talent which he has shown in every match he has played for us. He's chipped in with some vital goals and we're obviously very happy he wants to extend his loan for a further month."

Trevor Lambert, a spokesman for the 12th Man, said: "We are delighted that the supporters, the 12^th Man at Oxford United, have once again been able to strengthen the squad by financially supporting the extension of Rob Hall's loan.

"Rob's first month here has been impressive and we wish him well for the second month, starting with Saturday's exciting prospect of the match against Bristol Rovers."

This blog

2011-09-02T13:16:00.001-07:00

A new 12th Man website is in preparation which will have all the details of 12th Man activities, and will take the place of this blog over the coming weeks.

Badges

2011-09-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

New 12th Man badges with the 2011-12 kit design are in production and may make their debut next Saturday, 10 September.

12th Man Beer

2011-09-02T13:11:00.001-07:00

12th Man Beer is on sale once again this weekend at the Masons Arms beer festival in Headington. All profits from the sale of the beer go to the 12th Man Fund courtesy of landlord Chris Meeson.

Meeting notes, 23 August

2011-09-02T13:09:00.001-07:00

MINUTES OF 12^TH MAN WORKING GROUP MEETING

Held Tuesday 23/08/2011 at Hawkwell House Hotel

Present; John Gould (Chair), Maurice Earp, Don Gale, Rose Green, Trevor Lambert, Kim Lamont, Michael North, Paul Ridgley, Steven Sykes, Liam Wakeford, Paul Wakeford, Ray Whittaker.

Guest; Kelvin Thomas.

Apologies for absence were received from Danny Johnston.

Progress report on fund raising projects:

Badges – DG circulated a drawing showing the new design of badge and confirmed that delivery is anticipated on 7 September, in time for the Burton home game. He confirmed that the cost was £1350 for 3000 badges. It was suggested that a different type of fastening might be preferred by some people and DG agreed to look into arranging a smaller run of these. JG thanked DG for his efforts and offered to pass on his experience re sales and organisation.

12^th Man Beer – it was confirmed that DJ had spoken to Chris Meeson of the Masons Arms who will once again produce a special beer for his beer festival over 2-4 Sept, with all profits from sales going to the Fund. TL said the Oxford Mail needed to be contacted to publicise this. ME suggested advertising the beer on appropriate forums and also said he would speak further to Chris Meeson.

Programmes and mugs – MN reported that he had a new limited edition (of 25) mugs for sale and had already sold five. He also reported that he was currently taking between £50 - £100 each matchday from his table in the bar and accordingly was expecting to exceed last season’s takings.. There have been four big donations of programmes recently which he is in the process of sorting for resale. He was also pleased to announce that it is now a global business as he has a customer in New Zealand!

Jewellery – JG said he would investigate further regarding progress on this and also clarify what profit share the Fund would receive. He also said that he would report his findings as soon as possible.

Flag Bearer – TL said that he felt this was initially proving a hard sell this year as the take up has been very limited. He is putting notices on forums in an effort to garner interest. RG suggested a raffle as a way of generating interest but it was felt there could be logistical problems with this. RW asked if it was felt that the cost (£50) was a problem. It was agreed that it was a fair price for a very good package. DG agreed to be the flag bearer at a game in January to mark his retirement. PW suggested offering a game to the child(ren) of an Oxford Mail reporter with the aim of generating a story. KT suggested approaching Thom Airs, a news reporter who is also an OUFC fan and attends matches in an unofficial capacity. It was also suggested that other media outlets be contacted.

Cartoons – PW has created over 50 new cartoons but unfortunately due to difficulties with modern technology the meeting was not able to view them. He said this year he wishes to sell them both as A5 cards and on-line, and once costs have been covered including a consideration for his time all of the profit will go to the Fund. He reported a profit of £595 for the signed play-off picture for which JG received the cheque. A discussion then ensued about the possibility of a large cheque being presented on the pitch and who exactly it should be presented to. LW suggested a new caricature in the form of a superhero should be created to represent the Fund and it was agreed this was a good fun idea and should be investigated further.

Suggestions for further fund-raising projects:

T-shirt - SS suggested a T-shirt to mark the club’s victory in the recent A420 Clasico. He displayed a T-shirt produced by a company called YNSAM and agreed to enquire if they would be able to produce a suitable garment. ME felt that the price point needed to be £10 maximum retail.

Auction - DG suggested a 50-50 auction.

Photo - MN suggested a photo of the Oxford fans celebrating at the end of the aforementioned game.

Standing order scheme - Now that the worries about bank charges have proved unfounded, it was agreed that this should go ahead. JG suggested a monthly minimum of £2 although of course people could donate more should they wish/afford. TL said he had approached James Robinson about producing a flyer. PR suggested details of the flag scheme could be on the reverse of the flyer. This was welcomed by the meeting. KT suggested that the flyer could be inserted into a matchday programme and the meeting thanked him for this offer.

Badges in the away strip design - again DG agreed to look into this. JG pointed out that in the previous incarnation home badges outsold away by a ratio of approximately 3:1.

KT warned against creating too much merchandise at once. JG agreed and said he envisaged 3 main projects spread over the season.

Communications:

Web and email - TL offered four suggestions for a dedicated website address. A discussion about the possibilities/ likelihood of mis-spelling ensued before it was agreed to adopt ox12thman.org.uk. TL will reserve this domain name. The meeting agreed the cost of approximately £10. He said that he wanted it to be an ‘easy access’ website.

Facebook – There is a Facebook group for the 12^th Man set up by Simon Bradbury with 600 – 700 people signed up. LW volunteered to help. TL said he would contact S Bradbury to ascertain who is registered as an administrator and whether it is still appropriate for them to be so, and with a view to having LW added .

Yahoo group – TL reported this was set up and generally seemed to be working well. He asked for volunteers to co-administrate. SS volunteered.

Terms and conditions: TL had drafted updates to the terms and conditions to reflect previous discussions and summarised the changes for the meeting, which basically brought them up to date and reflected the new organisation. These changes are available to view on the Yahoo group. JG proposed that any comments from attendees regarding the changes be submitted within five days of the meeting. Other interested parties who could not attend would also be circulated. Unless there were any objections the new t&cs would be adopted.

Fund balance: JG reported that with the cheque he had received from LW & PW the balance now stood at £8478. He also added that he wanted full transparency in all financial matters connected with the fund.

Links with the Priory Public House: TL reported that links were strong in the first year of the Fund but less so last year and asked if it was worth discussing with Tim Rackley (the landlord) about staging a couple of events, for example a race night which had previously proved popular. ME said that T Rackley was keen to support the Fund and KT concurred having met with him last week. At this point the discussion returned to the 50/50 auction previously suggested by DG and it was considered that this might be an ideal event for the Priory. ME agreed to approach T Rackley. It was agreed that items for the auction need not necessarily be OUFC related and KL suggested she could help with sourcing items.

Any other business:

JG asked for volunteers to chair future meetings. DG said he would chair the next one, followed by ME and RG.

ME asked about the promotion of the new badges. JG suggested extensive use of the forums as in the past . KT suggested a picture of Jim Rosenthal wearing the new badge as a publicity picture.

KT asked what had been agreed regarding the aims of the fund and the discussion in this regard that was held at the last meeting was briefly summarised by TL.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.00pm.

Date of next meeting; 11 October 2011 at 7.30pm. MN agreed to book the room.

Meeting notes, 28 July 2011

2011-08-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the notes of the meeting held on 28th July of the newly formed group:

12^TH MAN FUND

Meeting notes – 28 July 2011

Attendees: Maurice Earp, Michael North, Paul Wakeford, Liam Wakeford, Paul Ridgley, Danny Johnston, Steve Sykes, Dave Nicholls, Ray Whittaker, Don Gale, Rose Green, Trevor Lambert, John Gould.

Apologies: Kelvin Thomas, Simon Bradbury, Zak Stratton-Taylor, Daniel Freeman, Maureen Wingrove, Mark Bryden, James Robinson, Damon Farrant, Laurence Waters, Andy Wilmer, Kieron Badger, Matthew Lower, Louise McDowall, Simon Pearce, Marc Pinner, Peter Harris, Adrian Oliver.

Trevor Lambert and John Gould welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Trevor took some time to explain the origins of the 12^th Man fund, its objectives, and the current position of the Fund. He explained that some of those originally involved were, for various reasons of time and other commitments, no longer closely associated with the Fund; and that he and John were also looking to scale back their commitment (albeit not opting out completely). They felt therefore the time was right to try and introduce new faces to the organisation of the Fund and the meeting was to gauge the level of interest that might be forthcoming. The terms and conditions and a breakdown of the payments made and the sums raised were circulated.

There was then some discussion as to what the Fund should do next; should it remain true to the original objective of supporting the first team, or widen its scope to encompass anything within OUFC. The majority opinion seemed to be, as the survey had shown, that it should continue as it is now. The Club has not made any requests of the Fund for the last 12 months.

Different methods of raising revenue were discussed and it was agreed to proceed with the commissioning of a new batch of badges, using the design of the 2011-12 kit. Several designs were discussed and it was felt the badges should incorporate the lettering OUFC in some way, either on the badge itself or embossed on the back. It was agreed to look into this further and liaise with Rob Newton, the designer. Don Gale agreed to head this up with support from Maurice Earp and Dave Nicholls.

It was agreed the popular flag bearer activity would continue (the club having indicated their willingness to support this and to continue to offer stadium tours), and Rose Green, Steve Sykes and Danny Johnston agreed to take on the task of meet and greet.

Trevor would set up a yahoo email group and invite those attending to sign up. We had two contacts willing to help with website design and Trevor would also look into this.

It was also agreed that some catalogues of promotional material should be obtained, which might generate further ideas for 12^th Man merchandise.

Danny Johnston would approach Chris Meeson of the Masons Arms regarding the possibility of 12^th Man beer.

Everyone recognised the importance of keeping people who had expressed interest informed, especially folk like Sue Trafford and Tim Rackley of the Priory.

Steve Sykes offered to act as secretary.

John agreed that he would continue as treasurer for the time being as the bank account is currently linked to the OxVox accounts at Barclays. It will be difficult to open a new account until the 12th man has some sort of formal organisation.

The 12^th Man terms and conditions were circulated for consideration; revisions will be discussed and agreed at the next meeting.

The meeting closed at 9.40pm.

Next meeting; Tuesday 23^rd August.

COMING SOON - 12th Man Handcrafted Jewellery

2011-08-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Over the coming months The 12th Man will be selling handmade and handcrafted bespoke jewellery. Local company, Zoe's Crafts, have kindly offered to help support the 12th Man initiative.

Zoe's Crafts are happy to design the bespoke items and the jewellery and pricing will be as follows:

OUFC Bracelet with charm £4.50
OUFC Bracelet £2.50
Bag Charm £5. Can be made with pictures of your choice.
Necklace £5 with picture of a player
Necklace & eearings set £7. Can use picture of your choice
OUFC Cufflnks £5 - choice of three designs
Christmas cards £3.50 each. Orders will be taken from 1st November

Please contact Zoe Fathers at Zoe's Crafts (through Facebook), Sue Trafford or Pam Keen (selling matchday programmes, 50/50 tickets and 12th Man items from the stall outside the Quadrangle) or Simon on corporate@oxvox.org.uk for more details.

Zoe's Crafts will produce the items and arrangements will be made for orders to be collected on match days.

Results of the 12th Man survey

2011-07-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

Results of the 12th Man survey

The online survey of fans about the future of the 12th Man fund, which closed at the end of last week, attracted 441 replies. Thanks to all who took part.

45% (199) of the fans who replied wanted the fund to continue to support the first team, as at present.
27% (118) would like it to support apprentice professionals coming through the youth system.
17% (76) thought it should be used to make improvements to the match day experience.
3% (15) felt the fund had served its purpose and should be closed.
7% (33) made other comments.

Among the 33 others, 22 either chose more than one of the other options, or said the Club should decide how money was spent, 9 said the money should be put towards building the 4^th stand or other stadium development, and 2 said the 12th Man brand should be used to promote the club in the community rather than to raise money.

A total of 33 said Yes, and 66 said Maybe, to the question about whether they were interested in being part of a working group. Contact details were supplied by 80, some of whom are on the existing mailing list, which is based on those who attended the initial meeting at which the fund was set up two years ago.

A total of 91 people said they would be willing to help pre-match. There were 27 who answered the question about fundraising expertise, some of whom described relevant skills. 84 supplied additional comments.

The next step will be to issue an invitation to everyone on the existing mailing list, and to everyone who left contact details, to a planning meeting organised by us in Oxford. If you gave your details, you should receive an email from us soon. Anyone who also wants to help but didn't complete the survey or leave their details will of course be welcome too. We are working on dates and we will be in touch with confirmation and details of how to reserve a place at the meeting in the next day or two.

Trevor Lambert
John Gould

12th Man Survey is LIVE - take part now!

2011-06-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

The survey mentioned in the 12th Man meeting notes is now up and running at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OX12

It's open to anyone to participate and we want as many fans as possible to take part.

So please first of all take part yourselves, and also tell other fans you know about it, we want it to have the biggest possible response and so far as we can, we want everyone who has an opinion about the future of the 12th Man to be aware of the survey.

12th Man Meeting Notes

2011-06-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last night there was an open meeting to talk about the 12th Man, which was held at the Hawkwell House Hotel in Iffley.

Seven people attended the meeting in total, which included Oxford United chairman Kelvin Thomas.

A number of fans had emailed prior to the meeting to give suggestions on the future of the fund. The suggestions included:

· Maintaining the current set up for the fund; no change of purpose required

· Using existing funds to pay for marketing material to promote home matches;

· Raising funds for youth development; specifically the idea of investment in a young, promising player and offering them an extended contract, possibly otherwise not available

· Using the fund to pay for a variety of things to improve the match day experience (including TVs in the concourses, a giant 12th Man sign, inside the ground, club crests on the side of the stands, a video scoreboard, general stadium improvements, commemorative images around the concourses)

The meeting also discussed the structure of the 12th Man and those in attendance did not feel there was a need for a 12th Man committee. It was also suggested that the 12th Man email address is changed so it is not an OxVox email address in order to differentiate between OxfVox and the 12th Man. Plans for a 12th Man website will also be revisited.

All agreed that any change in the direction of the 12th man should be left open for the fanbase as a whole to decide. So a survey will be created to ask fans if they think the 12th Man has a future and if so what direction it should take. Fans will also be asked if they would like to be part of a 12th Man working group, which would discuss via email/online ideas for the Fund. The club will offer its support by promoting the survey via the official club website, although it is important to note that the club are offering this to enable the 12th Man to reach a wide audience of Oxford United supporters.

Attendees at the meeting: Simon Bradbury, Maurice Earp, John Gould, Michael North, Mark Sennett, Trevor Lambert, Kelvin Thomas

12th Man mugs - again!

2011-06-21T01:26:00.000-07:00

We still have mugs left - the listing on eBay is now

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220802937571

Annual 12th Man Meeting - Wednesday 22 June 2011

2011-06-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

12th Man meeting

16 June 2011

Fans are invited to attend a meeting next week to talk about the role and future of the 12th Man Fund.

The meeting is open to all fans and will take place at the Hawkwell House Hotel in Iffley Village, on Wednesday 22 June at 19:30. If you would like to attend the meeting please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk so we can provide the venue with details of how many fans we expect to attend.

For directions to the hotel please visit http://www.hawkwellhouse.co.uk

Wembley 2010 commemmoration mugs re-listed on eBay

2011-04-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

The mug link has now changed to

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220772715230

They are still on sale st £8.50 inclusive of UK p&p.

Mugs still on sale by post

2011-03-09T07:09:00.001-08:00

The mug link on eBay is now

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220751882007

Fund Latest

2011-02-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

The 12th Man Fund has continued to see income come in, with cleared funds now sat at over £6100.00. We are also aware that further sums are due into the fund in the coming weeks, from a number of projects, which will see the fund rise past the £7000.00 figure.

Thank you all for your continued support.

12th Man Wembley mugs

2011-02-01T03:11:00.000-08:00

Mugs now relisted on eBay - latest link is here:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220733230672

We don't have a huge number left now.

12th Man Back Bring The Noise Campaign

2011-01-28T11:57:00.000-08:00

A group of Us fans are organising a bid to improve the vocal backing for the team by encouraging fans who want to sing to get together in the area of the East Stand nearest the North Stand. February 12th against Rotherham has been earmarked as the day when a huge effort will be made and has been designated as Ultimate Support Saturday [2] following the first day against Aldershot earlier in the season.

12th Man is keen to back any initiative like this that will improve the atmosphere in the ground and give the team a lift as they push to consolidate a play-off position in the coming weeks. We would like to take this opportunity to give the event our full backing.

Tony Fallows, one of the organisers, has given us this summary:

With Oxford United’s re-emergence in the Football League thousands of fans have flocked to see The Us this season. Gates have been up and recent form has been magnificent, however, the atmosphere at the stadium has, at times, been flat.

This has led to a spontaneous movement springing up to try and improve matters. Organised via the fans’ forums, various supporters have contributed to a debate and volunteered their free time to make Oxford United’s game against Rotherham United on Saturday 12th February ‘Ultimate Support Saturday [2]’.

The aim of the ‘Bring The Noise’ movement is to lead a relocation of those fans who favour standing and singing at games to the top-right corner of the Oxford Mail stand. While the current situation of the consistent singers being spread out persists, the atmosphere can never achieve its true potential.

Posters were put up in the Oxford Mail stand concourses before the Shrewsbury match and further leafleting will occur on the day of the big game. The movement are hoping to attract as many people as possible to come and sing for the Rotherham game, with fans of all ages and from any stand welcome.

The hope is that grouping singers together will reduce the self-consciousness of singing on your own (as is often the case in the current circumstance) and therefore lead to more consistent singing over 90 minutes. If the scheme is successful, people will carry on standing at the top right and the atmosphere will spread outwards across the stand, it is intended as an evolution rather than a drastic revolution.

Those helping with organisation are also keen to stress that no one should feel like they would not belong, this is not an elitist thing. If you have ever felt that urge to sing and dampened it down, if you pipe up once a game and that’s usually it, if you sing the full 90 minutes anyway or if you just feel like joining in and having a bit of fun then come to the top right of the Oxford Mail stand (closest to the North Stand) against Rotherham and join in.

BACK ULTIMATE SUPPORT SATURDAY Mark II
12th Man

Total updated - and mugs still on sale

2011-01-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

We've updated the total raised - see the thermometer image to the right.

Also, we still have 12th Man mugs for sale by post - the latest link via eBay is as follows

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220717430719

Roll Up, Roll Up, Get your 12th Man Mugs!

2010-12-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

Despite the turmoil to our December fixture list, OxVox's '12th Man Wembley Mug' have moved over 375 mugs in the last four weeks. Naturally we're keen to sell off the remaining 140 or so 12th Man mugs a.s.a.p.

If you want one or more, please order in the next few days by eBay at

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220717430719

We are now shipping mug orders out by first class post day by day, across the country, across the country and across Europe.

Don't miss out, order today!

Bridle Bonanza

2010-12-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

Oxford's 12th Men helped to make the recent Bridle Bonanza game against Macclesfield Town a huge success.

The attendance of 9440 was the highest home gate of the season so far and the players and management sent over 9350 people home happy.

Thank You to Bridle Insurance and the staff of Oxford United for making this an eventful day.

C'mon you Yellows!

12th MAN BACK BRIDLE CHRISTMAS BONANZA!!

2010-12-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

WE'RE BACKING THE BRIDLE CHRISTMAS BONANZA!!

07 December 2010

Strap yourself in and hold tight for the Bridle Christmas Bonanza that has been confirmed for the 28th of December 2010 against Macclesfield, adding some extra Christmas cheer to the Kassam stadium this festive period!

With the help of Oxvox and the 12th Man, Bridle are looking for a record attendance (whispers are already rife about a possible full house) and have substantially subsidised the ticket prices.

Tickets sales for the match against the mighty Silkmen from Cheshire have been excellent so far but Bridle could really do with some extra help from the 12th Man faithful and encourage you to buy your tickets to prevent missing out!

Darren Nangle at Bridle Insurance said about the day: “We are excited at our first Bridle Bonanza day and would like to take this opportunity to thank the many supporters who have already insured with us. The day is something different for the whole family with stilt walkers, silver bands, roller skating Christmas puddings, human statues, jazz bands and fire eaters having already confirmed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Oxfordshire community for really getting behind the event, I’m sure it’s going to be a memorable day”.

This is the perfect Christmas present or just a good excuse to enjoy an Oxford United win (fingers crossed), come and join the Bridle team cheering on the mighty U’s.

Call Bridle now on 01993 772957 to buy your tickets for the match.

12th Man mugs - eBay link

2010-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

The eBay link to buy mugs online for postal delivery has changed to

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220704822056

Mugs delivered by post cost £5 plus £3.50 postage and packing per mug.

12th Man Mug - Now Available!

2010-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

OxVox is pleased to unveil its latest 12th Man fundraising initiative, a commemorative Wembley promotion mug.

The bone china mug shows a cartoon of the three goalscorers and the score from United’s memorable win at Wembley, which secured promotion back the Football League. James Constable, Matt Green, and Alfie Potter are all depicted celebrating on one of the finest moments in United’s history.

The item is already on sale on eBay and will also be on sale in the Exhibition Bar before and after Tuesday night’s home match against Torquay United. Each mug costs £5 and all the profits will be donated to the 12th Man Fund. The mugs will then be on sale at all the home games in the lead up to Christmas or whilst stocks last.

OxVox committee member Simon Bradbury said:

“We are always looking at exciting ideas to expand and develop the 12th Man brand and a number of supporters approached the fund and suggested a commermorative mug be produced. OxVox took up the task and with the help of supporter Paul Wakeford, who created the cartoon design based around that eventful day on May 16th, the mugs went into production.

"The initial batch of 500 limited edition mugs represent great value for money and are a perfect stocking filler for any Oxford United supporter this Christmas.”

Note: The figure as at 26th August 2010 for the total raised by 12th Man since it began is £33,809. Of this, a total of £31,170 has now been spent, and £2,639 remained in the fund at that date.

12th Man Mugs - COMING SOON!

2010-10-20T13:57:00.001-07:00

12th Man have spent the last few weeks investigating a suitable and attractive design for a potential Christmas 12th Man Mug.

We have decided upon a design which captures the magic of our Play-Off Final win in May, depicting Alfie Potter, James Constable and Matt Green celebrating our return to the Football League.

An order has been placed, with the mugs available for sale in the very near future. We anticipate the 12th Man Mug will be available for a minimum donation of £5.00.

For any enquiries contact Simon at corporate@oxvox.org.uk

Ultimate Support Saturday - Aldershot Town 09.10.10

2010-10-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

This Saturday is the first Ultimate Support Saturday. 12th Man is about our supporters and football club coming together for the common cause, this weekend supporters will demonstrate once again how much we love our club.

In the age of all seater stadiums, atmospheres at home games for many teams suffering, Oxford supporters want to buck the trend and show the nation we create brilliant atmospheres.

Ultimate Support Saturday is about everyone getting behind Oxford United and creating an electric atmosphere. After all the talk of improving the atmosphere at home games recently we demonstrated what we can achieve last weekend against Port Vale.

The Oxford Ultras are working hard at improving the atmosphere week in, week out. They have got behind Ultimate Support Saturday and they have a big display planned for the Aldershot game. All will be revealved Saturday. This group deserves a lot of credit and we as fans, appreciate that

The local media are in support of this initiative and the club are also right behind ideas which will improve the matchday experience.

Joe Nicholls who has organised Ultimate Support Saturday explains what the day is about.

Friends and family day - Every Oxford fan is encouraged to bring friends and family, to show them that Oxford United are back, and what a great football club and supporter base we have.

Wear your colours and make the stadium a sea of yellow and blue. Most importantly, to attempt to create one of the best atmospheres ever at the stadium. The middle 2 blocks of the Oxford Mail stand will be designated singing sections for Ultimate Support Saturday, so get online and book your tickets!

Joe has created a facebook group for Ultimate Support Saturday.

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104480869615610

Everyone can play their part, by spreading the word and bringing friends, family and singing your hearts this forthcoming weekend.

12th Man Bracelets NOW AVAILABLE!

2010-09-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Friday 17 September 2010

Ardent supporters, Mrs Pam Keen and Mrs Sue Trafford tomorrow launch 12th Man Men and Ladies OUFC bracelets.

With an initial stock of 100, they expect to sell fast and at only £2.50 each they will raise revenue for the 12th Man Fund. They will be available from Sue Trafford's stall, outside the Quadrangle.

Further stock will be ordered on a match by match basis. Grab your must have accessory this weekend!

Wembley squad pictures available now!

2010-09-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

Paul Wakeford has produced a special edition print of cartoon images of the Wembley squad (see low res image to get an idea of the layout).

Each print is uniquely numbered and believe it or not under each player's name is an individual signature!

Paul put some miles on the clock of his car driving around to collect the signatures and everyone obliged. The final result is a fine keepsake of the great day in May.

If you want one you will have to hurry as the supply is strictly limited.

The prints are on sale now for £40 framed, and £25 unframed - with one third of each sale going to the 12th Man.

To enquire or to reserve your copy contact Paul by email at doubletake@inbox.com

2010-09-05T00:18:00.000-07:00

This time last year the 12th Man was launched. Since then fans have raised nearly £34,000 and helped the club sign six players. Not bad when you consider the target was £10,000 for year one!

You might like to see a breakdown of the main amounts raised - here it is:

12th Man badges £6,800
Priory Pub fund raising £6,600
Sponsored Walk (October 2009) £4,100
Individual donations £2,100
"I was there - Wembley '86" badges £2,100
Wristbands £1,925
12th Man Raffle (team photo) £1,820
6 a side tournaments £1,400
Flag Bearer Scheme £1,350
Chris Wilder masks £1,000
Jeremy Charles/Les Phillips 1986 photo £820
Scott Humphries (cycle ride) £633
Miscellaneous £2,417

Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved. Under Miscellaneous, thanks also go to Andy Hill (London Marathon), Michael North (programme sales), Raging Fever FC (in memory of Dominic Hill), White Hart Bicester, Masons Arms Headington, (12th Man beer), Abbey Press (Open Day posters), Gladiator Club, Cult Zeros, and Ray Whittaker amongst others.

Arguably the biggest 12th Man signing to date was secured over the summer: we are delighted to have helped the club sign Jake Wright on a three-year deal.

So what’s next for the 12th Man? We are finalising some exciting new fund-raising initiatives and merchandise for this season. Meanwhile you can still get involved by being a flag bearer at any home game. For £50 you will get a stadium tour, meet and have photos with Chris Wilder and the team, and lead the players out with the 12th Man flag. If you would like to be a flag bearer email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk

We aim to keep you up to date with all the latest 12th Man activities on this site.

To donate visit http://www.oxvox.org.uk/news.aspx?id=52

12th Man Fund update

2010-08-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

The figure as at 23rd July 2010 (see thermometer image at the right of the page) for the total raised by 12th Man since it began is £32,781. Of this, a total of £31,170 has now been spent, and £1,611 remained in the fund at that date.

To date the fund has been used to assist with financing the signings of the following six players (fund contributions in parentheses) - Jamie Cook (£5,000), Onome Sodje (£3,142), Anthony Tonkin (£10,000), Ashley Cain (£1,000), John Grant (£4,528), and Jake Wright (£7,500).

12th Man Squad Picture

2010-08-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

We're pleased to bring you this picture of the 12th Man version of the 2010-11 season Oxford United squad picture, complete with 19 year old Joshua Smith from Long Hanborough, the proud winner of the place in the picture to represent the fans.

We hope you can work out which one is Joshua, given the number of new players coming in this close season, but if you start from club chairman Kelvin Thomas and look around, you shouldn't have too much of a problem.

We expect the picture to be featured on the club website and in the matchday programme pretty soon.

Joshua's obviously enjoying the experience and he had a great time meeting the players.

Joshua's step-dad has also let us have this picture of the two of them at the photo shoot:

2010/11 Squad Photo Raffle

2010-07-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

This evening, 11 year old OxVox member, Amber Brightman, made the draw for this seasons 12th Man Squad Photo prize.

The winner was 18 year old, Joshua Smith, from Long Hanborough and he will take his seat in this seasons squad picture, due to be taken next week.

The runner-up, who will win a copy of the Play-Off Final win, was HK Yellow, from HK

Thank You all who purchased a ticket or 100 and to Trevor Lambert and Andy Cantwell who sold a large number of the tickets in aid of the fund.

World Cup Competition result!

2010-07-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

As you probably know by now, Spain beat Holland 1-0 yesterday in extra time in the World Cup Final.

The World Cup Competition scores have been calculated and the winner is declared to be Anthony Williams, who came through the field, having correctly tipped Holland and Spain to progress through to the semi-finals and the final, and Spain to win.

Congratulations to Anthony who wins narrowly by two points from Gilo, with an almost identical record but one fewer correct tips at the quarter final stage (five tipped correctly as opposed to six for Anthony). Sheedy11, the early leader, unfortunately did not pick any of the four semi-finalists. OxVox Neil ran the first two close, five points further back, but tipped Germany to contest the final with Spain.

A word of commiseration for trust committee member Brahma Bull bringing up the rear with Nightowl on 18 points. Don't give up the day job, BB!

Full results: Anthony Williams 49, Gilo 47, OxVox Neil 42, Adelino 41, Graham Neal 38, Mark Merritt 36, Mad Mick 35, Matt Derbyshire 33, Ian Faulkner 33, Sheedy11 25, KerryB 25, Phil Hawke 25, Yellow Dragon 24, Scoob 23, Clare-Mc 23, Chris Davis 21, Brahma Bull 18, Nightowl 18.

12th Man Squad Photo Raffle 2010/11

2010-07-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

As happened last year, the club has offered a place in a squad picture for a fan, for the 12th Man. Twelve months ago we auctioned this opportunity and it raised £620.00 when Colt Simmonds won the opportunity to be photographed with the team.

This season, the person who wins this honour will attend the photocall on July 27 when the official squad photos are taken, meet the players, and a special squad picture will be taken including him or her, which will be displayed in the programme and on the club website.

A bit of an email debate has been held among the 12th Man contact group today about the best and fairest way to give everyone a chance to win this prize while raising funds for the 12th Man, and the conclusion is to raffle rather than hold an auction.

So tomorrow at the Open Day we'll be selling tickets at the OxVox stall for £1 each.

Also we are looking at ways of getting more tickets into people's hands before July 20 when it will be drawn. Unfortunately we don't have a home friendly before then so we'll have to be creative.

We'll set up something online next week, hopefully, we have to take care about prohibitions on raffle ticket selling e.g. on eBay and PayPal.

2010-06-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

The 12th Man Fund today helped Oxford United make a major signing ahead of the new season with defender Jake Wright joining on a three year deal.

Jake had a wonderful spell at the club last season which culminated in his excellent performance during our play-off final win at Wembley. He arrives on a free transfer and Chairman Kelvin Thomas was delighted to welcome Jake to the club, he said:

“I think signing Jake is a fantastic deal for this football club. Jake was a major part of our Wembley success. He has experience at a higher level and I know he is very excited about coming to Oxford. It is also pleasing that the 12th Man was able to help to push this deal over the line and help Jake to relocate to the Oxfordshire area.”

Our latest 12th Man signing said: “I’m delighted to have signed. From the moment I arrived on loan I have been made to feel at home. The Manager and staff are first class and the lads have been great with me. We have a great team spirit and a great belief and I want to be part of that. The fans at Wembley were brilliant and this is where I want to play my football.”

Robert Newton added “Jake's signing is a great step forward for the club. His arrival will be hugely popular with the fans and the 12th Man is delighted to have played a part in funding it. Once again, thanks to every fan who has contributed to the fund or got involved. We hope the fund will continue to grow this year and will play its part in signing players of this calibre."

12th Man are delighted with the signing and thank every single one of our supporters for contributing over £30,000 in the last twelve months.

2010-06-07T03:21:00.000-07:00

Game of 66 World Cup Competition

How good are you at predicting the outcome of the World Cup?

Choose the teams you think will go through at each stage, and the eventual winners

This is a simple prediction game in which you select the teams you think will progress at each stage in the competition. At each stage you will get points for each correct choice. It’s not a very sophisticated game, you can even make inconsistent predictions, but you can only name the correct number of choices at each stage and you will only get points for correct predictions, naturally. Half the takings will go to the 12th Man Fund. A single winner will receive the other half (see below) unless there is a tie even after the tie break question in which case the prize will be divided equally. Please enter – the more the merrier. Entries will be accepted up to and including the closing date of 16 June, by which time all teams will have played the first of their group matches.

You can enter by post (£4) or online (£4.50). Full details are given http://www.oxvox.org.uk/news.aspx?id=183

2010-05-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

With apologies for how long it's taken us to put up this report of the 12th Man planning meeting last month, and the length of it...

A planning meeting to discuss the 12th Man initiative for next season was held on Monday 19 April at the Priory pub. Kelvin Thomas and David Jackson from Oxford United were there, and there were a total of approximately 30 supporters in attendance.

A review of the success of the fund during the 2009-10 season was given. Over £28,000 had been raised since the fund was established in July 2009, against a year one target of £10,000. This represented about £5 for each person in the average crowd. Five players had been brought to the club, and the activity had attracted widespread support evidenced by the many thousands of badges and wristbands sold to individual fans. A remarkable range of activities had been run and many people and organisations had been involved in raising the phenomenal total.

A signed agreement on the operation of the fund had been completed in September 2009; from the club’s perspective and the perspective of those involved in the operation of the fund this had worked well. The three-person committee of Rob Newton, Neil Carter and Kelvin Thomas had operated successfully and effectively in making payments against sight of club invoices. This had been achieved without any significant loss of confidentiality for the club, and the club confirmed that it was happy with the arrangements.

Looking to the future the main aspects examined were

Co-ordination - roles and responsibilities, and money management
Purpose/direction of funding next season
Club’s perspective and involvement
Ideas for next season
Getting more people involved

Under the first topic, we asked

Does it need an organising group – if so, how should it be set up?

This was discussed in some detail and there was broad though not universal agreement. The prevailing majority view was that a formal committee structure would not be generally welcomed and would risk losing some of the essential spontaneity of the activity. However there were clearly occasions when appeal to a group for opinions on activities, or a co-ordinated approach to providing individuals with practical help and input with their projects for 12th Man would be welcome. The trick was to find a way to provide the necessary support without introducing a bureaucratic approach.

The specific decision taken at the meeting was to develop and strengthen the existing email group to which attendees of the meeting, and indeed anyone with a strong interest in the group could belong. This might develop into a yahoo group or similar to enable members to stay in touch on a regular basis. The email group could help in the areas mentioned.

It was confirmed in response to questions that OxVox in its committee meetings did not routinely discuss 12th Man matters in general, any discussion would be confined to projects it was undertaking itself for the fund and would be recorded in its meeting notes in the usual way.

The meeting was also asked:

Does it need any changes to financial management – if so, what?

12th Man money went into a dedicated bank account administered by Neil Carter. The balance in the account and the running total raised was reported regularly on websites.

Two points were identified in discussion:

1) the need for transparency, in terms of amounts raised by different activities

and

2) the heavy workload, and Neil’s need for help, at least from time to time.

These matters would be further discussed outside the meeting.

The meeting also discussed how activities which required up-front payments would be funded. Some activities had been funded by individuals making loans for repayment, or even in some cases donations. However this might not always be possible, and there was a discussion of the idea of retaining a percentage of ‘seedcorn’ amounts in the fund, to enable projects with initial financial commitments to be funded by short term loans. This proved to be a contentious issue with differing views emerging; it was not fully resolved in the meeting, and will require further discussion.

The idea was floated that money in the 12th Man fund could occasionally be used for other purposes than team building e.g. capital items like a ‘ We are the 12th Man’ sign at the Oxford Mail end. There were mixed views on this particular idea among those at the meeting, but more generally it was recognised that there might be occasions when modest sums could be allocated in this way, if there were wide agreement among everyone involved that the purpose was one which helped promote the 12th Man.

The next two topics covered the operation of the fund and the purpose of the funding for next season:

Do you have comments, issues or concerns about the way it has operated?
Should it continue as a fund for playing budget expansion, or do you think there is a case for a change of purpose?

No substantial concerns were expressed about the operation of the fund.

The idea was floated of diverting funds raised by 12th Man to a different purpose, the specific idea suggested being the funding of a reserve side, which the club had indicated they were considering re-establishing. However, Kelvin Thomas confirmed that this would not be the club’s preference; if they decided to run a reserve side, it would be funded by the club.

It was agreed after discussion that continuing, as now, to use the 12th Man fund to expand the playing budget was the general preference, and this would therefore be the target for 2010-11.

*Club’s perspective and involvement

Kelvin and David contributed to the discussion throughout. The club saw its role as a full partner in the activity and was delighted at its success. It would continue next season to provide ‘unique’ items for sale as this season e.g. the squad picture, training ground trips etc.

Ideas for next season
Getting more people involved

The final part of the meeting concerned ideas for next season, and how to extend further the number of people helping and running activities.

Pauline Chantler spoke about a possible late summer weekend of events which would include food and entertainment marquee-style. At this stage the idea was in its infancy but could be discussed further; if a successful event were held it could make substantial sums for the 12th Man, as well as giving everyone a memorable time.

A number of new ideas were floated briefly. It was recognised that year 2 of the 12th Man might pose new challenges as the novelty may wear off – some of this year’s activities could be repeated or developed further, while some would be a one-off. As the evening was getting late (and the temperature in the outdoor marquee was getting chilly!) it was agreed that many of the discussions would be held outside the meeting in person or by email.

Everyone attending was thanked for attending what had been a useful meeting.

2010-05-19T01:47:00.001-07:00

We are all recovering from Sunday and the return to the Football League!!

A fantastic day and the celebrations yesterday along the open top bus route and in Broad Street were a memory to treasure.

Money is still coming in to 12th Man from recent events and fundraisers.

But, fairly soon when we catch our breath, we'll update the total in the fund and produce an itemised list what's been generated by each activity this season, so that everyone's aware of where we stand.

Meanwhile, the U-Man Wembley song 'Yellow Ribbon' is proving a popular download and you can get it from this address:

http://www.oxfordunited.org/uman/index.html

Chris Wilder Face Mask Update

2010-05-12T04:15:00.000-07:00

The remaining Chris Wilder Face Masks which took the Play-Off semi finals by storm, will be on sale at The Green Man Pub, Dagmar Avenue, Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

Priced at £3 or two for £5, they will be the only official 12th Man items on sale this weekend. The Green Man Pub will be having other traders selling Oxford United related merchandise but you'll be able to see a handful of supporters selling the masks to our own supporters.

We thank the Landlord of the Green Man for allowing us the opportunity to use his premises to sell the masks this weekend. See you there, limited stock remains.

U-Man releases "Yellow Ribbon 2010"

2010-05-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Oxford United supporter and music producer, U-Man, today launched his 2010 mix of Yellow Ribbon, to accompany United's trip to Wembley this weekend, May 16th. The venture will benefit the 12th Man Initiative, with all sale proceeds going directly to the fund.

U-Man has become very recognised amongst Oxford United supporters with his previous songs attracting interest from a wide selection of fans. U-Man has been delighted to oblige with a new up-to-date remix of our Wembley anthem, Yellow Ribbon. The song has the added benefit of a selection of supporters singing in the chorus, to add to the unique style which is associated with U-Man.

We expect this to become a big hit in the coming weeks. Listen to the local media who will no doubt, play the tune on the local Oxfordshire airwaves.

Donations are invited when downloading the song and we suggest you hit the following link to get your download - http://www.oxfordunited.org/uman/index.html

12th Man "Wembley Mascot" experience

2010-05-05T07:27:00.001-07:00

Oxford United has kindly donated the opportunity to be the club's official mascot at Wembley to the 12th Man. We request interested individuals email the 12th Man in order to be entered into a draw. The winner will be required to pay £50 for the experience as per the normal cost of the 12th Man Flag Bearer packages. You will bid for the chance to lead the United players out on to the pitch for the Conference Play-off final. The winner must chose a person under 16-years-old to lead the players out on to the pitch (as Wembley will only allow children to be mascots).

The mascot will be allowed to be accompanied by one adult (the adult will wait in the dug outs while the mascot goes on the pitch) and will meet the Oxford players in the dressing room before kick-off and then lead the team out on to the pitch. No tickets are included in the package so the winner must have match tickets and will be led to their seats by stewards when they return to the tunnel area.

The Day after.......

2010-05-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Over 11,000 "12th Men" witnessed Oxford United progress to the Conference Play-Off Final yesterday where we will face the Minstermen of York.

The atmosphere created over both Semi-Finals were excellent and must have helped contribute to the team in reaching the showpiece final.

12th Man will have a short moment of reflection as we consider what we can do to benefit the initiative over the coming 10 days. Watch this space!

Good Luck to Oxford United

2010-05-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

It doesn't need saying really but Good Luck and Best Wishes to the staff, players and management of Oxford United in tomorrow afternoon's Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg against Rushden & Diamonds.

The 12th Man will be there in FORCE, 11,000 of us. Come on You Yellows!!

12th Man wild about Wilder Masks

2010-04-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

The 12th Man today launched the Chris Wilder Facemask which will be available at both Play-Off Semi Final games against Rushden & Diamonds. The project has been made possible by our sponsor Dunn Car Sales Ltd of Hollow Way, Cowley, Oxford who have helped get the latest project off and flying. Massive thanks to Dunn Car Sales and their team.

Priced at £3 each or 2 for £5, the masks will add to the red-hot atmosphere that United fans will generate both tomorrow evening and during the second leg on Monday 3rd May.

The local media have picked up on this fun project and the Oxford Mail ran a story today which had quotes from myself and Chris Wilder.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/8123263.Oxford_United_fans_wild_about_Wilder_masks_/?ref=mr

Radio Oxford's Malcolm Boyden 'requested' two masks were delivered to his studios in Summertown during his Breakfast Show this morning. The 12th Man didn't disappoint and sent two masks for the guys to use during the programme and at the home game next week.

It's all about fun, enjoyment and perhaps.....recapturing our youth!

Andy Hill runs for the 12th Man this weekend

2010-04-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

The London Marathon is on Sunday and there is still time to sponsor OxVox Trust member Andy Hill as he raises money for the 12th Man.

So far £500 has been received in online and other donations, including the £150 raised by Raging Fever in memory of Andy's brother Dominic who sadly passed away recently.

You can make a donation using the Paypal button on the OxVox website www.oxvox.org.uk

Or you can send a cheque payable to ‘The 12th Man’ to OxVox at 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX28 1EG, indicating that your donation is prompted by Andy’s run.

Please note that anyone donating £20 or more will receive a free membership of OxVox until 30 September 2011.

We all wish Andy well as he enters the final stages of preparation. Andy will carry the 12th Man flag at intervals on the course, so look out for him if you are going to London on Sunday to see the race.

12th Man Meeting, Monday 19th April, 7.30pm, The Priory, OX4

2010-04-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

A planning meeting to discuss the 12th Man Fund for next season will be held in the Priory pub, by kind agreement of Tim Rackley the landlord, on Monday 19 April starting at 7.30pm

This not an OxVox meeting and is being organised together with other fans’ groups including the Ultimate Yellows, GE, and Rage Online.

The meeting is open to all United fans but will particularly interest you if you would like to be directly involved with the Fund going forward, and have ideas and skills you would like to bring to the activity.

All aspects of the Fund will be discussed and Oxford United have been invited and are expected to attend

Scott completes his bike ride

2010-04-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

Scott Humphries has completed his sponsored bike ride for the 12th Man from Hayes and Yeading to the Kassam Stadium over the Easter weekend. Scott is tired but very pleased to have finished the ride and achieved something for the fund.

There are chances to make donations today and Scott will be at the Priory before the match and it's planned that he will make an appearance at the ground, also he will be collecting cash after the match around the ticket office area.

Online donations can still be made at

http://www.oxvox.org.uk/news.aspx?id=161

Scott is pictured at Hayes with OUFC Chairman Kelvin Thomas and James Constable.

Here he is on his return to the stadium:

Collection for Dominic Hill

2010-04-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

£150 has been collected for 12th Man in memory of Dominic Hill, a lifelong United fan who played for the Raging Fever fans' team.

We are very appreciative of Hayes and Yeading fans as well as United fans contributing to this collection to commemorate a fan who will be sorely missed.

John Matthews of Raging Fever has written as follows:

Dear Trevor,

Re: Collection for Dominic Hill

Raging Fever played Hayes & Yeading fans yesterday before the main match. Prior to our game we held a minute’s applause for Dominic Hill who sadly passed away last week. Dom was a lifelong fan of Oxford who played for Raging Fever on a number of occasions. He lived in Sheffield and so most of his appearances for us were on away trips in that area. His last game for us was in October at York where he featured in our largest win this year.

You will know Dominic’s brother Andy who is running the marathon on behalf of the 12^th Man fund.

After hearing the sad news, the Hayes fans asked whether they could contribute towards a fund of Andy’s choice. As a result, all of the match fees from both sides and some additional contributions from spectators were collected and we have £150 to put towards the 12^th Man in Dom’s memory. This is a wonderful gesture on the Hayes fans’ part and is in keeping with the ethos of what Raging Fever represents i.e. fans meeting up to enjoy football and assist each other where they can.

Scott Rides Out For The 12th Man

2010-03-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Oxford United fan Scott Humphries is the latest to come forward with a 12th Man fundraiser. He is 15 years old and he has set himself the challenge of a sponsored cycle ride over the Easter weekend to raise money for the first team squad.
Most fans will get in their cars or on the coach and travel back home after the match at Hayes on Good Friday. Not Scott - after cheering on the Us on at Hayes, he will get on his bike and set out for the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, over 60 miles away!

Scott says: “I will be cycling, wearing Oxford United kit, on mainly minor roads on a carefully planned route. I will spread the journey back to Oxford over the days of the holiday weekend, shadowed and supported by my family in a car. When I was thinking about what sort of organisation to do this for, I thought of the 12th Man straight away. I thought of Hayes to Oxford because of the weekend games, and I hope to finish just before the home game against Salisbury. I hope it will help the 12th man a little bit.”

We hope the timing will work out for Scott, so that the crowd at the Salisbury match on Easter Monday can welcome him as he arrives.

Scott is gathering his own sponsors, but he would very much like any United fan who wants to sponsor him to do so. OxVox will arrange a collection point for donations at the Kassam Stadium on Easter Monday, so look out for details. Also, online donations can be made by visiting the OxVox website at www.oxvox.org.uk and clicking on the donation button for Scott’s challenge on the front page of the site.

Trevor Lambert on behalf of the 12th Man said,“It’s great to see younger fans like Scott coming forward and helping the 12th Man fund. He’s taking on a significant challenge and fans will wish him well, and success in his fundraising. We’ll look forward to seeing him back on Easter Monday.”

United Chairman Kelvin Thomas added, "This is another great effort and we wish Scott the best of luck. It has been great to see so many fans, of all ages, getting behind the 12th Man Fund and we look forward to welcoming him back."

Marathon 12th Man.......whatever next?

2010-03-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Marathon 12th Man!

Oxford United fan and OxVox supporters’ trust member Andy Hill will be putting on his running shoes to raise money for the 12th Man Fund next month.

Andy has been fortunate enough to secure a coveted place in the Flora London marathon to be run on Sunday April 25th, just one day after the Us wind up their Conference league programme at Eastbourne Borough. Andy has run the Marathon several times and he is looking forward to the challenge. We will be following his progress in training and posting reports from time to time on the 12th Man blog and the OxVox website.

But fans can sponsor him now. You can make a donation by visiting the OxVox website www.oxvox.org.uk and clicking on the 12th Man Fund donation buttons. Or you can send a cheque payable to ‘The 12th Man’ to OxVox at 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX28 1EG, indicating that your donation is prompted by Andy’s run. The OxVox site will carry updates of the total raised so far, and we trust Andy’s efforts will be well rewarded.

We are pleased to confirm that at Andy’s suggestion anyone who sponsors him for £20 or more will receive a free one year membership of OxVox.

Andy adds “I have been extremely fortunate to obtain an entry, in the official ballot, to run The Virgin London Marathon this year and am VERY proud to be able to use my run to raise funds for this excellent cause. The ballot for the race is always 3 or 4 times oversubscribed for the 35,000 places on offer so places are at a premium.

“I am a lifelong Oxford United supporter and watch the team home and away throughout the season. I also play for Raging Fever, the supporters’ team, who play opposition fans up and down the country on the morning of Oxford United matches, before cheering the team to victory in the afternoon!

“Whenever I run The London Marathon I wear an Oxford United shirt and always get support from Oxford United supporters as I pound the streets of the capital for 26.2 miles! Marathon running is very similar to the trails and tribulations of a football season, there are highs and lows, agony and ecstasy and the knowledge that you have a long hard slog ahead of you........but step by step you get nearer to the final prize.

“I hope that London based Oxford United supporters and people travelling back home after an overnight stay in Eastbourne will be kind enough to come along and offer vocal support. It is always a fun day out with bands playing outside pubs so come along and give me a cheer...............and afterwards everyone would be welcome to join me in for a celebratory beer in a pub somewhere not too far from the end of the course! Let’s hope that we are celebrating another successful occasion at the same time...............and that the 'P' word is no longer banned!”

Club Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: “We wish Andy the best of luck in the Marathon. It is another example of fans supporting the 12th Man Fund and we wish him success in his training and on the day.”

Oxford's 12th Man

2010-03-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

We have had a difficult start to March but with "The 12th Man Initiative" having parted with £25,000 this season, it is time for the wonderful fans of Oxford United to continue to "roar" on our side over the next six weeks.

Chris Wilder and Kelvin Thomas will be more determined than ever to deliver success this season and the 12th Man will once again play its part, as it has done all season!

It is just getting exciting!

Come on You YELLOWS!

2010-02-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

The 12th Man assisted Oxford United's transfer business once more today when they secured the services of Aldershot striker, John Grant.

Grant joins the U’s on loan until the end of the season with a view to the deal being made permanent in the summer. He becomes the fifth player to have been signed this season with the help of the 12th Man fund, following Jamie Cook, Onome Sodje, Anthony Tonkin and Ashley Cain.

John, born in Manchester, is a lethal striker whose scoring ratio for Aldershot is quite remarkable, having bagged 57 goals in 150 appearances. He signed as a pro for Crewe Alexandra in July 1999 and made his debut against Crystal Palace. He was later loaned to Hyde United, Rushden and Diamonds and Northwich Victoria before signing for Hereford United in June 2002.

He went on to play for Shewsbury Town in July 2004 but soon after made the move to Chris Wilder's Halifax Town. He was a regular in the Shay side's march up the Conference and scored in their defeat by (his former club) Hereford United in the 2006 Conference (National) Play-Off Final. He finished the 2005-06 season as the club's top scorer with 14 goals.

In July 2006, he made the move to Aldershot Town and scored twice on his debut. The season ended with John being top scorer (23 goals) and voted 'Player of the Year'. He also made his England 'C' debut against the Republic of Ireland in May 2007 and was in the squad that won that year's Four Nations Tournament. In February 2008, he committed himself to Aldershot on a contract until the end of the 2009-10 season.

He ended the 2007-08 season as top-scorer (25 goals) as the Shots won the Setanta Shield and were crowned Blue Square Premier champions. Subsequently, Grant was named in the Blue Square Premier 'Team of the Year'.

Speaking on behalf of 12th Man, Simon Bradbury said "We are delighted that the 12th Man has been able to make a further contribution to Oxford United's Promotion Push, with the capture of a prolific striker such as John.

The 12th Man has been a phenomenal success this season and goes from strength to strength. The fans deserve huge credit for raising over £25,000 so far, and we hope this latest signing will excite everyone who has generously donated to the fund. To sign quality players like Tonkin, Cook and Grant is down to the hard work of Kelvin Thomas, Chris Wilder and every supporters.

We wish John every success for the remainder of the season, one which we hope will see us return to the Football League"

Ashley Cain is the latest 12th Man signing

2010-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Oxford United's 12th Man once again made its mark today when it contributed to the short-term emergency loan signing of Coventry City winger, Ashley Cain.

The 19 year old has immense speed and can play on either flank. Whilst only making a handful of senior appearances for the Sky Blues he is a product of the Coventry City Youth set-up. He joins in time to face Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Trophy Quarter-Final and will play a part in a hectic League programme.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: “Once again the 12th Man has come to the clubs help. At this stage of the season we have to make sure that we have enough quality players at the club to get us through a probable 20 games in nine weeks. Having the 12th Man Fund has given us the ability to do that, so well done to the fans once again!”

January Transfer Window Update - Thursday 28th January

2010-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

With the January Transfer Window coming to a close, the "12th Man Fund" continues to grow. As of Thursday 28th January the supporters of Oxford United have raised £25,574.00 with money still streaming in.

The fund has contributed to three Oxford United signings this season, supporting the transfers and loan signings of Anthony Tonkin, Jamie Cook and Onome Sodje. To date, the 12th Man Fund has passed over £18,142.00 to the club, leaving a balance of £7,432.00.

With NEW and FRESH 12th Man projects in the pipeline, make sure you keep an eye out for details in the Local Press, Websites and Internet Forums.

The 12th Man Fund is ready to support Chris Wilder and Oxford United when the call is made.

The 12th Man Fund Latest News - Monday 11 January 2010

2010-01-11T14:36:00.001-08:00

The amount raised by the 12th Man Fund has now risen to a remarkable total of £24,800as of Friday 8 January 2010.

The accompanying 'thermometer' shows that, with the payments already made, £6,658 now remains in the Fund and the amount which has been paid to the football club is £18,142. This is made up of £5,000 for the transfer fee for Jamie Cook in his move from Crawley, £3,142 towards the cost of the loan spell of Onome Sodje from Barnsley, and a payment of £10,000 made today, 11 January, to support the acquisition of Anthony Tonkin from Cambridge United.

Thank you all for your ongoing support.

3rd Signing arrives - Anthony Tonkin

2010-01-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

Anthony Tonkin today became the third player to be signed with financial support from the 12th Man scheme, following his capture from our BSP rivals Cambridge United. This signing is made at a crucial stage of the season. He is an experienced, talented player who we sure will do well for the club. The fund is expected to contribute a significant amount.

Anthony is described by Cambridge United as an elegant, attacking left-back who is a former England C international. He has played for Yeovil, Stockport, Crewe, Grays Athletic and Forest Green during his career, having signed for Cambridge in the summer of 2008. His transfer from Stockport County to Crewe was for a fee of £150,000.00. Only this weekend he has been regarded as one of the best left-backs in Non-League by the Non League Paper.

The 12th Man Group which includes a cross section of Oxford United fans' organisations are very pleased that the fund has been instrumental in securing Anthony's transfer, and we look forward to seeing him for the Us in weeks and months ahead as we all aim for a successful conclusion to the 2009-2010 season.

Chris Davis, a spokesman for the 12th Man said:

“We'd like to thank all the supporters who have contributed £25,000 to the fund since its inception, a sum massively in advance of what was originally envisaged by the organisers. Anthony’s purchase is now the third squad addition the supporters have helped to fund.

“The 12th Man will continue to grow over the coming months and we encourage fans to continue to raise funds so we can aid the club to sign players of a similar calibre in the future.”

All fans will welcome Anthony and wish him every success in his time at Oxford United.

The 12th Man - How it works

2010-01-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

The 12th Man Initiative was set up at the start of August 2009 and is run by a collective of supporters, not attributed to one group or organisation.

During the last six months, Oxford United Supporters have spent remarkable time and effort in building a fund to help Chris Wilder and Oxford United strengthen the first team squad. The initial target was only to raise £10,000 over the course of the season to help supplement the playing budget.

It is with great pride that as of 1 January 2010 the fund has raised over £24,000 in five months. £5000 secured the signing of Jamie Cook and a further payment of £3142 was paid last week, as a contribution to the cost of Onome Sodje's loan.

Unfortunately for both Oxford United and Onome, lack of games prevented the fans from seeing more match time and possibly goals from our loan signing. However, his goal at Salisbury may yet yield a significant point in our quest to win promotion.

With two transactions having been made, the fund currently stands at circa £16,760.00with further deposits due to be made. This is a truly remarkable effort from all our supporters.

It is important to try and explain how the fund works once the fund-raising and donations have been made. A brief explanation is below.

The Process

The process works by the Club Chairman (Kelvin Thomas) applying to the Fund Management Committee, for either a Transfer Fee, Player Wages, a Loan Fee or Loan Wages. The three-man Fund Management Committee is made up of two supporters (currently Rob Newton and Neil Carter, The OxVox Treasurer) and Mr Thomas, where the amount is discussed and approved (the fund is used to supplement, not replace, the managers budget). Payment is then made to the Football Club with receipts being required.

A Contract of Understanding between OxVox, Oxford United Supporters and Oxford United Football Club was signed before the 12th Man Initiative was launched. We will be putting this document in the public domain in the very near future so that everyone can see the thorough terms and conditions which must be adhered to at all times. It will be available to view at the numerous supporting websites which include RageOnline, OxVox, the official 12th Man Blogspot (link below) and OxKits. Any other supporter group who would like to publish the details on the website just need to get in touch with the 12th Man at twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk

We have now are entered the January 2010 Transfer Window and the 12th Man Fund is ready to support Oxford United Football Club, Kelvin Thomas and Chris Wilder at this important stage of the season.

The Future

Within the near future, we will be hosting a 12th Man meeting for supporters who would like to remain part of or join the fund-raising and planning of future 12th Man events in 2010. We will announce details on the websites and forums when we have organised a date.

12th Man wishes everyone a Happy New Year

2009-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Having set up the 12th Man Initiative at the start of August 2009, Oxford United Supporters have spent remarkable time and effort in building a fund to help Chris Wilder and Oxford United strengthen the first team squad. The initial target was ONLY to raise £10,000 to help supplement the playing budget.

It is with great pride that as of 1 January 2010 the fund has raised over £24,000, of which £5000.00 secured the signing of Jamie Cook and a further payment due in respect of Onome Sodje's loan wages. The exact amount will be announced once the 12th Man have passed an invoice.

The Process

The process works by the Club Chairman (Kelvin Thomas) applying to the Fund Management Committee, for either a Transfer Fee, Player Wages, a Loan Fee or Loan Wages. The three-man Fund Management Committee is made up of two supporters and Mr Thomas, where the amount is discussed and approved. Payment is then made to the Football Club with receipts being required.

A Contract of Understanding between OxVox, Oxford United Supporters and Oxford United Football Club was signed before the 12th Man Initiative was launched. We will be putting this document in the public domain in the very near future so that everyone can see the thorough terms and conditions which must be adhered to at all times.

We now are entering the January 2010 Transfer Window and the 12th Man Fund is ready to support Oxford United Football Club, Kelvin Thomas and Chris Wilder at this important stage of the season.

We take this opportunity to wish evey Oxford United Supporter and their families a Happy New Year.

12th Man

Christmas Greetings - New Total Announced

2009-12-22T14:47:00.001-08:00

Total raised since Day 1 of the 12th Man Fund passes £20,000 !

By yesterday, 21st December 2009, the total cleared funds in the 12th Man account had risen further to £17,903.

This means that in total, including the payment of £5,000 made in respect of Jamie Cook, a magnificent £22,903 has been banked.

Still time to donate before 31st December

Donations: £10 or more to 12th Man gets you entry into a draw at the end of this month for a day at the training ground. early in the New Year. £20 or more also gets you a year’s free membership of OxVox. Please donate online, via the OxVox and OxKits websites, or send a cheque payable to ‘The 12th Man’ to 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX 28 1EG.

12th Man Update - Friday 11th December 2009 - NEW TOTAL

2009-12-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

The 12th Man this evening can announce that we now have cleared in the 12th Man account a sum of £14,300.00.

Since the 12th Man has been in operation (1 August 2009) we have raised and cleared £19,300.00, of which £5000.00 was used for the purchase of Jamie Cook.

We are still awaiting monies to come in from a number of sources over the next three weeks. Therefore, we will announce a further total just prior to the January's 2010 Transfer Window.

Thank you for your continued support.

12th Man

12th Man Update - Friday 27th November

2009-11-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

12th Man Update – 24 November 2009

Onome Sodje

First, we are very pleased to confirm that the 12th Man Fund has enabled a second signing to be made. The Fund will pay for Onome Sodje’s loan period here. Welcome, Onome, and every success during your time with United.

The £10,000 target is smashed!

By 23 November the total cleared funds in the 12th Man account had leapt to an extraordinary £9,462.

This means that in total, including the payment of £5,000 made in respect of Jamie Cook, £14,462 has been banked. The initial target of £10,000 over the whole season has been demolished and it will rise further in the coming days – a tribute to the fans and to everyone involved.

Events update

The Priory Race Night on 21 November and the 6-a-side on 22 November made for a busy weekend and everyone who attended enjoyed themselves. Congratulations respectively to Tim Rackley at the Priory and to Mark Sennett of OxVox for organising these two events so successfully. The victorious United 6-a-side team are pictured – they did not have the strength left to lift the trophy, so you can only see the top of it!

12th Man Christmas Party at the Priory on December 5th: Look out for the announcements this week and next, and please come along after the match against Ebbsfleet. This will be an event for all the family, featuring food, a raffle, and a memorabilia auction.

Sunday 6th December: The second afternoon 6-a-side competition is held, again at Oxford Brookes. Having won the first competition the OUFC team will be going for the double.

Other fundraisers:

Donations: These are picking up now and more are welcomed to boost that total! £10 or more to 12th Man gets you entry into a draw at the end of 2009 for a day at the training ground. £20 or more also gets you a year’s free membership of OxVox. Please donate online, via the OxVox and OxKits websites, or send a cheque payable to ‘The 12th Man’ to 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX 28 1EG.

Wristbands: 3,000 wristbands were produced and 2,800 were sold last week. Many thanks to the Oxford Mail and the Club for a strong promotional campaign. Only small numbers remain. There is no immediate plan to re-order at this point. The remainder are being sold around the ground.

12th Man badges: 4,000 were produced of which 3765 have been sold. Only yellow badges remain, and subject to availability will be sold at the club shop and around the ground.

Flag bearer: The flag bearer package for £50 is well established – a few matches remain this season. Please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details.

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12th Man. Sign up at www.oxvox.org.uk .

Photos: The 100 limited edition signed photos of Les Phillips and Jeremy Charles in the 1986 Milk Cup run have also sold heavily but some still remain – to reserve yours please contact Greig Box Turnbull at oxfordutd.12thmanpix@yahoo.co.uk .

Looking forward

12th Man doesn’t stop with 2010 arriving. There will be a pause over the festive period, but we already know of several new ideas running up to the end of the season and beyond. If you want to run an event or have a fundraising idea, do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

12th Man sign Onome Sodje

2009-11-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today Oxford United's Chairman, Kelvin Thomas, thanked the fans once again for their support which is helping to bring in new faces into the club.

The 12th Man Fund yesterday helped Chris Wilder's Oxford United to sign Barnsely striker, Onome Sodje on loan until January 2010. Kelvin said:

"We felt it an important time to strengthen especially with the injuries we have picked up. The 12th Man Fund enabled us to bring in two players rather than just one. It was the fans who enabled us to bring in Onome on loan, just as they helped us to bring Jamie Cook back to the club.

"I am sure that Onome and Franny (Francis Green) will be great assets. The way the 12th Man keeps backing the club is fantastic and is playing a major part in everything we do. The support we receive on a matchday and the financial help from the 12th Man both highlight how the club, the players and the supporters are all pulling in the right direction"

Speaking on behalf of the 12th Man, Trevor Lambert added:

"This is exactly the kind of situation the 12th Man Fund was designed to help with. Fans recognise the importance of adding to the manager's options at this crucial stage of the season. Everyone involved with the fund is very happy to see the fans' money put to good use in signing Onome Sodje, and we wish him and Franny Green every success during their time with the club".

Oxford Mail 12th Man Wristband UPDATE

2009-11-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

The Club shop and the Priory are now added to the list of places selling the new wristbands, and sales are going really well with over 600 sold in the first few days. With the vast interest, the 3000 wristbands should be sold sooner than expected.

The bands, launched this week with a fanfare in the Oxford Mail and a series of stories, are now on sale from a number of outlets around the city. A list of the outlets is given below. We have been pleasantly suprised to hear that the outlets are quickly selling out and requesting more stock.

The United ticket office is also selling the bands to personal callers and have sold well in excess of 100 to fans buying future tickets.

Saturday will see a major selling effort for the wristbands around the stadium.

They will also be available on eBay very soon.

Outlets selling the bands:

1. Eidco - Botley Road

2. Acorn - St Nicholas Road, Littlemore

3. Deltys - Blackbird leys

4. Spar - Greater leys

5. Lal News - Barns Road, Cowley

6. Old Mans Premier - Rose Hill

7. Dudaur News - Horspath Road, Cowley

8. Horspath Post office and stores, Horspath

9. Premier, London Road, Headington

10. John Irvin stall, St Ebbes, Oxford

Make sure you get your stocking filler before it is too late!

The Oxford Mail '12th Man' Wristband NOW ON SALE

2009-11-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

The new 12th Man wristbands will be launched today, Monday 16th November.

They have been produced with the help of the Oxford Mail and will be promoted by them next week. In addition the Mail has arranged for some of their outlets to display and sell the wristbands. A list of these establishments will appear in the Oxford Mail.

The wristbands will also be available from the club Ticket Office, Monday to Friday, for personal callers paying cash.

The wristbands will be available for a minimum donation of only £1 and all profits will go into the 12th Man Fund.

If you can wait until Saturday, we are arranging for teams of sellers to be around the ground before the Barrow game. Look out for them with their big yellow buckets. The wristbands will be made available in just over a week's time via eBay.

Latest news update

2009-11-07T03:19:00.000-08:00

First some dates for your diary.

Saturday 21^st November: Please come along to the Race Night in the Priory pub, from 8pm. Come and enjoy a great evening! All money taken on the tote will be split 50/50 with the 12^th Man fund.

Sunday 22^nd November: The first 6-a-side football competition from 2pm-5pm at Oxford Brookes sports centre off Old Road in Headington. Spectators welcome – come along and watch the OUFC team featuring Chris Wilder and Kelvin Thomas attempt to retain the trophy they won 3 years ago.

Saturday 5^th December: An early evening Christmas party in the Priory shortly after the match against Ebbsfleet. This will be an event for all the family, featuring food, a raffle, a mini-auction, and entertainment. Watch out for further details nearer the date.

Sunday 6^th December: The second afternoon 6-a-side competition is held, again at Oxford Brookes. The OUFC team will be trying for a unique double – winning both competitions!

Money raised

As you can see, the amount declared is now £8,200, meaning that there was £3,200 in cleared funds in the 12^th Man account on 4 November.

This total does NOT include any money from the sponsored walk on 31 October (see picture) for which an almost incredible £5,000 has been pledged, nor does it include a pending cheque for £750 from the Priory to be banked in the next few days. With money to come in from the events above, and other activities such as badge sales and flag bearers, as well as donations, expect to see a sharp rise in the figure very soon.

Other fundraisers:

12^th Man badges: Only a few hundred are left now of both yellow and white versions, please get yours soon to avoid disappointment.

Wristbands: These will be coming soon so keep your eyes and ears open for announcements!

Flag bearer: The flag bearer package for £50 is well established – a few matches remain this season. Please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details.

Ideal Christmas gift No. 1: The 100 limited edition signed photos of Les Phillips and Jeremy Charles in the 1986 Milk Cup run are selling fast – to reserve yours please contact Greig Box at oxfordutd.12thmanpix@yahoo.co.uk .

Ideal Christmas gift No. 2: Paul Wakeford offers to produce a unique cartoon of you: for each cartoon sold a donation is made to 12^th Man. For details email Paul on doubletake@inbox.com .

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12^th Man. Sign up at www.oxvox.org.uk .

Donations: Give £10 or more to 12th Man to enter a draw at the end of 2009 for a day at the training ground to meet the players. Give £20 or more to also receive a year’s free membership of OxVox. You can donate online, via the OxVox and OxKits websites, or send a cheque payable to ‘The 12^th Man’ to 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX 28 1EG.

Have an idea?: If you want to run an event or have a fundraising idea, do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

12th Man Update - Monday 2 November

2009-11-02T02:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a remarkable day for the 12th Man.

The sponsored walk organised by William Willmott was a huge success and initial indications suggest a figure approaching £4000-£5000 may have been raised. Special thanks to all the hearty walkers who took to the event, with special praise to both Kelvin Thomas and Les Phillips who not only joined but contributed a massive amount to the monies raised. A full update will be provided once all the monies have been accounted for.

Oxford fan and Mirror journalist Greig Box Turnbull meanwhile was at the ground with Jeremy Charles to greet Les Phillips. Les and Jeremy then proceeded to sign 100 special edition photos of the pair as they sat in the Manor Ground's dressing room celebrating the club's route to success in the 1980's. With well over half of the photos being sold we expect a few to remain in the coming days. Should you wish to secure this fantastic memento then please contact Greig at oxfordutd.12thmanpix@yahoo.co.uk . We expect to see the profits and proceeds into the 12th Man fund over the next few weeks.

12th Man Badges continue to be snapped up week after week. At the weekend John Gould, Sean Wilde, Chris Davis and others sold a further 146 yellow badges and 142 white badges, adding a further £600+ to the fund. Special thanks to OxVox Committee Member Sean, who managed to personally sell 112 badges outside the South Stand and in The Priory. Current stocks are 542 yellow and 214 white, so should you wish to get a supply for Christmas then please email the 12th Man.

The next month or so will see further 12th Man activities. OxVox are running two 6-a-side 12th Man Competitions with the club entering teams into both tournaments. In addition, The Priory will be holding both a Race Night and a Christmas Party. Full details to follow on those events.

We still have another pre-Christmas 12th Man fund-raiser due to be launched and this will see the 12th Man brand hit Oxfordshire, watch this space over the next two weeks!!!!

Limited edition photos released!

2009-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

TWO Oxford United legends have added their support to the fans' 12th Man Fund by backing a new exciting venture.

Les Phillips and Jeremy Charles, who both starred in Oxford's magnificent Milk Cup final victory at Wembley, have agreed to sign 100 limited edition photos that will be sold for the fund. The iconic image, released from the Daily Mirror's photo archive exclusively for the 12th Man Fund, depicts the duo celebrating reaching the 1986 cup final, sharing a joke and some bubbly in the Manor Ground's dressing room. It is a wonderful photo that captures the buoyant mood that everyone at Oxford enjoyed during the glory years of the 80's.

Both players will sign the first ten photos on the pitch at the Kassam stadium before Oxford's Blue Square Premier match verus Altrincham on 31st October. The photos will then be available to purchase after the game.

Les and Jeremy scored the goals that saw United beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the tense semi final second leg at home after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. Midfield dynamo Les opened the scoring in the second half after driving home a headed knock down from John Aldridge following a fantastic pass by Trevor Hebberd. Welsh international Jeremy increased the lead with a goal from close range and went on to score the third goal in Oxford's 3-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the final.

The former players were delighted to help the 12th Man Fund by agreeing to be the first Oxford legends to take part in an special series of limited edition photos that will be produced.

Jeremy said: "I am happy to help this great project, it's an absolute pleasure. The 12th Man Fund is doing well and hopefully this will help raise even more money. It is a credit to the Oxford fans who have always been magnificent and always supported the club so well."

He added: "I had a great three years playing for Oxford before my injury, during that time we won the Division Two title and then the Milk Cup it was a fantastic time. We had a magnificent group of players on and off the pitch and I loved my time there. Chris Wilder and the team are on a great run and hopefully they can keep it going and get Oxford back in the football league."

It is estimated the first phase of the 12th Man signed limited edition iconic photos will make well over 1,000 pounds profit for the fund. The unique product will make a fantastic memento for United fans. Only 100 will be available and will be sold on a first come first served basis - so early birds will get one of the ten photos signed on the pitch. Each image, printed on the finest quality Fuji film photographic paper, is individually numbered.

You can pre-order your copy by e-mailing: oxfordutd.12thmanpix@yahoo.co.uk

The 10x8" limited edition black and white print signed by both players costs 20 pounds. A mounted and framed limited edition print is 45 pounds. Prints will be available for cash payment and collection after the Altrincham game in the Exhibition Bar. Deposits of ten pounds will be taken for fans who want a framed version - which will be ready for collection at the following home game.

Oxford fan and Mirror journalist Greig Box Turnbull, who came up with the scheme said: "When the Mirror launched its football website this season and released wonderful old archive photos I hit on the idea and thankfully the paper was happy to help.

"It's absolutely fantastic that former players are so happy to help the fund and give up their time to do so, it really shows how much affection they have for the club and the fans.

"The limited edition photos are a great piece of Oxford history and hopefully will help towards the club's future too."

Sign up for your photo via: oxfordutd.12manpix@yahoo.co.uk

12th Man Update – 06.10.09

2009-10-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

This piece was written for the Grays match programme and summarises recent 12th Man activity.

The 12^th Man fund goes from strength to strength with new fundraising ideas popping up week by week. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s currently going on.

Priory: Our friends at the Priory pub are organising a Race Night in support of 12^th Man on Saturday 21^st November, (after the Barrow home match) at 8 p.m. All race horses to be named after United players, past and present. A few horses remain to be sold at £10 each, while individual races can be sponsored for £20. All money taken on the tote will be split 50/50 with the fund. Contact twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details.

The Priory pub and its regulars continue to be huge backers of 12^th Man. Get along there on a matchday to take part in their various fundraisers. Along with the White Hart at Bicester, and the Masons Arms in Headington, our local pubs are doing their bit.

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12^th Man. Sign up around the ground today, or at www.oxvox.org.uk

12^th Man badges: A new supply of yellow badges is now available. A white ‘away’ version of the 12^th Man badge was sold for the first time at Barrow and will be sold at future away matches. Limited numbers are also being sold at home today, because not all fans are able to travel.

Cult Zeros shirts: OxVox receives commission for 12^th Man from the sales of these shirts made via the Cult Zeros website (select the OxVox option under ‘Where did you find us?’). We now have shirt designs for 11 players and the manager.

Face in the crowd: We will be taking photos again today for this month’s ‘Face in the Crowd’. If you are featured you will need to present your 12^th man badge to club reception to claim your prize - a football signed by the players.

6 a side: The tournament arranged for November 22 is fully booked and a second one has been organised at Brookes University two weeks later on December 6^th to meet the demand. Please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details on entering a team. Be quick!

Flag bearer: The flag bearer package for £50 is well established and matches are booking up fast. Please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details.

Donations: Give £10 or more to 12th Man and you will be entered into a draw at the end of 2009 for the prize of a day at the training ground to meet the players! Give £20 or more and you will also receive a year’s free membership of OxVox! You can donate online, via the OxVox and OxKits websites, or send a cheque payable to ‘The 12^th Man’ to 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX 28 1EG.

Cartoons: Paul Wakeford offers to produce a unique cartoon of you, and for each cartoon sold a donation is made to 12^th Man. For details see the picture at the top of this post.

Have an idea?: If you want to run an event or have a fundraising idea, do get in touch, via one of the fans’ groups or via the email above. We’d love to hear from you.

The 12th Man Walk - Kidlington to the Kassam Stadium, 31 October 2009

2009-10-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

Plans are now well advanced for the sponsored walk organised by William Willmott to raise money for 12th Man. See the story on the OUFC website. It is hoped that the walk will raise over £1,000 for the fund. Anyone wishing to sponsor a walker, or even participate in the walk at this late stage, can contact twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk or enquiries@oxvox.org.uk and we will pass on your email to William.

OxVox 6-a-Side Tournament

2009-09-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

You won't come up against this guy if you play, but it's a nice image to introduce a new trust activity for 12th Man!

The official announcement of this event runs as follows:

OxVox are pleased to announce that it will be holding a 6-a-side football tournament with all the profits being donated to the 12th Man Fund.The event will take place on Sunday 22 November on the astroturf at Oxford Brookes University’s Headington campus. Places are limited to 16 teams and squads should be no larger than 10 players.

We can also reveal that Oxford United will be entering a team, so fans will get the chance to line up against former United players. The cost of entry is £60 per team and a trophy will be presented to the winners on the day. Anyone who would like to enter a side should email mailto:twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk?subject=12th%20Man%206-a-side%20tournament%20enquiry or call 07751 678621.

Oxford United chairman, Kelvin Thomas, said: “This is another great example of The 12th Man bringing the fans and the club together and will be a fun event. The Oxford Old Boys team always love a game and will be looking forward to taking on the fans. I'm sure it will be a day we all remember for a long time."

OxVox press spokesman, Mark Sennett, added: “This is a great opportunity for fans to get together and have a bit of fun, while raising a significant amount of money for the 12th Man Fund. Fans will also get a chance to play against some of their heroes, or maybe even catch the eye of a scout!”“

Anyone who wants to enter a team should get in contact as soon as possible as places are limited and expected to be filled quickly."

12th Man goes national!

2009-09-18T14:26:00.001-07:00

The story so far for 12th Man receives some fantastic national exposure today with a feature on the Mirror Football site authored by journalist and OxVox member and 12th Man supporter Greig Box Turnbull.

The feature relates how the fund came about, describes the progress to date which has seen funds raised to sign Jamie Cook, giving the comments of Jamie himself, manager Chris Wilder and club chairman Kelvin Thomas, and takes a look to the future.

Speaking of the future, we are delighted to say we have a project backed by the Mirror in the offing, which will provide another boost to the fund - news about this soon!

Jamie Cook comes home!

2009-09-01T10:56:00.001-07:00

Jamie Cook is the first player to be signed with financial support from the 12th Man scheme, following his deadline day transfer today on a 2-year deal from our BSP rivals Crawley Town.

OxVox and the other fans' organisations and groups are very pleased that the fund has been instrumental in securing Jamie's transfer, and we look forward to seeing him scoring for the Us in weeks to come.

Jamie is pictured at the stadium today with the 12th Man flag, in a picture taken between the showers.

The following statement was released earlier this evening, with input from Tim Rosser on behalf of 12th Man:

Jamie Cook has come back to The U's after nine seasons away, with the fans helping to bring him home through their Twelfth Man scheme.

Originally a trainee with The U's Jamie made 77 appearances and scored seven times before joining Boston United, where his goals helped The Pilgrims win the Conference and a place in the Football League. Spells at Stevenage Borough, Bath City, Witney and Rushden and Diamonds followed before a successful move to Crawley Town where he has scored 32 goals in 68 starts (including three against The U's).

Able to play up front or on either flank, Jamie gives Chris Wilder plenty of attacking options and is likely to feature for the first time when United travel to Ebbsfleet on Saturday.

The signing has been possible thanks to the Twelfth Man initiative. This has seen supporters rally round the supporters’ organisations who have raised funds together and been instrumental in bringing Jamie back to his home town club. Chairman Kelvin Thomas said:

“The signing couldn’t have been a better one to show what the fans and the Twelfth Man movement can achieve. Jamie is one of the top players in this league and is also part of the United support himself: he used to stand on the London Road terrace and support the club at the Manor. Jamie has also taken a pay cut to come here and that shows his commitment.

“He is a perfect representative of what the Twelfth Man was intended to achieve.

“It is great to use the fund early. It shows the fans that there is something behind this initiative and for it to be Jamie is a win for all of us.”

Tim Rosser, spokesman for the 12th Man Fund, said:

“The 12th Man Fund are delighted to have contributed to Jamie's signing. He is a talented player with local roots who will add additional flair and creativity to our squad. We'd like to thank all the Oxford United supporters who have contributed to the fund to date and who have made this signing possible.

“We'd originally envisaged that we would only be in a position to assist Kelvin and Chris with squad strengthening in the January transfer window but thanks to the fantastic early response of our fan-base to our various fund raising ventures we are able to donate a sum to the club immediately.

“The 12th Man fund will continue to grow over the coming months and some exciting further projects are planned. We encourage fans to continue to raise funds so we can aid the club to sign players of a similar calibre in the future.

Welcome back, Jamie and come on you Yellows!”

Badges on Saturday!

2009-08-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

There'll be more badges for sale on Saturday in the concourses, the downstairs bar and in the Priory before we take on Stevenage. We'll try and cover as many areas as we can so it should be tough to leave the ground without having been asked for a couple of quid for a badge.

Watch out for the yellow buckets which the badge sellers will be carrying, or wearing on their heads, or something.

If all goes according to plan there will be prizes for a couple of people photographed in the crowd wearing their badges too!

We'll have an update on funds in the account early next week.

12th Man Beer - We'll drink to that!

2009-08-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

The OLD BOG Brewery will have a new YELLOW beer making its home debut at this years Headington Beer Festival (4th,5th & 6th September @ The Masons Arms) called The 12th man.

All profits on the sale of this beer will go to the 12th man fund. We hope as many of our fans will be able to get their hands on this new 12th Man tipple.

Pop down to the Masons Arms where you'll be sure to get a friendly welcome by some loyal Oxford United supporters.

12th Man obviously promotes sensible drinking.

CHEERS

12th Man Flag Bearer

2009-08-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of the ideas behind the 12th Man Initiative is to bring the supporters, club, and team closer together. This week, the 12th Man Initiative, with the kind cooperation of the Club, launches another opportunity for a special and unique experience at Oxford United.

We are delighted to be able to offer the chance to become the 12th Man Flag Bearer for the day.

At every home league or cup fixture this season, one lucky individual will lead the Us’ squad out to the pitch, carrying the new 12th Man Flag – as designed, produced, and donated by a big supporter of the 12th Man Initiative, OxKits.

One supporter will be able to sample the atmosphere by the tunnel as the crowd build up to kick-off, before leading the team out as the 12th Man, the representative of us the supporters.
As the supporters’ representative, bearing the 12th Man flag, you can help build the atmosphere in the ground to create a positive atmosphere, and spur the Us on to another important victory. The 12th Man will be present with the Captains and Referee during the coin toss, before official photographs are taken to record the occasion.

In addition, you’ll have an official tour of the stadium before the match and be able to take to the field with the 12th Man flag to generate a positive atmosphere in the lead-up to bringing the teams out.

This experience will cost just £50.00 as we want all fans to be able to have the opportunity to have this experience. But with a minimum of 22 home league games remaining this is a limited opportunity.

All proceeds will go into the 12th Man fund and matches are allocated on a first-come first served basis: so what are you waiting for?

To reserve your place please email mailto:twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk?subject=Flag%20bearers!

Badge sales update

2009-08-12T02:08:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday before the York match we sold out of the first 1,000 12th Man badges. A fantastic response by the fans.

A second batch of 1,000 are on order and should be delivered in time for the Stevenage match on Saturday August 22nd, so look out for the badges when you come to the game, buy one if you haven't already, and help to boost the fund.

We are getting together a team of fans to sell the badges in the concourses before that game, which will be the first league match with a full crowd at which they will be on sale.

TWELTH MAN BADGE

2009-07-27T14:12:00.001-07:00

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs145.snc1/5372_106522089846_561024846_2021634_6189612_n.jpg

12th Man Badges and 12th Man Squad Photo Auction Update

2009-07-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

Further to the 12th Man Raffle and subsequent eBay auction, we are pleased to announce that the winning bidder was Mr C Simmonds (who paid £620.00). A special thanks to all that contributed to the 12th Man Raffle and subsequent eBay auction. We raised a substantial amount of money for the 12th Man - updated total to be announced soon.THE 12TH MAN TODAY announces the launch of special edition (limited edition) 12th Man Badges. The badges will be on sale in Oxford for the first time this Friday, before the pre-season friendly against QPR. Volunteers, including some from OxVox, GE09, and the Ultimate Yellows, will be out and about selling the badges from about 6.30pm, and will aim to be by the turnstyles as kick-off approaches.The badges are priced at a minimum of £2, although with all profits going to the 12th Man Initiative, we won't turn down any higher offers you might think these highly sought-after items are worth!The badges will also be available to purchase through our eBay account in the coming days. With the serious business of the season fast approaching, the 12th Man Initiative is gathering momentum as Oxford supporters do their bit to show they are the 12th Man of Oxford United. So wear your badge and show that you're a part of this! The profits will all go into the growing 12th Man Fund.

EBAY AUCTION UPDATE - Wednesday 15 July 09

2009-07-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

12th Man seat back on the market! The 12th Man raffle drawn at the Oxford United Open Day, for which the prize was inclusion in the official club squad photograph to represent the fans, was won on Saturday by Jonathan Tudge. The raffle raised more than £800 towards the 12th Man fund. Together with other fund raising initiatives in the very first week of the 12 th Man’s Fund existence, supporters have already raised more than £1,000. Thanks to all of you that bought tickets and all of your kind words of support for the 12th Man concept. Jonathan, the winner, is based in Brazil and bought his ticket online, and not surprisingly is not able to take up the prize in person. However, we need a fan in the picture to symbolise the supporters as the team’s 12th Man. Jonathan has therefore kindly offered the prize back to the fans, and it is being offered over the next five days via an eBay auction which runs until Sunday 19 July. This allows fans who may not have participated in the raffle (and fans who did, to have a second chance of winning), by making an auction bid. It will raise a little more for the 12th Man fund, which has been set up to supplement the club’s playing budget with a view to the January transfer window. The fans groups involved in 12th Man suggest fans make bids if they wish. The item can be found on ebay by searching for ‘12th Man Oxford United’ and will be publicised on websites in the next day or so.This is the first of what we hope will be many fan generated fund raising initiatives for Oxford United throughout the coming season. The aim is to raise money for the club and equally importantly, to have some fun while doing so!

OPEN DAY REPORT - Monday 13th July

2009-07-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Members of different supporters' groups staffed the 12th Man stall, was besieged by fans buying tickets for the seat raffle to be in the first team photo representing the fans.The winner of the 12th Man Raffle, the ticket being drawn by Kelvin Thomas and Chris Wilder was Jonathan Tudge.Jonathan is a Us fan of long standing and is a professor at the University of North Carolina, who bought his tickets online last week. Jonathan splits his time between North Carolina and Brazil and is rarely in England.Jonathan emailed us before the draw to say that if he won the draw he would put the place in the photo up for bids, given that he is currently in Brazil. We'll be sorting that out with him next week and we've just emailed Jonathan to tell him he's won.The Prize will be featured on EBAY and will be available to bid on for 1 week, starting from 14 July 2009.An approximate figure for the sum raised by the raffle is around £850 (exact figure tbc) with £505 taken today and the rest online. Magnificent effort by the fans. Fans' group Giallo Esercito held a very busy penalty shootout today too, and gave a proportion of their takings to 12th Man, adding another £50 or so (again exact figure tbc).A running total for the amount raised by 12th Man will be posted regularly on websites, including this one.

OXFORD MAIL ARTICLE - THURSDAY 9th JULY

2009-07-09T08:07:00.001-07:00

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4482008.U_s_open_day_to_be_the_biggest_ever/

OXFORD UNITED REPORT

2009-07-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.oufc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10342~1717092,00.html

12TH MAN LAUNCHED

2009-07-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

The new 12th Man Initiative from Oxford United fans gets underway today, with the launch of an exciting and unique raffle which gives every United fan the chance to win a place in the official first team squad photograph for the 2009-10 season. Fans can buy tickets for £5 each to enter a draw to be held on the pitch at the Kassam Stadium at the end of the club’s Open Day on Saturday July 11th. The winning fan will meet the players at their photo call before the season starts, and will sit alongside the United players wearing the symbolic number 12 shirt, as the fans representative. Money raised from the raffle will go into the new ‘12th Man’ fund which has been set up to boost the club’s playing budget and to increase the chances of the club returning to the Football League. The 12th Man fund will be administered by a small committee of two fans’ representatives and two representatives from the club, Chairman and Manager, Kelvin Thomas and Chris Wilder. Payments will be made to cover costs which are additional to the standard playing budget – and will be primarily aimed at assisting with transfer fees, emergency loan player’s wages and the like – amounts which are not within the normal budget but might give the club an edge. Particularly in what is likely to be the crucial January transfer window. All fans’ groups are working together on the project. The fans involved in the Twelfth Man launch are working on fundraising events over the coming weeks, and we also encourage other fans to come up with ideas and events that will help. But we want to emphasise that the ‘12th Man’ is for every United fan, whether or not you are a member of any fans group. Club Chairman Kelvin Thomas on the 12th Man Initiative: “When I was first approached regarding this initiative I was impressed by the thought process and the level of detail that was put into it. I think it is a great idea and just shows once again what great fans this club has. We are happy to support the initiative and will help the fans in any way.” Tickets for the raffle are available online via the websites of Giallo Esercito, OxVox, Rage Online and Ultimate Yellows, and can also be purchased by sending a cheque payable to 12th Man Initiative to 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 1EG (include a phone number or email address). Tickets will be on sale at the Open Day up until the last minute prior to the draw.

12th Man Raffle

2009-07-01T14:09:00.001-07:00

12th Man announces raffle for squad seat! 01 July 2009 DO IT FOR THE SHIRT! JOIN THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD

See below for details of 12th Man's exciting raffle for your chance to appear in the official team photo this season representing the fans, the 12th Man of Oxford United.To buy a ticket for £5 online, click on the button below and pay with a credit or debit card, or via a PayPal account if you have one. We will email you your ticket number before the draw takes place on July 11th at the end of the Open Day.

OXFORD MAIL

2009-07-01T09:05:00.001-07:00

OXFORD MAIL - Friday 26th June BACK PAGE ARTICLEJon Murray reported the new initiaitive in the Oxford Mail when announcing that Oxford United were to 'RETIRE' the Number 12 Shirt in recognition of Oxford United Supporters. http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/oxfordunited/4460963.Oxford_United_retire_No_12_shirt/

OXVOX ARTICLE

2009-07-01T09:04:00.003-07:00

OXVOX ARTICLE - Thursday 25th June 09There will be no player in the number 12 shirt in the United squad next season. Or rather, there will, but number 12 will be us, the fans. At a meeting organised by OxVox on Wednesday evening, around 30 fans including some from OxVox, Rage Online, Giallo Esercito and Ultimate Yellows met to discuss the launch of a new fans’ initiative, the 12th Man, which will, we hope, raise appreciable extra funds to supplement the existing playing budget. The aim is to provide a funding stream which United can use to enhance the budget for players, in areas such as transfer fees and loan player salaries. Fundraising will not be a simply a matter of asking for donations; the plan is to organise events and activities across the board appealing to different people, and raise money for the cause. OxVox for its part has already got the Cult Zeros T-shirts up and running, and is planning a 5 a side fans tournament for August 2nd, details of which will be available in the next few days. Club Chairman Kelvin Thomas and Commercial Manager David Jackson attended the meeting and the Club is lending the initiative its full support. Although started by OxVox, the idea is to establish a very broadly-based activity, involving fans connected with any supporter group and none, all around the 12th Man theme. Further announcements will follow, along with a formal launch in the coming days and weeks. A meeting is being organised next week to discuss and plan further. Meanwhile, forum debate will help the process of giving this idea the best possible chance of success.

RAGE ONLINE ARTICLE

2009-07-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

RAGEONLINE ARTICLE - Wednesday 24th June 09It's an old cliché that football supporters can be the 12th man when it comes to cheering on their team to victory, and often in the past Oxford fans have lived up to that billing. Well, there's a new initiative that takes the adage one step further, and makes it a reality.At a meeting held tonight (Wed 24th June 09) a group of supporters, including representatives from OxVox, Ultimate Yellows, Giallo Escercito, Rage Online (of course), and a number of others met to discuss the launch of The 12th Man initiative, the purpose of which is to raise funds upon which United can call to put towards the costs of bringing in new players, whether that be a transfer fee, wages, or signing-on fees.The idea was supported by everyone present, who included United chairman Kelvin Thomas and Commercial Manager David Jackson. Indeed, Oxford have agreed to 'retire' the No 12 shirt, which won't be worn by any player but will instead be reserved as the fans' shirt. Initial fundraising ideas included a fans' five-a-side tournament and production of various items of merchandise, but more will be forthcoming when a committee, formed from some of those present tonight, meets next week to discuss taking the initiative forward.The idea is to give all supporters the chance to directly affect the quality of the team by providing a ring-fenced fund that the club can draw on to fund transfers, in addition to the money already budgeted by the club. More information will be released shortly, as fundraising gets underway with an eye on the January transfer window

Oxford's 12th Man

NEW 12TH MAN WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!

Badges on sale this week

12th Man terms and conditions

Meeting notes, 11 October 2011

Blog continues for now

Rob Hall loan extended with 12th Man's support

This blog

Badges

12th Man Beer

Meeting notes, 23 August

Meeting notes, 28 July 2011

COMING SOON - 12th Man Handcrafted Jewellery

Results of the 12th Man survey

12th Man Survey is LIVE - take part now!

12th Man Meeting Notes

12th Man mugs - again!

Annual 12th Man Meeting - Wednesday 22 June 2011

Wembley 2010 commemmoration mugs re-listed on eBay

Mugs still on sale by post

Fund Latest

12th Man Wembley mugs

12th Man Back Bring The Noise Campaign

Total updated - and mugs still on sale

Roll Up, Roll Up, Get your 12th Man Mugs!

Bridle Bonanza

12th MAN BACK BRIDLE CHRISTMAS BONANZA!!

12th Man mugs - eBay link

12th Man Mug - Now Available!

12th Man Mugs - COMING SOON!

Ultimate Support Saturday - Aldershot Town 09.10.10

12th Man Bracelets NOW AVAILABLE!

Wembley squad pictures available now!

12th Man Fund update

12th Man Squad Picture

2010/11 Squad Photo Raffle

World Cup Competition result!

12th Man Squad Photo Raffle 2010/11

Chris Wilder Face Mask Update

U-Man releases "Yellow Ribbon 2010"

12th Man "Wembley Mascot" experience

The Day after.......

Good Luck to Oxford United

12th Man wild about Wilder Masks

Andy Hill runs for the 12th Man this weekend

12th Man Meeting, Monday 19th April, 7.30pm, The Priory, OX4

Scott completes his bike ride

Collection for Dominic Hill

Scott Rides Out For The 12th Man

Marathon 12th Man.......whatever next?

Oxford's 12th Man

Ashley Cain is the latest 12th Man signing

January Transfer Window Update - Thursday 28th January

The 12th Man Fund Latest News - Monday 11 January 2010

3rd Signing arrives - Anthony Tonkin

The 12th Man - How it works

12th Man wishes everyone a Happy New Year

Christmas Greetings - New Total Announced

12th Man Update - Friday 11th December 2009 - NEW TOTAL

12th Man Update - Friday 27th November

12th Man sign Onome Sodje

Oxford Mail 12th Man Wristband UPDATE

The Oxford Mail '12th Man' Wristband NOW ON SALE

Latest news update

Money raised

As you can see, the amount declared is now £8,200, meaning that there was £3,200 in cleared funds in the 12th Man account on 4 November.

Other fundraisers:

12th Man badges: Only a few hundred are left now of both yellow and white versions, please get yours soon to avoid disappointment.

Wristbands: These will be coming soon so keep your eyes and ears open for announcements!

Flag bearer: The flag bearer package for £50 is well established – a few matches remain this season. Please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details.

Ideal Christmas gift No. 1: The 100 limited edition signed photos of Les Phillips and Jeremy Charles in the 1986 Milk Cup run are selling fast – to reserve yours please contact Greig Box at oxfordutd.12thmanpix@yahoo.co.uk .

Ideal Christmas gift No. 2: Paul Wakeford offers to produce a unique cartoon of you: for each cartoon sold a donation is made to 12th Man. For details email Paul on doubletake@inbox.com .

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12th Man. Sign up at www.oxvox.org.uk .

Have an idea?: If you want to run an event or have a fundraising idea, do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

12th Man Update - Monday 2 November

Limited edition photos released!

12th Man Update – 06.10.09

The 12th Man fund goes from strength to strength with new fundraising ideas popping up week by week. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s currently going on.

The Priory pub and its regulars continue to be huge backers of 12th Man. Get along there on a matchday to take part in their various fundraisers. Along with the White Hart at Bicester, and the Masons Arms in Headington, our local pubs are doing their bit.

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12th Man. Sign up around the ground today, or at www.oxvox.org.uk

As you can see, the amount declared is now £8,200, meaning that there was £3,200 in cleared funds in the 12^th Man account on 4 November.

12^th Man badges: Only a few hundred are left now of both yellow and white versions, please get yours soon to avoid disappointment.

Ideal Christmas gift No. 2: Paul Wakeford offers to produce a unique cartoon of you: for each cartoon sold a donation is made to 12^th Man. For details email Paul on doubletake@inbox.com .

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12^th Man. Sign up at www.oxvox.org.uk .

The 12^th Man fund goes from strength to strength with new fundraising ideas popping up week by week. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s currently going on.

The Priory pub and its regulars continue to be huge backers of 12^th Man. Get along there on a matchday to take part in their various fundraisers. Along with the White Hart at Bicester, and the Masons Arms in Headington, our local pubs are doing their bit.

OxVox membership: For the rest of the year, supporters’ trust OxVox is donating 25% of all new membership fees to 12^th Man. Sign up around the ground today, or at www.oxvox.org.uk

12^th Man badges: A new supply of yellow badges is now available. A white ‘away’ version of the 12^th Man badge was sold for the first time at Barrow and will be sold at future away matches. Limited numbers are also being sold at home today, because not all fans are able to travel.

Cult Zeros shirts: OxVox receives commission for 12^th Man from the sales of these shirts made via the Cult Zeros website (select the OxVox option under ‘Where did you find us?’). We now have shirt designs for 11 players and the manager.

Face in the crowd: We will be taking photos again today for this month’s ‘Face in the Crowd’. If you are featured you will need to present your 12^th man badge to club reception to claim your prize - a football signed by the players.

6 a side: The tournament arranged for November 22 is fully booked and a second one has been organised at Brookes University two weeks later on December 6^th to meet the demand. Please email twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk for details on entering a team. Be quick!

Cartoons: Paul Wakeford offers to produce a unique cartoon of you, and for each cartoon sold a donation is made to 12^th Man. For details see the picture at the top of this post.