As many of you begin preparing for Christmas, the Club are about to enter one of our busiest periods of the season. The festive schedule is something we all look forward to, but it’s also a really demanding time for players, staff, and supporters alike.
Despite the division being more competitive than ever, I believe we are better equipped than last year to cope with the demands of the Championship. The league has only gotten stronger, with significant spending at the top end and improved depth across all clubs. It is an unforgiving division, and we’ll continue to work to ensure we can compete both on and off the pitch.
Gary Rowett has been with us for almost a year now and we feel we have improved as a team over these 12 months. We would all like to be higher in the table than at the point of writing, but the result against Ipswich showed what we are capable of, and Gary’s leadership is producing positive signs at an important stage.
Our aim remains the same: to become a stable, sustainable Championship club. Shortly, we will enter the January transfer window, and we have a very clearly defined plan as to how we’ll approach it. I have regular discussions with Ed Waldron, his recruitment team, and Gary, and we are aligned on what is required and how best to strengthen the squad for the second half of the season and beyond.
Our Women’s Team has undergone change, with Liam Gilbert returning as Head Coach. I’d like to welcome him back and to place on record my thanks to Sam Rose for his contribution over the last two years, particularly in professionalising the programme as we work toward becoming a WSL 2 side. Investment in our Women’s programme is at its highest level, and we believe the group is well positioned for longer term success. Liam has already had a positive impact on results, and we wish him all the best as we move forward.
The Under-21 side has made an encouraging start to its first season in the Central League, and the Academy continues to perform well across all our age groups. Our Under-18s have an FA Youth Cup third round match at the Kassam Stadium on Wednesday 17 December, and it would be great if you could come along to support them. Early exposure to First Team environments is important in their development, and this fixture is a good opportunity to play in front of a big home crowd.
Off the pitch, work on the new stadium has continued at pace. Following the positive planning decision, we should shortly conclude the Section 106 agreement which will allow us to on move to the next stage and closer to starting construction. After five years overseeing the project, Jonathon Clarke recently left the Club and we’re in the final stages of confirming his replacement. We all know how important the new stadium is to the future of this Football Club, and we’ll continue to update you as we progress.
As you will have seen, Erick Thohir significantly increased his controlling interest in the Club, a move which saw Horst Geicke step down as Director. Erick’s support of the Club has been crucial to being where we are today and his guidance, passion and commitment will continue to drive us forward.
Oxford United is so much more than just a football club, and nothing embodies that better than the work we’ve been doing around suicide prevention and mental health. Our Can We Talk? campaign continues to grow, with a commitment to delivering workshops in schools across Oxfordshire, along with the rollout of a mental wellbeing app for staff. This was recently followed by the news that Will Vaulks received the FIFPRO Player Voice Award for leading on this initiative, and we could not be prouder of the impact he is having and how he’s using his platform to tackle such an important subject. We will continue to work with the Joey Beauchamp Foundation, Baton of Hope, and others to push this important message forward.
Another part of our Club delivering meaningful work across Oxfordshire is Oxford United in the Community, with the launch of their new Match Fit programme and ongoing engagement in schools, prisons, and with young people.
I recently had the pleasure of attending the very first meeting of the new Fan Advisory Board. The establishment of this Board is an important milestone in our commitment to developing stronger supporter engagement, and we’re already seeing the benefits of having a structure like this in place.
The support you have shown the team this season both at home and away has been exceptional, and it will be vital as we head into the second half of the season. There will be more ups and downs, but that level we reached against Ipswich Town must become our benchmark in terms of the effort from the team and the atmosphere you generated.
To achieve our goals this season, we must do it together. There will be difficult moments, but unity gives us the best chance of turning tight matches in our favour. For those 90 minutes, collective focus matters.
We will continue to push standards across every area of the Club. We are committed to steady, continual improvement, and to being relentless in working to make Oxford United the best it can be. With your backing, we can deliver another memorable season.
As always, thank you for your continued support. I hope you and your families have a safe and enjoyable Christmas, and we look forward to your backing throughout a demanding and important run of games.
Best,
Grant
