THEY are more comfortable behind the safety of a guitar, microphone or keyboard.

But for one day, some of Oxford’s top musicians will be putting aside their instruments to take part in a charity football tournament.

The event is being organised by Audioscope, an annual festival which raises money for homelessness charity Shelter.

For the second time, organisers have decided to capture Euro 2012 fever and get musicians and music promoters out of their comfort zone and on to the football field.

Stuart Fowkes, who is one of the organisers but will also be playing as part of a team from his band Listing Ships, said: “We did it a few years ago when it was the last European Championships.

“What we really want to see is gawky guitarists and uncoordinated drummers stumbling around the football pitch.

“Half the appeal is seeing people you might have seen playing the O2 Academy in Oxford falling over their shoelaces.”

The tournament will see six-a-side teams playing against each other through group stages and knockout matches to be declared the sporting champions of Oxfordshire music.

About 20 teams turned out last time and already several have signed up for the event at Oxford Brookes University Centre for Sports in Headington on Saturday, July 7.

At least four players on the pitch for a team at any one time must be members of a local band, staff at a local venue, local gig promoters or otherwise involved in the Oxford music scene.

This time money will also be raised for local homelessness organisation The Gatehouse and the Audioscope team have joined forces with Pindrop Publicity to stage the event.

Sebastian Reynolds, from Pindrop Publicity, will be showing off his ball skills with fellow members of his band Flights of Helios.

He said: “When it was first organised it was an awful lot of fun and I’ve had the idea at the back of my mind ever since that it’s something that really should become an annual fixture on the music scene. There’s plenty of bands who are also into football, and it’s a lot of fun and a way of bringing the Oxford music community together.”

They hope to raise £300 to £400, with players paying £4-a-head and spectators watching free of charge.

  • To enter a team, email james@pindroppublicity.com with details of the team name and its members. Teams need to contain seven or eight members, with six on the pitch at any one time via rolling substitutions. The tournament runs from 11am to 6pm.