OXFORD United chief executive Tim Williams says there will be more twists and turns during the club’s search to build a new stadium.
The U’s are hoping to create a new home at The Triangle, south of Kidlington Roundabout, with those aspirations facing an important test tomorrow.
Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet will decide whether or not to sell land to United, with the meeting coming after council officers recommended the sale.
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Despite the positive indication coming from that council report, Williams is proceeding with caution and recognises there is still a lot more work to be done.
He said: “Football is one of those sports where it’s very easy to be positive and then you can end up suffering at the last minute.
“Nothing is finished until it’s finished. Of course, everything that we have read so far is pointing in the right direction.
“What’s important for us to realise is that this is not a gift of land. This is not something bequeathed to us.
“There are conditions to this – rightly tough conditions that we must make sure are implemented. That’s why we need to make sure we listen constantly.
“There’s an awful lot of work to do, to make sure we do the right thing continually. There are many more steps to go and everyone in the club is aware of that.
“There’s an awful lot of work to do and we are ready for that work.”
Williams was one of many U’s attendees at the Houses of Parliament last week, as Anneliese Dodds, the Labour MP for Oxford East, hosted a reception on behalf of the club.
The event looked at Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch’s fan-led review of football governance and United’s own experiences.
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“What it’s allowed us to do is get our messaging across, which is not just about the new stadium,” said Williams.
“This is about something so much bigger. This is about equality, diversity and inclusion in football as well.
“There’s actually a huge amount of breaking down barriers here and what we can do is think of the new stadium as a bit of a catalyst for that.”
The fan-led review followed the collapse of Bury FC and includes 10 recommendations, including a new independent regulator for English football.
Williams said: “You look at some of the key aspects of the fan-led review and also the White Paper, which talks about heritage assets, tenure of your stadium, a club being able to have control of its revenues, and the ability to control its revenues and its own stadium.
“How can we not be the poster child for that?
“We are unfortunately the shining example of how we can be better. We are the reason why football regulation is needed.”
He added: “I’m not saying every single aspect of that White Paper is perfect. There are tweaks and things we would want to look at, but what we want to be is right in the heart of trying to advise the government.
“With the experience I’ve personally had over the years and what people in Oxford United in suffering what we’ve had to go through, there’s an awful lot we can add.
“I want to be at the forefront of that with government and the regulator themselves.”
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