The 12th Man - How it works

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.