Oxford united FC
Oxford United’s Vaulks takes funding to three football clubs
Vaulks spoke at a ‘Can We Talk?’ workshop held at the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday evening, offering mental health training for 150 attendees and encouraging further discussion.
Speaking personally about his experience with suicide through both of his grandfathers, the 32-year-old was joined by Mike McCarthy, founder of the charity ‘Baton of Hope’ of which Vaulks does a lot of work with, and its clinical director, Ben Wilson.
The charity offers training and a pledge which workplaces can commit to.
“As a footballer, I feel really strongly that every football club should have this,” Vaulks said before the evening.
“Every football club should sign the gold pledge.
“I’m in communication with the PFA, I have been over the last year. I’m very grateful that they’ve also given me some funding and I will be taking that into at least three more football clubs.
“It’s kind of my mission now from the work I’ve seen that young men who are susceptible to so much pressure, so much exposure, that they need support.
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“If you make your workplace a psychologically safe place that talks about suicide and is aware of it, then, in turn, that will make your team also more productive on the pitch, I really believe that.”
The former Wales international was awarded the FIFPRO Player Voice Award last November which included a prize fund that covered the cost of the event and provided free suicide awareness training.
Vaulks has also received an additional £10,000 from the PFA to support the expansion and delivery of his project across football clubs.
“We need money as a charity to fund these things. I’m very grateful to FIFPRO for that and I’m very proud that I’m able to put something back in and I know that I’ll leave Oxfordshire, or at least some of our supporters, with more toolkits to help their mental health.
READ MORE: Oxford United star Vaulks wins FIFPRO award for his work
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“Without being too morbid, the outcome is that we save lives and improve lives.
“I really feel that if my grandfathers had been at something like this and understood that the support was out there or being aware of their mental health, they may well still be here today. That’s the aim.
“And to help as many people as we can to go out into the community and become peer-to-peer support people who can notice signs. The NHS is so overwhelmed that we need to something within the community about it.”
Oxford United travel to face Mansfield Town in League One as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to five games.
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Peter Kioso and Gatlin O’Donkor both received second yellow cards as Aaron Ramsey’s men survived a late onslaught from the Stags.
Luka Lynch’s first ever goal in professional football put Oxford ahead in the first half Michael Smith found a deserved Mansfield equaliser.
The hosts had Oxford pinned back in the opening stages, a shot from Nathan Moriah-Welsh getting blocked by teammate Jon Russell.
Mark Harris glanced a Louie Sibley free kick wide with his head in response, before a stretching Rhys Oates could not quite meet a lethal low ball in.
Mansfield kept pushing then, Michal Helik recovering to stop Smith in the box.
A first save from Jamie Cumming tipped the ball wide four minutes before Russell and Deji Oshilaja both saw efforts blocked.
Another Russell dig was held by the U’s goalkeeper as United weathered the storm.
With 34 minutes on the clock, Lynch showed his quality to cut inside and bend a perfect shot into the top left corner from the edge of the penalty area and put the Yellows ahead against the run of play.
The Stags hit back when Cameron Brannagan gave the ball away in his own box leading to Russell putting the ball over with time on his side.
Nigel Clough’s side kept up their pressure but could not find the net before the break.
The hosts picked up where they left off with a blocked effort from Stephen McLaughlin and a curling shot wide from Oates.
Substitute O’Donkor had a poke at goal saved as the U’s grew into the second half before Oates broke away but was stopped impressively by Peter Kioso in the box.
That is when the wheels began falling off, Kioso receiving a second yellow for an alleged dive in the box.
Frazer Blake-Tracy out a cross over the crossbar before the equaliser came, Smith bundling into the net after Cumming failed to deal with another cross.
It went from bad to worse then, O’Donkor seeing red after a clumsy slide challenge saw him also receive a second yellow.
Mansfield battered the Oxford box in the final few minutes, the U’s managing to hold out for what proved to be a valuable point.
Stags: L Roberts, Hewitt (Maris 80), Sweeney (Blake-Tracy 74), Russell (Hendry 74), Smith, Thompson, Oates, Moriah-Welsh (T Roberts 61), Oshilaja, Reed, Abbott (McLaughlin 46)
Yellows: Cumming, Kioso, Brown, Helik, Spencer, Brannagan, Andrews, Sibley (O’Donkor 59), Lynch (Missanga 59), Harris (Currie 78), Dembele (Long 80)
Bookings: Moriah-Welsh, Russell; Kioso, O’Donkor
Red cards: Kioso, O’Donkor
Oxford United travel to face Mansfield Town in League One as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to five games.
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