Leyton Orient board outlines new stadium plans in exciting statement of intent

The Leyton Orient board has outlined its lofty ambitions for the League One side after an impressive run of results. The Os lost against Barnsley last time out but had been unbeaten in eight since Boxing Day.

In a letter published by the club on Monday evening, the board welcomed an 'exciting time for our football club' and labelled the last six years of ownership as an 'incredible journey'. The club won the National League in 2019 and were champions of League Two in 2023.

The board's statement read: "At the time we acquired the club in June 2017, we outlined our vision to return to League One within six seasons. Last summer, we achieved that together. Without your unwavering support through the lowest of low times, our recent successes would, quite simply, not have happened. For that, we would once again like to thank you."

The board went on to label the return to League One as an aim in 2017 but 'by no means our end goal' after a conversation with supporter group representatives at a Fans Forum event on Monday night.

The statement continued: "Our new mission statement is: To grow Leyton Orient into a club that can compete sustainably at Championship level Whilst, this time, we will not put a time scale on our new objective, we are confident that we can achieve it by maximising and enhancing our existing revenue streams and by applying the same values that have served us so well since June 2017."

Leyton Orient currently sit ninth in the third division, eight points off the play-off zone, which would make any ambitions of back-to-back promotion difficult but not impossible given the side's recent form. For now, the club has outlined a 'short to medium term' goal of bringing in more investors to the club to aid progression.

The new funding is to be spent on accelerating the construction of a 'high-quality training facility', to support operations and to invest in 'capital projects' - that includes "an extensive review into whether the ambitions of the football club can be met in our current stadium".

The statement continued: "We are early in the process and we intend to update supporters on our progress. The existing board acknowledges that the potential long-term goal of a new stadium will require a level of funding beyond its current collective financial capability. However, many of our current investors are expected to participate in future rounds of investment."

Leyton Orient currently play at the Gaughan Group Stadium, which boasts a capacity of 9,271, making it the 17th largest in League One. Richie Wellens' side welcome Northampton Town to the ground on Tuesday evening.