Abingdon United are to move from the current training facilities at Chesterton, near Bicester to the Rovers Sports and Social Club in Cowley for the coming season.

The new training base has four full-sized football pitches, a club house, lounge and kitchen facilities, showers and numerous changing rooms.

The facility already houses the Abingdon United Academy. Every United team, from the first team to the Girls U9s, will now be able to train at the complex while all Youth, Girls and Ladies football teams will play their matches there.

The new training facilities on Roman Way are just a few miles from the Kassam Stadium.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas with Nigel Roberts from BMW and Richard Blackmore, Girls’ Centre of Excellence Director

Chairman Spink Wires said: “We have been training at Chesterton for the past two years and we would like to thank the Bicester Sports Association and their chairman Adam Wade for providing us with that opportunity as it worked well for us.

“However, we are really excited with the new training facilities. We already have an existing presence at the new facility with our excellent Abingdon United Academy and now we have the opportunity to take the whole club into one facility. I really feel that this relationship will flourish and it also means that this will improve the facilities for our youth department, including ADR Training and CPC Training which is very important to us as we develop that area of the club.”

The U’s will begin training at the new facility at the end of this month when the players report for pre-season.

Manager Chris Smith  said “We are looking forward to the move. The facility there is excellent and it is close to the ground. Having the whole club in one place is a major step forward for us.”

The general manager at Rover Sports and Social Club, Jenny O’Loughlin, said: “As a club we are absolutely delighted to form this partnership with Abingdon United and we look forward to having them train with us throughout the season.”