KARL Robinson says Oxford United’s training ground revamp is part of the ambition to become one of the top 30 clubs in England.
Oxford Sports Park is undergoing an extensive refurbishment ahead of the start of the 2022/23 Sky Bet League One campaign.
U’s players will return for pre-season to find multiple upgrades including three new pitches, a refurbished gym and changes to the first-team dressing rooms.
READ MORE: Oxford United to go abroad for pre-season training camp
It is just four years since United moved to the site from Roman Way, while they only took over the lease in 2019.
But Robinson is keen to move forward as the U’s work towards their goal of becoming a stable Sky Bet Championship club.
United’s head coach said: “Five key areas will change: The dressing rooms, the medical room, the gym, the breakout room upstairs and the pitches.
“We’ve got three beautiful new pitches, two of them have the pop-up sprinklers and the irrigation put in place as well.
“On top of all of that, the general look of the building has to improve.
“We have to make sure we look and act as if we’re a top-30 football club, even though we’re not there yet.
“The players have to understand that part of that is buying into the culture that we set.”
Robinson first publicly mentioned United’s goal to be one of the top 30 teams in England last March, amid reported interest from Birmingham City.
READ MORE: Karl Robinson wants Oxford United to be a 'top-30 club'
Days later, news emerged that some of the club’s investors, including director Anindya Bakrie and former board member Erick Thohir, wanted to secure the majority stake in the U’s.
At this point they remain prospective owners, although there is hope the deal will be completed in the coming weeks.
The ‘new’ ownership group is already heavily involved in the running of the club and Robinson has spoken several times about their financial clout, with the training ground revamp the latest example.
READ MORE: Karl Robinson calls for patience over Oxford United ownership
In addition to the tangible improvements, United’s head coach wants the upgrades to show the ‘culture’ of the club.
And Robinson explained this extends to the finer details.
He said: “We’ve changed the players’ dressing room considerably.
“We’ve changed the colour scheme – the detail that goes in to the walls, how prominent the yellow can be.
“We’re bringing people in to talk about what is a culture and trying to embed a formula to the building.
“What are the beliefs of the fans? What are the beliefs of ex-players? What are the cultural differences of yesteryear to today and how can we ingrain these motives to make sure this football club’s successful?"
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