Oxford United are delighted to reveal the beginning of a new year-long campaign celebrating the lunar Year of the Ox – a long-standing tradition across the far east that comes around just once every twelve years.
The county of Oxfordshire, and indeed our football club, has enjoyed a long-time association with Oxen, so it seems befitting that we celebrate such an occasion that comes around so infrequently.
Whether under our previous guise of Headington United or since our change of name in 1960, the Ox has been an ever present within the club crest. By paying closer attention to the characteristics and personality traits that define Oxen, it is clear to see why.
Oxen are known to demonstrate the following qualities:
- Strength
- Hard work
- Reliability
- Family focussed
- Honesty
- Trustworthiness
The club prides itself on working under this ethos.
Whether those are the characteristics shown by our players, supporters, or staff members, as a Yellow Army this should define how we pull together as we strive to move forward and develop as a football club.
In celebration of the commencement of the new lunar year we have created an Oxford United bespoke Year of the Ox logo for the campaign. This is not designed to replace the club crest, but instead it will be an ever present throughout the coming year and underpin all the work we aim to achieve throughthe above core values.
To add further significance to the Year of the Ox in days gone by you can see that some of the key milestones in our history have taken place during these most notable of years.
In 1985 we enjoyed our first promotion to the top flight while the lunar year also took the club right the way through to victory in the quarter-final stage of the following season’s Milk Cup triumph.
2009, the most recent Year of the Ox, also played a huge part in the club’s promotion season back to the Football League – arguably the U’s most importan ttriumph in our history.
The connection with the U’s doesn’t stop with just significant dates, however. In fact, it is a commonly held belief that the colours yellow and blue are deemed to be lucky for Oxen.
What’s more, an unlucky colour just happens to be red, although we’re not sure what significance that has to us...
We have twelve months of activities ahead for our faithful Yellow Army to get involved in the festivities. Looking to the near future when we are set to release a brand new membership offering, Year of the Ox retail items will shortly be available to buy, and we’re even going to attempt to set a new world record – watch this space.
In the meantime, as we celebrate the transition into the new year, our year, we would encourage all our fellow Oxen to embrace the traits and characteristics that make us stand out from the herd.
COYY!