A lot can change in the space of 82 days.

And as final preparations are made for our first ever fixture in the highest tier of non-league football, excitement amongst the squad, our coaching team and hard-working staff behind the scenes is truly tangible.

It was a monumental occasion on Sunday, May 14, when we were all last together as Ross and the team secured our fourth – and perhaps most significant – promotion since the turn of millennium.

This is a new era for Oxford City FC and represents a fantastic opportunity for everyone to establish this great club at National League level.

As ever, the noise and encouragement from the terraces will play a critical role in fulfilling this ambition and we invite everyone with open arms to be part of this journey we as a club are relishing.

As is the case with any promotion, there are challenges both on and off the pitch to address.

A key area of focus for the team this summer has been working towards ensuring the RAW Charging Stadium operates to Football League standard by March 31, 2024.

This requires several small changes which will enhance supporters’ matchday experience and safety while retaining the key elements of our operation you will have become accustomed to during our time in National League South.

One noticeable change when we host Rochdale for our first home game of the season will be the pitch. The team at CCGrass – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of artificial grass – are responsible for installing the new pitch which will be ready in time for the Dale’s visit.

Crucially, the FIFA quality pro pitch will not only benefit our first team but also our junior and youth setup managed by Ignite Sport, our female playing squads and students studying with Velocity Football.

This multi-faceted seven-day-a-week operation is something we are extremely proud of and an aspect of the football club we want to take from strength-to-strength in seasons to come at a time where access to sport has never been more important.

Another new aspect to our home fixtures this season will be supporter segregation.

Again, this is a requirement for all National League clubs and we’re in the process of developing a new stand in our home end with increased seating capacity which will be ready in time for Boreham Wood’s visit on August 28.

We also have a new agreement in place with New Marston Primary School to provide additional parking space for matchdays to make supporters’ journeys to and from the stadium as smooth and safe as possible.

On the pitch, we’ve been pleased to retain so many players who made key contributions to our 2022-23 promotion winning campaign while adding a couple of new faces to strengthen our core squad.

The recruitment process is ongoing and be assured we are constantly looking to improve the squad we have by identifying players we believe can add to our already established qualities.

Personally, it’s been equally pleasing to see the great strides made to improve our female football provisions.

As Aliyah Anthony – our new Head of Women’s Football – alluded to earlier this week, we have increased playing provisions in our youth squads and made several key changes to enhance players’ development from foundation level upwards.

It’s exciting to witness this growth to the women’s game locally which alongside our other community and youth provisions makes for a well-rounded programme of activity where everyone can feel connected to the club badge.

Eighty-two days marked a real high point in our club’s great history. Now it’s up to us to carry forward the positive momentum and fulfil our new targets and ambitions.

Justin Merritt, Director of Football.