OXVOX ARTICLE

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.