FOOTBALL-crazy warehouse workers have achieved their goal of supporting young players.

More than 200 members of staff at Unipart’s Distribution Centre in Garsington Road, Cowley, Oxford, donated £600 to Oxford Blackbirds Football Club after a series of soccer-related activities.

The fans arranged a sponsored penalty shoot-out and World Cup quiz, and raised money for the club, which plays on the city’s Blackbird Leys estate, by inviting colleagues to spend a day wearing their favourite football shirts – in return for making a donation.

Blackbirds club chairman Clive Buckett said the cash would help buy new equipment and contribute towards running costs.

He added: “We already have strong links with the company, as the team’s manager, Garry Rees, is a Unipart employee, and we were delighted when they contacted us to tell us about the money their employees had raised.

“It has all been allocated and we’re going to spend it on new training tops and bibs, and new footballs. They had got old through everyday wear and tear and needed replacing, so the money was really welcome.”

Mr Buckett said the club needed about £3,000 a year and raises cash through player subscriptions, fundraising and donations.

The club, which trains on council land behind Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, has been going for more than 40 years and is open to boys and girls aged 16 and under from the estate.

More than 400 children currently take part, joining 11 teams ranging from under-sevens to under-16s. Mr Rees said: “Everyone at Cowley has been really enthusiastic and there was some great support for the fundraising events we organised. The team are really delighted with the donation, which will go a long way towards helping to support the club.”

Nick Rayner, Unipart’s director and general manager at Cowley, said: “As a company we try to link up with groups and organisations that provide positive opportunities for local people, particularly young people, and encourage our employees to get involved personally as well as raising money.

“When we were looking at who to support this year, we asked our employees in the distribution centre to nominate local groups or charities which they had links with, and the Blackbirds ticked all the boxes.”