Oxford United Football Club sponsors festival event for first time

Club sponsors Nedum Onuoha event

Oxford United Football Club have become a sponsor of the Oxford Literary Festival for the first time. The club will sponsor an event with Nedum Onuoha, the former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers player whose book, Kicking Back, was published earlier this year.

Onuoha, now a BBC football pundit, will talk about life on and off the pitch, including minority groups in football, how to approach the end of a professional sporting career and the importance of having an identity outside of the game. Oxford United plan to use this partnership as an educational opportunity for their own teams and hope that those passionate about football across all ages and parts of the city will come to listen and ask questions.

Adam Benson, chief commercial and marketing officer for Oxford United said he was delighted to be working with the Oxford Literary Festival and sees this collaboration as part of ongoing initiatives to engage with new and existing audiences.

He added: “Although a football club and a literary festival may seem like an unusual fit, the partnership presents a fantastic opportunity for Oxford United. Our objective is to create a brand that reaches beyond football and into arts, culture, entertainment and leisure. Furthermore, we are committed to providing a range of educational opportunities for our supporters, staff and players, and learning from ambassadors like Nedum is an invaluable part of that.”

Festival director Sally Dunsmore said: “We are thrilled to be working with Oxford United. This partnership epitomises our commitment to attract a new generation of festival goers. The Oxford Literary Festival is for everyone. Our speakers come from all walks of life and they talk about things that affect us all, from the food we eat to climate change and the stories of today and the past that impact our daily lives. We hope this will be the beginning of a long relationship with Oxford United.”

2023

2022

The Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

The Telegraph Festival media partner University of Oxford Netflix European Union Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme BBC World Service International radio partner Owen Mumford Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Oxford Mathematics Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London Italian Embassy The Italian Embassy: supporter of the programme of Italian literature and culture The Dorchester Hotels Collection Festival London hotel partner International Literary Properties Festival literary heritage partner Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels Festival hotel Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Jim Mellon John Roberts Lady Hatch Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture Tim and Marion Stevenson Martin and Elise Becket Smith Miles Young Masumi and Jonathan Dobson Pank Koria CEO of Project People Carole and John Allen David Isaac Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Anna Hunter Rhys and Kerry Phillip Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 New College New College founded 1379 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 St Cross College St Cross College founded 1965 Trinity College Trinity College founded 1555 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Critchleys Accountants to the festival Pasture to Plate Compassion in World Farming Human Ecology Project MACROVegan Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Sponsor of the EBRD Literature Prize since 2018 ROOMS Georgia's leading lifestyle hotel brand since 2012. Supporters of the programme of Georgian literature and culture Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Foodbuy Thje Menu Partners Institute of Hospitality Goldmoney Properties Project People Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Confucius Institute Pusey House British Academy Festival academic partner Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Oxford United Football Club Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design Paul Bloomfield Ltd University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Conference Oxford Felicity Bryan Associates CAV Oxford The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford University Images Oxford University Images Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Oxford Georgian Translation Project Supporter of the programme of Georgian literature and culture Force4Good Consultancy Corporate communications OX magazine Ox in a Box K T Bruce Photography K T Bruce Photography The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Windrush Group James Currey Society