Oxford United has been given approval to start negotiations over the lease of land for the building of a new football stadium. Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to begin talks with Oxford United on ‘The Triangle’.

Ups and downs at Kassam Stadium

Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United Football Club, and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam. The venue currently hosts League One games although Oxford were relegated to Division Three the season before the new stadium was built and were further relegated to the Conference National in 2005–06 season. The club was previously based at The Manor Ground from 1925 until the opening of the Kassam Stadium in 2001.

In March 2006, the Oxford United Supporters' Trust unofficially renamed the ground "The United Stadium". They urged everyone to use this name, which they claimed signified the crisis at the club, with the Chairman failing to choose the right option to take the club forward, and which also symbolised the unity of the fans. The locals are very committed to the club but lots of them stay home and support the team online. The entertainment is provided to them also thanks to live casino not in GamStop.

© footballgroundz.co.uk

What does the new project involve?

Now the club is planning to build a new stadium with a capacity of 18,000 on ‘The Triangle', that is a site on greenbelt land, south of Kidlington Roundabout. Council officers will now be able to begin talks on “outline commercial and legal terms.” Environmental concerns are also a very important part of a project with the club keen to implement state-of-the-art methods to reduce the impact of the development and make the ground carbon neutral. These potential features involve an energy capture centre, like at the Emirates Stadium, and rooftop and vertical gardens like at Wimbledon.

The final proposal will be subject to a detailed feasibility study, but the club hopes to have a fan zone, boutique business hotel, and community sports facilities. Moreover, a new stadium would allow the club to potentially host community events, like disability sports and Christmas markets, unlike at Kassam Stadium, where Oxford United has no control.

Oxford United is the only professional sports club in Oxfordshire, and has over 250,000 registered fans. The club estimates that a new stadium would add 800 jobs to the local economy, in addition to the £10m it already contributes through its economic and social impact.

© footballgroundz.co.uk