Banbury United Football Club has today launched ‘Our Club, Our Town,’ a 45-minute independent film by director, Glyn McGuire, on its YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/a8Bu4Q9rb4o.

Filmed over 12 months in Banbury and beyond with support from media students from Banbury & Bicester College, the emotive film captures the stories of multi-generational custodians of the fan-owned Club: fans, directors and players for whom Banbury United is everything.

Banbury United was established in 1931 and plays in the third tier of non-league football, in the Southern League Premier Central. Operating as a Community Benefit Society (CBS), the Club is at an important juncture. While there is hope of an offer of private investment in the near future that would require fans agreeing to a change in ownership, some of the issues facing the Club seem insurmountable: it does not own its own ground and therefore cannot access most facilities grants, its pitch frequently floods, and it has no training facilities. The club, run by volunteers around full-time jobs, has to fund itself while facing rising business costs.

‘Our Club, Our Town’ asks how much Banbury United matters to the community that owns it and whether town and club have the appetite to rally together behind a potentially ambitious future.

“Besides the specific obstacles faced by Banbury United, many of the themes highlighted in ‘Our Club, Our Town’ are common to the hundreds of England’s non-league, volunteer-driven football clubs that have delivered unrivalled local sporting entertainment and strong human connections within their communities, week-in week-out, for decades. The local football club provides an important, embedded culture that, as our characters argue, deserves protection and investment,” says the film’s director, Glyn McGuire.

Fighting for protection and facilities

Banbury United supporter, Tommy Upstone (24), says, “In North Oxfordshire, we are surrounded by stately homes, which are safeguarded, yet we are fighting for our football club. Who is to say that Blenheim Palace or Upton House are more important to the communities that live here than Banbury United? It’s the same as our fight to keep vital services at our local hospital. The community has to fight for everything we’ve got.”

Another interviewee, Mark Allitt (50), local retailer and former commercial director at Banbury United says, “We believe that Banbury is the largest town in England without a 4G pitch. Yet we have the potential to be a massive non-league football club.”

Club Secretary, Claire Dumbreck, concurs: “The lack of suitable playing surfaces in North Oxfordshire is pitiful. This does not just affect Banbury United’s ability to progress up the football pyramid due to a lack of first team training facilities, it severely hampers grassroots football and player pathways for all clubs in the region, as well as leisure and well-being for adults and children in Banbury’s growing population.”

Football and volunteering as a mental health tonic

A powerful thread throughout ‘Our Club, Our Town’ is how volunteering and spectating at Banbury United has benefitted locals’ mental health, and how the football club has enabled people from all walks of life to form diverse new friendship groups and a sense of togetherness. Young fan, Lewis Aston, talks of how “we all like being around each other” at Banbury United while Phil Coles, a fan for over 60 years, observes, “Non-league football is a family. We care for each other.”

Meet the film’s characters

Former players, Tony Foster and Tony Jacques.


Now in their seventies and living away from Banbury ‘the two Tonys’ played together in Banbury United’s heyday in the 1970s. The film looks back on the club’s historic FA Cup First Round Proper tie and replay against Northampton Town in 1973. While Tony Jacques was unfortunately suspended for this match, Tony Foster faced double-trouble: his sister-in-law ran onto the pitch to remonstrate with an opposition player who had brought him down, and he got found out by his boss for not being at work! Foster dreams of winning the lottery one day and helping to fund Banbury United.

Lewis Aston (22), fan who has attended over 300 consecutive Banbury United matches. “I went to one game and now I’ve been to 300 in a row! I’ve always got something to look forward to and I count down the days to next Saturday.”

Mark Allitt (50), local retailer and former commercial director. “When the Club became a Community Benefit Society in 2015, I went from the terrace to the boardroom. The only job left was commercial director. There were no spreadsheets, I just went out selling pitch advertising on a Saturday night and loved it.”

Lisa Dixon (59), Board Director - Community. Lisa’s great grandad played for Banbury Spencer, the predecessor to Banbury United, and her uncle Wally played for Banbury United. “I’d get paid 50p for cleaning Uncle Wally’s boots on a Sunday morning. I decided to volunteer at Banbury United to improve my mental health.”

Jack Harding (33), Banbury United goalkeeper 2009-present. The club’s legendary goalkeeper with over 400 appearances. He has his own song and is described by Tommy in the film as a “working class hero” as he is spotted in Greggs on a Monday morning before going off to work as an electrician.

Claire Dumbreck (51), local mum who discovered Banbury United during Covid and never left, now Club Secretary.

Ryan Jones (31), Banbury United’s Community Coach. He confesses he is obsessed with the Club and creating good people. “It’s important when parents buy Banbury United strips for their children and not Premier League ones.”

Wayne Farrell, Banbury United FC Chairman, who is devoted to protecting the sustainability of Banbury United. He’s only been here for “two shakes of a lamb’s tail” but feels the responsibility of the membership he proudly represents.

Phil Coles, fan of 60 years. Phil travels by train from North Wales to attend Banbury home games, where he meets up with his son and grandson. While he admits he preferred to look at the steam trains on Banbury’s tramway behind the stadium rather than the football as a young boy, Banbury United is in his heart.

Tommy Upstone (24), fan. “Many within Banbury may feel that football is not important to them or doesn’t affect their lives but when they have kids and they want to play football, where are they going to go?”

‘Our Club, Our Town’ was made entirely voluntarily by Cheshire-based film-maker Glyn McGuire, following a chance meeting with one of Banbury United’s board directors in early 2024. Glyn has a background in sports documentary making, including at various Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Until recently, he co-led a non-profit organisation that trained 14-25 year olds in media production, which inspired the opportunity for Banbury United to work with media students from Banbury & Bicester College in the production of ‘Our Club, Our Town.’ Glyn is also a Sheffield Wednesday fan who played football professionally in the 1980s.

Over 200 local dignitaries, present and former players and directors, staff, volunteers, supporters and cast members, attended a red carpet film premiere screening of ‘Our Club, Our Town’ at The Light cinema in Banbury on Wednesday November 26th.

Main article photo caption: From the red carpet film premiere screening of ‘Our Club, Our Town’ at The Light cinema in Banbury on Wednesday November 26th, pictured are most of the film’s interviewees, left to right: Wayne Farrell - Banbury United chairman (front), Glyn McGuire - film director, Lewis Aston - fan, Jack Harding - Banbury United goalkeeper, Tony Jacques - former Banbury United player, Amy Harding - Jack Harding’s wife, Tony Foster - former Banbury United player, Phil Coles - fan, Mark Allitt - fan and former commercial director, Tommy Upstone - fan, Ryan Jones - Banbury United Community Coach, Claire Dumbreck - Banbury United Club Secretary.