Oxford united FC
Inside the Kassam as Will Vaulks delivers emotional evening
With guests sat, including numerous Oxford United personnel such as Stan Mills, Michal Helik, Mark Harris, head coach Matt Bloomfield, and CEO Tim Williams, the stage was set for an impactful evening of mental health awareness.
Tuesday evening saw an impactful evening focused on suicide intervention presented in front of 150 guests in OX4, something that Vaulks and the ‘Can We Talk?’ campaign had been working on for some time.
“That’s probably why I’m extra nervous to do it tonight, to do it in front of the lads that you play football with every day,” Vaulks admitted.
“Obviously, they see a different side of me as well. I’m really grateful for them coming along and supporting.”
A sea of Oxford United shirts adorned the room to witness Vaulks speak alongside U’s head of PR and media, Ryan Maher, ‘Baton of Hope’ founder, Mike McCarthy, and its clinical director, Ben Wilson.
Maher introduced the night, guests listening intently as he spoke honestly about a friend’s struggle with mental health.
McCarthy followed, explaining the origins of ‘Baton of Hope’, the charity which aims to prevent suicide through proactive change.
An emotional McCarthy detailed his story before praising the work of the Yellows and introducing Vaulks.
“Thank you, Oxford United. You are pioneers.”
U’s midfielder Vaulks has done a lot of work already this year, going into schools across Oxfordshire to promote mental health awareness.
READ MORE: Oxford United CEO thanks ‘inspirational’ Will Vaulks
The 32-year-old lost both of his grandfathers to suicide in his teenage years which led to the selfless fire being lit which drives him to help prevent such tragedies from occurring.
Throughout his career, Vaulks has experienced highs and lows; from experiencing loneliness in Scotland with Falkirk, to securing his big break at Cardiff City, to scoring a seemingly winning goal at Wembley for Sheffield Wednesday which was ruled out for offside.
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His stint at Rotherham saw the former Wales international volunteer for the first time at a hospice, revealing to him the deeper issues in life than footballing defeats.
Amidst the sincerity and authenticity of the U’s man’s words of reflection and encouragement, Vaulks interspersed his talk with dry humour and digs at Sparky, offering an emotionally intelligent balance of heavy vulnerability with the familiar light-heartedness of the midfielder.
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Baton of Hope’s clinical director, Wilson, rounded the evening off before a Q&A.
The immediate impact was plain to see as guests put forward suggestions and questions, one gentleman even opening up about a men’s mental health group he had started elsewhere in Oxfordshire.
The passion and eagerness to make an impact that was sparked that evening is only the beginning as Oxford United and Vaulks continue their commendable work in the community.
The YouTube star, whose real name is JJ Olatunji, recently purchased a minority stake and became a minority owner in National League South club and former EFL side Dagenham to become the latest celebrity to gain influence in the English football pyramid.
KSI has ventured into many spheres during his career in entertainment and business, including rap, pop music, boxing, and is also a judge on ITV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
In an interview with GQ this week, the influencer shed light into his acquiring of the Daggers and proceeded to take an unprompted shot at the U’s.
Naturally, Olatunji looked at Wrexham as a direct comparison with their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Talking to GQ, KSI said: “You could argue Dagenham & Redbridge is going to have more attention than a lot of Championship sides. Think of a random Championship team…”
“Like, Oxford United!”
“I bet more people know about Dagenham & Redbridge than Oxford United.
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“For me, I already see Wrexham as a rival. The idea of beating Ryan Reynolds FC. Me versus Ryan Reynolds, face-off.”
Oxford finished 22nd in the second tier this season and were relegated to League One.
Meanwhile, Welsh side Wrexham finished seventh and two points away from the play-off places in their first season in the Championship since 1982.
The Red Dragons had achieved three consecutive promotions before this season, something which KSI will have his sights set in Dagenham.
The Daggers were last in the top four flights of English football in the 2015/16 season in which they suffered relegation out of League Two.
They were since relegated to the National League South in the 2024/25 campaign.
New minority stakeholder KSI, alongside After Party Studios, is set to produce a ‘Welcome to Wrexham’-style docuseries called ‘Race to the Top’ to tell the story of his takeover, it was revealed by Variety.
There a three divisions between Dagenham and the Yellows, whom Olatunji dubbed a ‘random team’.
The last time the two clubs faced each other was when the U’s won 4-0 in League Two in March 2016.
Since then, Oxford have improved by two tiers whilst the Daggers have fallen by two leagues.
The U’s have seen seven players play elsewhere during the second half of the season.
Matt Bloomfield and the Yellows’ hierarchy must build and retain a strong squad this summer to challenge in League One next season after their relegation from the Championship.
Oxford heavily utilised the loan market this campaign with both incoming and outgoings, their outgoing names experiencing mixed fortunes.
Starting with the players that are still contracted to the U’s, Peter Kioso, Louie Sibley, and James Golding all had temporary spells elsewhere.
Sibley is still with League One side Bradford City, however he has not featured in a Bantams squad since February 21.
It is understood that Bradford boss Graham Alexander had high hopes for the 24-year-old after his January arrival but things have not worked out for the midfielder and, after only four appearances, he is well down the pecking order.
He has played just nine times all season.
Bradford are 1-0 down on aggregate in the League One play-off semi-finals with the second leg still to play.
Still contracted to the club, it will be interesting to see what happens regarding Sibley’s future in OX4.
Kioso endured the whole season at 18th-placed Peterborough United in League One, captaining the side 17 times.
The 26-year-old scored once and assisted twice this term in 32 total appearances.
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Finally, defender Golding spent the second half of the season at National League side Southend United.
Playing the first half with Crewe Alexandra in League One, Golding moved to the fifth tier in January after picking up an injury and returning to Oxford in the new year.
The 21-year-old has since played 16 times for Southend including once in the National League play-offs which saw the lose Shrimpers lose to Scunthorpe United.
Golding’s loan team will face Wealdstone in the FA Trophy final this Sunday.
The four other players out on loan – Owen Dale, Will Goodwin, Tom Bradshaw, and Stephan Negru – have all departed after the Yellows confirmed their retained list this week.
Dale spent the season at Plymouth Argyle and is in talks to return there permanently.
Bradshaw scored three goals in 19 matches for Barnsley in League One since January.
24-year-old Goodwin scored four goals in 30 games for Colchester United after an early two-month injury.
Negru was with Tranmere Rovers since January and played 14 times for the club after an earlier stint with Bristol Rovers was curtailed by injury.
The Terriers confirmed that the former U’s boss will not return to the club after the regular League One season recently came to an end.
Huddersfield said that it was a mutual decision between Manning, the club, and his family.
The 40-year-old began a period of compassionate leave on March 25 due to ongoing personal matters following the tragic passing of his son Theo in October 2024.
Manning told the Terriers upon the decision the decision: “Stepping down from Huddersfield Town has been a difficult decision, but one I feel is best for the Club, my family and myself at this time.
“It has been a privilege to manage this team and be a part of this community. I am grateful to the fans for their support and compassion in recent months.”
READ MORE: Former Oxford boss Manning awarded compassionate leave
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Manning was in charge of the U’s in 2023 for eight months before departing in November for Championship side Bristol City.
The Englishman left with Oxford second in League One, Des Buckingham taking over and leading the club to play-off glory later that season.
Manning has since taken the Robins to a play-off finish last season, the club’s first play-off campaign in 17 years, before leaving for hometown club Norwich City where he lasted only five months following a poor start to the season.
Fans and pundits have reacted to the news with heartfelt messages for the ex-Yellows boss.
EFL pundit Gabriel Sutton posted on X: “Best wishes, Liam.”
One Huddersfield fan commented: “All the best Liam, hopefully you get the help you need. Top man.”
Another Terriers supporter said: “Don’t care that we didn’t achieve what we wanted to under him this season, some things are bigger than football. I wish Liam the very best for him and his family, and everyone at Town does too.”
Manning’s departure means that Huddersfield must now search for a new man to take charge of the club ahead of the 2026/27 season.
News outlet SportsBoom have reported that the Terriers are supposedly eyeing a shock move for former boss David Wagner.
Wagner led the club to promotion to the Premier League in 2017 with a Championship play-off final victory over Reading.
He has since managed Norwich City and German giants Schalke but has been out of work since his sacking from the Canaries in 2024.
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