Kassam Stadium
Encyclopedia
The Kassam Stadium is the home of Oxford United Football Club
, and is named after the ground's owner, and former chairman of the club, Firoz Kassam
.
To date, the Kassam Stadium has staged nothing higher than fourth-tier league football, as 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. Oxford United's old home, the Manor Ground, had staged top-flight football for three seasons during the 1980s and had even seen the League Cup
in its boardroom.
area of the city, by the end of the decade.
The building of the Kassam Stadium commenced in the summer of 1996 by Taylor Woodrow
, but construction ceased in December 1997 after financial problems meant the contractors weren't paid. The stadium was originally known by its location, Minchery Farm. At this time, United's chairman was Robin Herd
, and the club's chief executive was Keith Cox.
Ongoing money problems meant that no further work was done on the site until February 2000. This followed Firoz Kassam's purchase of the club in April 1999, and then many legal problems involving Oxford City Council
, Nick Pentith, Thames Water
, Morrells of Oxford, and local landowner Les Wells. By this time, the contractors had changed to Birse Construction, with Taylor Woodrow having had their debt settled by a Company Voluntary Arrangement
, by which Firoz Kassam reduced most of the football club's unsecured debt by 90 per cent.
Oxford's fortunes on the pitch changed dramatically during this period of financial uncertainty, hardly helped by having to sell some of their best players in order to stay afloat. After winning promotion to Division One in 1996, they secured two mid table finishes before being relegated back to Division Two in 1999 and falling into Division Three for two years later - meaning that they would be a bottom division club in the 2001-02 season
for the first time in more than 30 years.
The stadium is officially owned by one of Kassam's Firoka Group companies, and hosted its first game on 4 August 2001. The game was a friendly match against Crystal Palace
, which Oxford won on penalties following a 1-1 draw, and Paul Powell
scored the club's first goal at the ground. The first competitive match at the ground took place one week later, on 11 August, against Rochdale
, in the Football League Third Division
(now Football League Two
). United lost this match 2-1 in front of a crowd of 7,842 people; Jamie Brooks scored for Oxford. Since then, the ground has hosted rugby union
games, as well as an under-17 International football
tournament in 2002.
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. Despite the unofficial renaming of the stadium, it seems most fans and local press still refer to the home ground as the Kassam Stadium.
On 25 October 2007, it was reported by BBC South
News during a lunchtime bulletin that Oxford United Football Club had submitted a bid to the former club owner Firoz Kassam
to buy the Kassam Stadium on the morning of the 25th. It is understood that the asking price of £13m has been met. This story was only run once during the lunchtime bulletin, and there has been no official statement from the club.
At the 2008 Annual general meeting
club chairman Nick Merry
said "The price is agreed for the stadium at £13 million. That is not negotiable but the valuation of the stadium is some way short of that so funding that deficit needs to make commercial sense. We are not prepared to put the future of Oxford United at risk. Any deal has to make sense for both the short term and long term future of this club."
. It beat the previous record of 12,177 for a 3-0 League Cup
defeat by Aston Villa
on 6 November 2002. During the summer of 2006, Oxford United hosted Manchester United in a friendly game that attracted 11,463 people, and on Boxing Day, 2006, the ground held a Blue Square Premier record attendance of 11,065 for the 0-0 draw against Woking
. This was surpassed during the Blue Square Premier play-off 2nd leg on 3 May 2010, where the attendance was 11,963 for the visit of Rushden & Diamonds.
On 24 July 2006, Sir Elton John played a concert to a sold-out 17,500 crowd.
In 2006-07
, when Oxford led the Conference National
for most of the season before being overhauled by Dagenham & Redbridge
and then being eliminated from the playoffs by Exeter City, the average attendance at the Kassam Stadium was 6,332. However, with Oxford's worse form in 2007-08
(combined with the beginning of the credit crunch
around the turn of 2008) the average attendance slumped sharply to 4,728. Despite Oxford once again finishing mid table in 2008-09 and the credit crunch deepening into a severe recession, attendances rose marginally and the average attendance of that campaign was 4,879. Promotion back to the Football League was achieved via the playoffs in 2009-10, during which Oxford's average attendance enjoyed a dramatic rise and narrowly exceeded the 6,000 mark.
A distinctive feature of the stadium is a reflective glass panelling
that makes up the main entrance. Sections of the panelling have been subject to vandalism
.
The stadium offerers a number of conference rooms
to host corporate and non corporate events. The stadium's South Stand is host to 28 private hospitality boxes
with each box capable of holding up to 20 people. The boxes are generally used during Oxford United's home games and there are many advantages including half time
tea
and biscuits .
The ground currently consists of three stands.
In March 2008 a bronze statue of an ox
was erected outside the stadium. The unveiling was attended by the boardroom staff and a few fans. The club released a statement saying the reason for the unveiling not being more publicised was because of health and safety concerns if the unveiling took place on a match day. The statue was vandalised
in January 2011 with it being completely covered in bright pink paint.
and other attractions but a nearby overflow car park is ready to compensate for busier times.
The Oxford Bus Company
offer special matchday buses to and from the stadium at selected points around the city at various times before and after kick-off .
that the stadium would be used under emergency powers which exist under contingency plans for the partial evacuation of London. The stadium provided accommodation for those having to be evacuated from Abingdon
during floods in 2007. Each year the stadium plays host to the Oxfordshire Senior Cup
final run by the Oxfordshire Football Association.
The stadium has also hosted Rugby Union
matches, an Under-17 international football
tournament and an Elton John
music concert.
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
, and is named after the ground's owner, and former chairman of the club, Firoz Kassam
Firoz Kassam
Firoz Kassam is a Tanzanian-born, businessman. He is the former owner of Oxford United F.C.He was born in Tanzania ofPakistani parents and came to Britain as a student during the 1970s....
.
To date, the Kassam Stadium has staged nothing higher than fourth-tier league football, as Oxford were relegated to Division Three the season before the new stadium was built and were further relegated to the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
in 2005–06. Oxford United's old home, the Manor Ground, had staged top-flight football for three seasons during the 1980s and had even seen the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in its boardroom.
Construction
On 7 June 1995, directors of Oxford United Football Club announced that the cramped and outdated Manor Ground would be replaced by a new 16,000-seat stadium, situated in the Blackbird LeysBlackbird Leys
Blackbird Leys is a civil parish and ward in Oxford, England, and is one of the largest council estates in Europe. According to the 2001 census, the ward had a population of 5,803. Unlike most parts of the City of Oxford, the area has a civil parish. The parish was created in 1990. Its 2001 parish...
area of the city, by the end of the decade.
The building of the Kassam Stadium commenced in the summer of 1996 by Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow was one of the largest British housebuilding and general construction companies. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with rival George Wimpey to create Taylor Wimpey on 3 July 2007.-Early years:Frank Taylor was...
, but construction ceased in December 1997 after financial problems meant the contractors weren't paid. The stadium was originally known by its location, Minchery Farm. At this time, United's chairman was Robin Herd
Robin Herd
Robin Herd is an English engineer, designer and businessman.Herd graduated from St Peter's College, Oxford with a double first in physics and engineering, before joining the Royal Aircraft Establishment in 1961 as a design engineer on the Concorde supersonic aircraft project...
, and the club's chief executive was Keith Cox.
Ongoing money problems meant that no further work was done on the site until February 2000. This followed Firoz Kassam's purchase of the club in April 1999, and then many legal problems involving Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
The Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
, Nick Pentith, Thames Water
Thames Water
Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is the private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in large parts of Greater London, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Kent, and some other areas of in the United Kingdom...
, Morrells of Oxford, and local landowner Les Wells. By this time, the contractors had changed to Birse Construction, with Taylor Woodrow having had their debt settled by a Company Voluntary Arrangement
Administration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
, by which Firoz Kassam reduced most of the football club's unsecured debt by 90 per cent.
Oxford's fortunes on the pitch changed dramatically during this period of financial uncertainty, hardly helped by having to sell some of their best players in order to stay afloat. After winning promotion to Division One in 1996, they secured two mid table finishes before being relegated back to Division Two in 1999 and falling into Division Three for two years later - meaning that they would be a bottom division club in the 2001-02 season
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
for the first time in more than 30 years.
Opening and recent history
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, which Oxford won on penalties following a 1-1 draw, and Paul Powell
Paul Powell (footballer)
Paul Powell is a professional footballer, currently playing for Didcot Town in the Southern Football League Premier Division. He plays as a midfielder.-External links:...
scored the club's first goal at the ground. The first competitive match at the ground took place one week later, on 11 August, against Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
, in the Football League Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
(now Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
). United lost this match 2-1 in front of a crowd of 7,842 people; Jamie Brooks scored for Oxford. Since then, the ground has hosted rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
games, as well as an under-17 International football
International football
International football generally refers to association football matches between representative national teams carried out under the regulation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
tournament in 2002.
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. Despite the unofficial renaming of the stadium, it seems most fans and local press still refer to the home ground as the Kassam Stadium.
BBC South
BBC South is the BBC English Region serving West Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, western Berkshire, Oxfordshire, south east Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.-Television:...
News during a lunchtime bulletin that Oxford United Football Club had submitted a bid to the former club owner Firoz Kassam
Firoz Kassam
Firoz Kassam is a Tanzanian-born, businessman. He is the former owner of Oxford United F.C.He was born in Tanzania ofPakistani parents and came to Britain as a student during the 1970s....
to buy the Kassam Stadium on the morning of the 25th. It is understood that the asking price of £13m has been met. This story was only run once during the lunchtime bulletin, and there has been no official statement from the club.
At the 2008 Annual general meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
club chairman Nick Merry
Nick Merry
Nicholas "Nick" Merry is a British businessman who made his money in the United States running a now defunct Florida-based dental biotechnology company called MicroDenteX as well as investment in gemstones in Guinea....
said "The price is agreed for the stadium at £13 million. That is not negotiable but the valuation of the stadium is some way short of that so funding that deficit needs to make commercial sense. We are not prepared to put the future of Oxford United at risk. Any deal has to make sense for both the short term and long term future of this club."
Records
The attendance record at the Kassam Stadium is 12,243. This was for Oxford's final match of the 2005-06 League Two season, a 3-2 defeat by Leyton OrientLeyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
. It beat the previous record of 12,177 for a 3-0 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
defeat by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
on 6 November 2002. During the summer of 2006, Oxford United hosted Manchester United in a friendly game that attracted 11,463 people, and on Boxing Day, 2006, the ground held a Blue Square Premier record attendance of 11,065 for the 0-0 draw against Woking
Woking F.C.
Woking Football Club is a football club from in Woking, Surrey, England, formed in 1889. They are playing in the Conference South in the 2011–12 season. For the 2011/2012 season, Woking are sharing their ground with Conference National club Hayes & Yeading United.-Promotion to the...
. This was surpassed during the Blue Square Premier play-off 2nd leg on 3 May 2010, where the attendance was 11,963 for the visit of Rushden & Diamonds.
On 24 July 2006, Sir Elton John played a concert to a sold-out 17,500 crowd.
In 2006-07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
, when Oxford led the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
for most of the season before being overhauled by Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham...
and then being eliminated from the playoffs by Exeter City, the average attendance at the Kassam Stadium was 6,332. However, with Oxford's worse form in 2007-08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
(combined with the beginning of the credit crunch
Credit crunch
A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates...
around the turn of 2008) the average attendance slumped sharply to 4,728. Despite Oxford once again finishing mid table in 2008-09 and the credit crunch deepening into a severe recession, attendances rose marginally and the average attendance of that campaign was 4,879. Promotion back to the Football League was achieved via the playoffs in 2009-10, during which Oxford's average attendance enjoyed a dramatic rise and narrowly exceeded the 6,000 mark.
Structure and facilities
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
that makes up the main entrance. Sections of the panelling have been subject to vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
.
The stadium offerers a number of conference rooms
Conference hall
A conference hall or conference room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even hospitals, have one. Sometimes other rooms are modified for large...
to host corporate and non corporate events. The stadium's South Stand is host to 28 private hospitality boxes
Luxury box
A Luxury box is a special seating section located within stadiums, arenas and other sporting and entertainment venues. They are typically located in the midsection of a stadium grandstand, usually providing the best views of the event...
with each box capable of holding up to 20 people. The boxes are generally used during Oxford United's home games and there are many advantages including half time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and biscuits .
The ground currently consists of three stands.
- The North Stand (also known as the Manor HospitalAcland HospitalThe Acland Hospital was a private nursing home and hospital in central North Oxford, England, located in a prominent position at the southern end of the Banbury Road.-1878-1903:It was founded in memory of Sarah Acland The Acland Hospital (also previously known as the Acland Nursing Home, Acland...
Stand) is divided for use by both home and away supporters and has a capacity of 5,026. - The East Stand (formerly sponsored by the Oxford MailOxford MailOxford Mail is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid The Oxford Times.-History:...
newspaper, and still commonly known as the Oxford Mail stand) is home to the more vocal home supporters and can hold 2,879 spectators. - The South Stand (currently without a sponsor) is the main structure of the stadium, housing the Quadrangle conference centre, the Exhibition Bar, the club offices and changing rooms, and a row of 28 glass-fronted executive boxes. The South Stand is divided into two tiers, with the lower tier including the ground's Family Section. It has a total capacity of 4,495.
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
was erected outside the stadium. The unveiling was attended by the boardroom staff and a few fans. The club released a statement saying the reason for the unveiling not being more publicised was because of health and safety concerns if the unveiling took place on a match day. The statue was vandalised
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
in January 2011 with it being completely covered in bright pink paint.
Transport
The car park at the stadium is limited as it is shared with the local Vue cinemaVue (cinema)
Vue Entertainment , formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats, including the rebranded...
and other attractions but a nearby overflow car park is ready to compensate for busier times.
The Oxford Bus Company
Oxford Bus Company
Oxford Bus Company is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England and is the trading name of City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. It is now a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group...
offer special matchday buses to and from the stadium at selected points around the city at various times before and after kick-off .
Other uses
John Kelly, County Emergency Planning Officer for Oxfordshire, confirmed in an interview with BBC News 24BBC News 24
BBC News is the BBC's 24-hour rolling news television network in the United Kingdom. The channel launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 17:30 as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic television channels, becoming the first competitor to Sky News, which had been running since 1989...
that the stadium would be used under emergency powers which exist under contingency plans for the partial evacuation of London. The stadium provided accommodation for those having to be evacuated from Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
during floods in 2007. Each year the stadium plays host to the Oxfordshire Senior Cup
Oxfordshire Senior Cup
The Oxfordshire Senior Cup is the senior county cup of the Oxfordshire Football Association. The 2009-10 winners were Oxford United who defeated Banbury 3-1 in the final...
final run by the Oxfordshire Football Association.
The stadium has also hosted Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
matches, an Under-17 international football
International football
International football generally refers to association football matches between representative national teams carried out under the regulation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association...
tournament and an Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
music concert.