An estate football club is celebrating 25 years of the beautiful game - and keeping children out of trouble and off the streets.

Barton United has nurtured the talent of more than 2,000 youngsters since a team of nine-year-olds played the club's first game a quarter of a century ago.

Unfortunately, in their first year the Oxford side lost every game, but since then the club has won both league titles and cups.

More importantly, football has provided an outlet for hundreds of young people on the estate.

Founder member Frank Romera said: "One of the reasons we established the club was to keep kids out of trouble.

"As well as setting up the team, we also put a big emphasis on the social side of things and put on discos and other functions."

Mr Romera, Mick Hor- wood and Dave Rose set up the club because their sons were keen footballers and they felt it was important to give children on the estate an opportunity to get involved in sport.

Over the years, the club has nurtured several players who have broken into the professional ranks.

They include goalkeeper Robert Wild, who was on the books of Newcastle United and Queen's Park Rangers, and Jermaine McSporran, who played for Wycombe Wanderers.

The club's pavilion, which incorporates changing rooms and a bar, is due to get a £140,000 makeover soon using money given by developers to offset the impact of new housing in the area.

Sue Holden, who has been club president for two decades, said: "I think it has been such a worthwhile cause.

"I have always maintained that anyone who is prepared to give up their time to keep kids off the street deserves all the support they can get."

Mr Rose added: "There was no football at all on the estate when the club started up.

"The pitch we're playing on now used to be a rubbish tip. It was overgrown and horrible.

q=cphil.vinter@nqo.com "It's not that easy these days running football clubs, because you have got all the health and safety things to be careful of and it makes it much harder work."

The club started in 1981 when an appeal was put out and they were able to scrape together an under-10s team for the inaugural season at Barton Recreation Ground.

Mr Rose formed an under-13 team in the second season and is still involved with the club, currently holding the post of secretary - his wife Jan is fixture secretary.

"I thought once my son grew up I would move on, but I have stayed involved and the club has just grown and grown. Now my son is one of the coaches here as well. Quite a few of the kids stay in the area and stay involved with the club.

"The parents call us babysitters, because we're looking after the kids and they don't get involved, but there are quite a few parents. I just enjoy watching the kids playing football."