RAGE ONLINE ARTICLE

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