WHEN tough economic times left a new Kidlington girls’ football team without a sponsor for their kit, they decided to ‘splash out’ themselves.

Faced with the prospect of not being able to start playing in the Oxford Mail Girls’ League, the new under-12s nine-a-side squad at Kidlington Youth Football Club held a sponsored swim.

Ten squad members each completed between 40 and 80 lengths in an hour at Kidlington and Gosford Sports Centre, a total of 10 miles. Pictured from left are Emma Gough, Lola Harbod, Rosie Smy, Isla Hastings, Rachel Hastings, Talia Coffey, Zoe Chung, Cloe Woodward, Alice Bairstow and Megan Walters.

Megan, 12, from Chipping Norton, swam 80 lengths despite suffering from Osgood-Schlatter disease, which affects her knees. She said: “Nobody thought I would be able to swim that far.”

Alice, also 12, from Kidlington, said: “When we’re putting on the kit, it is quite nice to know that we were not just given it but had to work for it.”

The 10 swimmers raised £369 between them while Oxford Citizens Housing Association gave a grant of £207 towards training equipment and water bottles.

The club has 102 girls on the books and 230 boys.