DURING the course of his football career, Darren Brett grew a small team into one which was thousands of players strong.

Now the former right-back is hoping to bring the same sort of success to an Oxford pub.

The 40-year-old has taken over The Six Bells, in Headington Quarry, which has become the second pub he runs.

He said: “I am tremendously proud to have taken on the Six Bells. I think running a great pub is about being at the heart of the community.

“I want to focus on good food and drink, creating a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and, of course a passion for me, commitment to sport and social activities.”

Mr Brett began his footballing career as a trainee at Nottingham Forest in the 1990s.

He left the club in 1996 without having made a first-team appearance and went to the United States where he worked first with the Colorado Rapids and then with Colorado Rush.

He expanded the club’s youth programme from just five teams to around 5,200 players and before long he was asked to do the same in another part of the country.

Rush Soccer, the franchise he created, had around 47,000 players across the US by the time he returned the Britain after 11 years.

He said: “I have got the same kind of idea with pubs. We are going to introduce pool teams, darts teams and Aunt Sally teams and we want to sponsor a few football teams. Obviously we are still going to do food. Everything that was good about The Six Bells we are going to keep.”

Until 2001 Oxford United played their home matches at Headington’s Manor Ground before they moved to the Kassam Stadium.

The U’s last played Mr Brett’s old club Nottingham Forest in 2000 in the FA Cup third round replay at home, losing 1-3.

Mr Brett became involved in running pubs after returning from the US because he missed his family but he had “no idea” what he wanted to do.

After taking a course in Bradford he took over his first pub, which was owned by Greene King. It was the Suffolk-based brewery that asked him whether he was interested in taking on the Headington Quarry pub.

He also runs the Royal Albion in Reading and the day-to-day management of his Oxford pub will be left to his manager Jenny Curtain.

She said: “Since things have changed at the pub we have had so much interest from darts, pool and Aunt Sally teams; pub sports will be a big part of The Six Bells.”

The Six Bells was originally built as a private house and dates in part from 1782.

It was a pub by the early 19th century, and was named after the six bells of St Andrew’s church in Headington.