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.
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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.”
The 35-year-old was appointed into his first head coach role in June, taking over at United from Matt Bloomfield after retiring from professional football in April.
Ramsey has enjoyed a successful start to his tenure in OX4 so far, securing four wins from four pre-season fixtures, including a 2-0 victory over Premier League side Ipswich Town.
The former Gunners midfielder has also had to manage the squad amidst a temporary transfer ban which sees Oxford unable to register any new player until they prove compliance with the EFL’s Squad Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations.
The ex-Wales international played under some world-renowned managers during his successful playing career in the likes of Wenger, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery and former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri.
“Arsene was a huge part of the success that I had as a player,” the Yellows head coach detailed after the pre-season win over Ipswich.
“And obviously, I took so much from him as well, from the manager side of things.
“But I’ve been very lucky and blessed to have played for some really good managers over the years, which I’ve taken little bits from as well.
“So, yes, I wouldn’t just say it’s all him, but definitely he’s formed part of that.”
Similarly to Wenger, Ramsey possesses a calm demeanour on the touchline, more often than not on the edge of his technical area with the occasional instruction directed at a player or the team as a whole.
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He is visibly calm and contemplative, something which he himself acknowledges.
“I think that’s me as a player, though. I’ve always been quite calm and comfortable in situations. So for me, that’s the way that I am.
“And I want my players to feel that and to feel like they can go out there and express themselves.
“So, yes, when they play like that [against Ipswich], it does make it a lot easier for me on the side lines.
“I think we need to be confident in what we’re trying to do for us to be able to really showcase exactly what we can do.
“It’s that confidence which is important without stepping over the line, but we need to embrace that.”
The U’s begin their campaign this Saturday with a Carabao Cup clash with League One rivals Leyton Orient.
Ramsey will be hoping his side can take the confidence and impressive performances from pre-season into the competitive campaign.
League action begins a week later, with the Yellows hosting newly-promoted MK Dons at the Kassam on the opening day.
The U’s return to the third tier after a two-year stay in the Championship, suffering relegation last term with a 22nd-placed finish under Matt Bloomfield.
The club revealed their new home strip last month and have worn it twice during pre-season when they beat Crawley Town 3-1 and Ipswich Town 2-0 at the Kassam Stadium.
Oxford’s away kit was released with a video on social media titled ‘Performance Inspires’, the shirt being inspired by Oxford’s performing arts, with a ballet performance filmed at Oxford New Theatre.
The video is soundtracked by a reimagined take on Oxford band Foals’ song ‘What Went Down’.
The shirt is available to buy online and in-store.
The 32-year-old midfielder joined United in 2024 and played 88 games for the club, scoring two goals.
His last goal for the club came in the final home game of last season, a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
On 14 January 2025, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 league draw away against Plymouth Argyle.
He will now join Tranmere who are in League Two.
The Wales international did not make any senior appearances for Tranmere in his first spell but has signed a two-year deal with the club.
The U’s are in the midst of a temporary transfer embargo and will not currently be able to replace the midfielder.
As well as his contributions on the pitch, Vaulks was also a pioneer in the Oxfordshire community, using his personal story to establish the award-winning Can We Talk? suicide prevention campaign.
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He introduced a suicide prevention check-in app for staff, delivered training to employees and supporters, and led workshops across the county, including at RAF Brize Norton.
He was nationally and internationally recognised for his campaigning, winning awards including the FIFPRO Player Voice and was recently named PFA Community Player of the Year.
Vaulks made seven appearances for Wales, his most recent coming in a 1-1 draw with Czechia in 2022.
Oxford United begin their League One campaign next week with a home clash against MK Dons after suffering relegation from the second tier last season.
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