Banbury United Football Club has secured funding from The National League Trust to run a series of free after-school family activities and a new Squad Girls’ Football programme from next month.

Aimed at 4-11 year olds, the fun after-school sessions will take place every Wednesday from May 3rd up until the start of the summer holidays (last session July 19th) at 4-5pm at The Hill Youth and Community Centre in Bretch Hill, Banbury. They will be run by Fitness and Wellness coach, Sindy Matthews and involve a great variety of fun family activities, from learning archery to playing Stuck in The Mud.

Squad Girls' Football is a programme created by England Football and supported by Sport England, designed to help girls aged 12-14 who want to get into football improve their ability across the game. The free sessions will be delivered by Banbury United’s women’s coach, Mark Andrews, and held at the North Oxfordshire Academy every Monday night between 5 and 6pm. The first session starts on May 15th.

There is no need to book ahead for either activity, please just turn up.

“It’s great news that we can put on these free after-school sessions for primary school-aged children and their families, as well as getting girls into football. We can’t wait to get going,” says Lisa Dixon, Banbury United’s board director with responsibility for the community.

“We are incredibly grateful to The National League Trust for funding this and other community programmes that we’re increasingly able to deliver as a club. There is a direct correlation between the success of our teams on the pitch – particularly our promotion to the National League North this season – and our ability to support the Banbury community,” continued Lisa Dixon.

The National League Trust is a partnership between the National League, the Premier League and the Professional Footballers Association. The Premier League and the PFA have committed to support the Trust until 2025 and will each contribute a donation of 1.2m a year over this period. This allows the Trust to help National League member clubs develop their community programmes.

Banbury United currently provides the following community-based activities for families, during the summer term:

Mondays 09:30-11:00, Family Sessions at The Hill with Sindy (You Move) – free of charge (thank you to Active Oxfordshire).

Wednesdays 09:30-11:00, Family Session at the Hill with Sindy (You Move) – free of charge (thank you to Active Oxfordshire).

Wednesdays 16:00-17:00, Family Session at The Hill with Sindy (thank you to The National League Trust) – free of charge.

Thursdays 17:00-18:00, Wildcats for girls aged 7-11 at the North Oxfordshire Academy (NOA) astroturf – £2 per session. Book on Eventbrite or just turn up.

Sundays 10:00-11:00, Mini Reds for boys and girls aged 4-7 year at the Banbury United Plant Hire Community Stadium – £2 per session. Just turn up and pay on the day.

For more information on the after-school sessions please email the Community Coach - communitycoach@banburyunitedfc.com.

If you plan to participate in any of these sessions, it is essential that you follow and regularly check Banbury United’s community social media pages and website for changes to planned sessions due to pitch availability, weather or instructor sickness etc:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090895877409
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BUFCcommunity