It feels like only yesterday that our return to the Sky Bet Championship was confirmed and yet, as we head into the March international break, we sit here now with just over a month left of the 2024/25 season.
The step up in division was never going to be straight forward but, with eight games remaining, our destiny is firmly in our own hands. It is so important we all stay united for this crucial part of the season, as the team and coaching staff have worked so hard to put us in this position. The support you’ve given the players up and down the country has been phenomenal and it is needed now more than ever.
We have a very clear long-term ambition for the Club. We do not want Oxford United to simply exist in the Championship, we want to compete, grow and become a consistent force in this division. Building a platform to allow us to do this will take time and will require important decisions to be taken along the way if we want to see tangible and continued progress.
In December, we appointed Gary Rowett as Head Coach, confident both in his ability to take the squad forward and in his experience and knowledge to help us improve so many areas of our football department. His immediate impact not only reinvigorated the team, helping us secure crucial results, but it has also helped to drive us forward in how we operate at the Training Ground and as a Club. It will be an important final eight games for all of us, and we are as well placed as we can be to tackle that challenge head on.
Our Owners are committed to developing a stable, sustainable football club and, thanks to their ongoing support, we’ve been able to increase investment across all areas of the Club, from the Men’s First Team through to our Academy and Women’s Team.
January saw another strong transfer window, with five key additions who have already had a positive influence on the squad. Player recruitment, overseen by Ed Waldron and his team, is a significant factor in what we’ve achieved over the last few seasons and we’re already looking at the summer and beyond.
One area which has required major funding over the last 12 months has been our Training Ground. Most of our facilities, including offices, changing rooms, treatment rooms and the gym, were almost completely destroyed in January 2024 following severe flooding.
Thanks to the incredible efforts of staff and contractors, we not only mitigated a lot of the impact, but we have also built back better. I’m happy to report that work on our main building is now complete, with a facility enhanced to even higher standards. There will be further improvements this summer to ensure our Men’s, Women’s, and Academy teams have a first-class environment to train in.
Last week we published our financial results for 2023/24, highlighting record revenues, with growth of 13%. These accounts also demonstrated the investment our Owners have made in our new stadium project, with more than £6.5m provided in the last two years, and a further £2m committed since year end, allowing us to secure a lease for the proposed site and to submit planning.
However, let me be absolutely clear: without planning, the Club faces an uncertain future. We are now less than 80 days away from the most crucial decision in Oxford United’s history. The planning outcome for our new stadium in June will define our future.
This project is about more than just football. Our vision is to create a world-class 365-day a year venue, delivering significant economic and social benefits across Oxfordshire. The site will house a 180-bed hotel, conference and events centre, gym, health and wellbeing and community spaces, all while setting a new benchmark for sustainability as the UK’s first major all-electric stadium.
I’m proud of the fact this stadium will have sustainability at its core. Our commitment to this has been recognised nationally, with the project shortlisted at the Football Business Awards.
We were delighted to recently announce an exciting partnership with Radisson Hotel Group to deliver our 180-room hotel, a major milestone for the stadium development. To be able to attract a partner of this calibre is an incredible endorsement of what we are trying to achieve and demonstrates the strength of our proposals.
None of this happens without planning approval.
A vocal proponent of the project is MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, who delivered an impassioned speech in recent weeks. Her words in the Houses of Parliament were clear: “Oxford United must be able to move out of the Kassam Stadium,” and the new stadium “must go forward”.
We need more though. We need every supporter, every stakeholder, and every voice to get behind this project. Oxford United’s future depends on it.
The Women’s team, led by Sam Rose, has also made significant strides and their progress this season has been fantastic to witness. This is evident in Tuesday’s announcement which saw Sam win the FAWNL Premier Division Manager of the Month award following an undefeated February. We are committed to establishing Oxford United Women as a force at Championship level and will be unveiling further exciting plans in the coming months.
Our Academy also continues to shine, with the Under-18s currently top of the league and on a remarkable 11-game winning streak, showcasing the depth of talent coming through our ranks.
Oxford United are about more than just what happens on the pitch. I’m proud to say the new stadium’s nomination for a Football Business Award is just one of four the Club have received, with our outstanding suicide prevention campaign, Can We Talk?, put forward in three categories. Alongside Will Vaulks, our Media & Marketing team are doing some incredible and powerful work to tackle a subject of the utmost importance. The next step in this work has already begun, with Baton of Hope providing in-person suicide prevention training to our players and staff which will, ultimately, save lives.
Our Community programme, led by Oxford United in the Community, continues to expand, supporting refugees, disability groups, and young people across Oxfordshire. The work being done by CEO Matt Everett and his team is truly transformational. As a Trustee, I was proud to play a small part at an outstanding night last month as the charity presented its first annual impact report. The results from 2023/24 are outstanding, highlighting the fact the Community team have delivered more than 2,378 hours of programmes, all with just eight full-time employees. They are making an enormous difference, and we will continue to support as much as possible.
Progress is everywhere. From staffing improvements to new initiatives like the Oxford United running club - we continue to push forward. Since I arrived in late 2022, this Club has evolved and developed, from facilities and structures , to our people, and the results speak for themselves.
Our goal is simple: to make Oxford United stronger every single day. Whatever happens on the pitch between now and the end of the season, we are building a Club which can thrive for years to come.
To each and every one of you, thank you all for your continued support. We have a lot of work left to do this season, and success is only possible if we all work together.
Yours,
Tim
CEO, Oxford United
