A YOUTH football clubhouse has been given a new lease of life as part of a community project.

Staff from Kidlington’s HSBC branch in the High Street spent a day decorating Kidlington Youth FC’s clubhouse in Evans Lane.

As part of the company’s community initiatives, staff take one day off a year to volunteer a form of community service.

Under-sevens coach Jaime Burns said: “Many people give up their time as a volunteer to help out for the club as they always do, and many children from the club will feel the benefit of what has been done.

“It was a relatively run-down building and now has started to look more presentable, and everyone involved in helping out deserves a lot of credit.”

The main hall was decorated with the walls being painted, and new exterior doors and hanging curtains were put in.

Staff member and girls team coach Caroline Drake said: “The staff give up a day a year for community work and as all of them are keen on football they wanted to give some time to youth football.”

The club has also announced a two-year sponsorship deal with The Highwayman Hotel in Kidlington. The arrangement with the Banbury Road hotel will see two under-nines boys and under-10s girls sides sponsored for new kits for next season and a further three sides in 2016.

Hotel owner Nick Duval said: “I’ve been a great follower of the club for many years now and they are very deserving of this money. I really appreciate how they operate – the teams receive no centralised funding so have to come up with sponsorship deals themselves, which can obviously be very difficult.

“All these projects are very important for expanding the growth of sport in Kidlington.”

Kidlington Youth FC, which has about 350 young players aged four to 16, is based at Stratfield Brake sports ground, off Frieze Way.

It was founded in 1966 and runs boys and girls teams from under-six to under-16.