Disability Football Teams Take on Northampton Town

Oxford United in the Community’s Inclusion and Down Syndrome football teams took on Northampton Town last weekend.

In a special fixture, we welcomed Northampton Town Community Trust to the Training Centre on Sunday 1 March as our Inclusion and Down Syndrome football teams faced off against the Cobblers.

It was the first match for our Tri Stars team, which was recently formed in collaboration with Down’s Syndrome Oxford and offers weekly football sessions for people living with Down’s Syndrome.

Amanda, of Down’s Syndrome Oxford, said: “We’ve had a brilliant day at the Training Centre. Everyone’s had a wonderful time so thank you so much to Oxford United in the Community for setting this up.”

It was a strong performance from our Inclusion Football teams, who secured impressive wins over their Northampton counterparts.

Our Inclusion Football programme offers football sessions at Abingdon and Witney College exclusively for people living with a disability. Leading the delivery of the programme is Mark Thomas, Social Inclusion Lead at Oxford United in the Community.

He said: “These fixtures are really impactful for the participants because before they came to our sessions, a lot of them didn’t engage in physical activity.

“It’s a great opportunity to meet new friends and compete in a fun environment.”

The matches were testament to the strong relationship between Oxford United in the Community and Northampton Town Community Trust, who run similar disability football programmes.

Dave Clarke, of the Cobblers, said: “It’s been a fantastic day for us at Northampton Town with amazing facilities, coaches and players.

“We just want to say thank you very much for having us and we can’t wait to do this again very soon.”

Our Inclusion Football programmes are made possible by the donations of individuals and businesses. To become a Friend of Oxford United in the Community, please follow this link HERE.

If you are interested in joining our Inclusion Football or Tri Stars programmes, contact [email protected]