EFL Championship club set to build new 16,000 seater stadium | OneFootball

The plans for the construction of Oxford United's new 16,000-capacity ground have been approved

Oxford United are facing an uphill task to remain in the Championship this season, as the Yellows sit six points adrift of safety and are winless in their last six league games.

It's no secret that Matt Bloomfield's side have been a small fish in a big pond over the last 18 months since they were promoted out of League One, with one of the smaller budgets in the league being heavily impacted by the fact that they currently don't own their ground, the Kassam Stadium.

Many feel that Oxford will be unable to progress further as a club until the new ground is built, and the extension of their lease in the most recent off-season was a cause of frustration among those connected with the club.

However, there has been significant progress in the building of the new 16,000-capacity ground throughout the current campaign. After the government granted planning permission in October, those plans were formally approved on Thursday evening.

Oxford United receive formal approval for new 16,000-capacity stadium

The BBC have revealed that Oxford have signed a legal agreement and plans have now been formally approved for the construction of their new ground, situated at the Triangle, close to the Oxford Parkway train station.

The Yellows have been playing at the Kassam Stadium since 2001, and are most definitely looking forward to owning their own ground, as it results in not only a more modernised stadium with a bigger capacity, but also an opportunity to improve the lifestyle in the city.

As chairman, Grant Ferguson said, it's a "once-in-a-generation opportunity."

"While important steps remain, this milestone gives us the platform to move forward with confidence as we focus on the next stages of this once-in-a-generation opportunity," he said.

The new stadium is said to include a 180-bed hotel, a restaurant, a conference centre and a community plaza.

It also opens up opportunities to improve infrastructure and transport links around the area, too, with at least £5.1 million set to be paid by the club towards major projects, including £1.05 million on improvements at Oxford Parkway station, £930,000 on the reopening of the Cowley Branch Line and £720,000 for bus improvements near the new stadium, too.

Evidently, this update in the construction of the new ground won't just improve the future of the football club, but the whole city, too.

New stadium planning updates will give Oxford United boost towards end of the season

Ideally, Oxford will still be a Championship club once this new stadium is built, allowing for the extra revenue that will come from it to help them improve and further establish themselves in the second tier.

Unfortunately, as things on the pitch are going, that may not be a reality, as Matt Bloomfield has struggled to get much of a tune out of his side since replacing Gary Rowett in the Kassam dugout back in January, winning one of his 10 games.

This coming weekend provides a massive opportunity to pull themselves closer to safety, as they take on a managerless West Brom side, sitting just six points ahead of them in 21st.

And, with the good news surrounding the advancement of their new stadium plans, that may be the boost needed to help churn out some positive results on the field to try and remain in the second tier when those plans come further into fruition.