Potential New Ground

[Whingit]

As fun as this thread and the other one are, the entertainment would be unreal if SAFC's PR officer would pop back to give his superior opinion.

 

[Foley]

If that's the case he should be more willing to sell at a fair price although I'm not sure how he can have taken all the profits without disposing of the assets to crystallize a book gain.

He has made all of the profits out of the site.
He has built what 2 hotels plus the leisure complex. None of the profits have at any stage gone to OUFC.
The current board seem to be implying what they want.
That is not paying over the odds for a stadium that will cost £ms to get up to scratch.

 

[yellowbow]

If that's the case he should be more willing to sell at a fair price although I'm not sure how he can have taken all the profits without disposing of the assets to crystallize a book gain.

This is FK we’re talking about. I think you might be confusing him with someone else..?

 

[Yellow River]

I’ve often wondered how the local councils view the football club?


Do they view the club differently now the lease is running down. Are they now more sympathetic to the clubs situation, particularly in relation in its attempt to being more sustainable?

Do they suddenly view the club in a different light with success on the field?

What is it worth to the local economy to have a successful local club playing at a high level.

How would they react if the club and Kassam fell out big time, with the lease running down and serious noises about leaving the county started to resurface?

Please note I’m definitely not ITK, just thinking aloud!

 

[battman]

I’ve often wondered how the local councils view the football club?


Do they view the club differently now the lease is running down. Are they now more sympathetic to the clubs situation, particularly in relation in its attempt to being more sustainable?

Do they suddenly view the club in a different light with success on the field?

What is it worth to the local economy to have a successful local club playing at a high level.

How would they react if the club and Kassam fell out big time, with the lease running down and serious noises about leaving the county started to resurface?

Please note I’m definitely not ITK, just thinking aloud!

Call me a cynic, but it seems like the council cares now that we're a third-tier club instead of a fifth, and that we're regularly playing the likes of Man City, West Ham, Newcastle and Swansea and creating national headlines by beating those teams or running them close.

 

[Yellow River]

Call me a cynic, but it seems like the council cares now that we're a third-tier club instead of a fifth, and that we're regularly playing the likes of Man City, West Ham, Newcastle and Swansea and creating national headlines by beating those teams or running them close.

I don’t doubt that, but it’s how the club takes advantage of that situation that’s important.

 

[AbbeyOx]

wonder if there's room for a stadium etc in this new north Oxford development announced today?

 

[Malc]

wonder if there's room for a stadium etc in this new north Oxford development announced today?

Have got a link for us exiles?

 

[AbbeyOx]

Oxford North: Major new housing scheme given the go-ahead

A MAJOR development will be built in the northwest of Oxford despite concerns about traffic and affordable housing.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk

 

[Itsthehopethatkillsyou]

Does anyone like the idea of filling in the corners with flats? - it has been mentioned a few times on this thread, it sounds awful to me.... Unless I lived in one of the flats with a window overlooking the pitch (though be warned: I do like to wander about in the buff which might put you off your half time hot dog ?)

 

[Itsthehopethatkillsyou]

(or cocktail sausages for the executive box crew)

 

[yellowbow]

Looking at the information that’s being released on the Oxford North Complex, it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part, but it’s impossible for me to imagine the club hasn’t at least looked into the potential opportunities it’s thrown up. The possibilities of available land, location and timing must all be a massive factor.

 

[Shaun Rice]

Oxford North: Major new housing scheme given the go-ahead

A MAJOR development will be built in the northwest of Oxford despite concerns about traffic and affordable housing.

www.oxfordmail.co.uk

houses houses houses = people people people. In one of the worst areas in the country for leisure. Bristol wave, Snowasis in Swindon, coral reef in Bracknell. Blimey even the old oasis centre is better then anything we have in Oxford! We don’t even have a pool with a diving board let alone some decent slides. Trampoline park anyone? Skate park, BMX track, cycle trails? Oxford might be a nice city with all its old buildings and uni history to attract nearly six million visitors a year but for leisure it’s a s**t hole!
I would love to see a stadium with all kinds of great leisure facilities. making money for OUFC and oxford far more exciting.

 

[MJB]

houses houses houses = people people people. In one of the worst areas in the country for leisure. Bristol wave, Snowasis in Swindon, coral reef in Bracknell. Blimey even the old oasis centre is better then anything we have in Oxford! We don’t even have a pool with a diving board let alone some decent slides. Trampoline park anyone? Skate park, BMX track, cycle trails? Oxford might be a nice city with all its old buildings and uni history to attract nearly six million visitors a year but for leisure it’s a s**t hole!
I would love to see a stadium with all kinds of great leisure facilities. making money for OUFC and oxford far more exciting.

Indeed. And I have always assumed that it is this element which the council(s) are most attracted to via our heavy hitting Board members. Once a generation opportunity up for grabs you feel...

 

[werthersoriginal]

houses houses houses = people people people. In one of the worst areas in the country for leisure. Bristol wave, Snowasis in Swindon, coral reef in Bracknell. Blimey even the old oasis centre is better then anything we have in Oxford! We don’t even have a pool with a diving board let alone some decent slides. Trampoline park anyone? Skate park, BMX track, cycle trails? Oxford might be a nice city with all its old buildings and uni history to attract nearly six million visitors a year but for leisure it’s a s**t hole!
I would love to see a stadium with all kinds of great leisure facilities. making money for OUFC and oxford far more exciting.

That’s funny, I’d never think of doing any of those things, but they’d be good for kids. They take up a lot of space so would work well in an out of town development

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

Can see us having to ground share with someone like Coventry are presently when the lease runs out.

 

[Foley]

Can see us having to ground share with someone like Coventry are presently when the lease runs out.

Er no.
We can simply renew the licence on the same terms for the following 25 years so why would we ground share?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Because (AFAIK) if we sign up then it's for the full 25 years.

The only way of avoiding that is to either build a new stadium and either move before that or to play elsewhere if there is maybe a year where the new place isn't ready. Of course we *could* try to renegotiate with Uncle Firoz to have some sort of rolling contract, but I have a sneaking feeling that would not be cheaper than the current deal! That's presuming that a new stadium is actually in the offing and that we don't buy 'Grenoble Road' . If it isn't we may indeed have absolutely no choice but to sign up for another 25 years of this untenable situation.

 

[Foley]

Because (AFAIK) if we sign up then it's for the full 25 years.

The only way of avoiding that is to either build a new stadium and either move before that or to play elsewhere if there is maybe a year where the new place isn't ready. Of course we *could* try to renegotiate with Uncle Firoz to have some sort of rolling contract, but I have a sneaking feeling that would not be cheaper than the current deal! That's presuming that a new stadium is actually in the offing and that we don't buy 'Grenoble Road' . If it isn't we may indeed have absolutely no choice but to sign up for another 25 years of this untenable situation.

Yes in theory that is my understanding.
I suspect however that if the club signed up for another 25 years, then Kassam would let the club get out of the licence if they wished to do so as the land is potentially worth a lot more to him as land for housing.
Didnt Jem/ Colin suggest when Oxvox were looking at the Community ground option that Kassam may have been prepared to pay the club to leave?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I suspect however that if the club signed up for another 25 years, then Kassam would let the club get out of the licence if they wished to do so as the land is potentially worth a lot more to him as land for housing.

As the guardian of the club I am sure he would be delighted to do that. Or (once we were building a new stadium and were committed) he might feel he has us and more specifically the investors over a barrel and try to get some sort of compensation for the lost 24 years of earnings if we left. But he'd never do that. Would he?
I don't trust the man to do right by the club if he can possibly avoid it. A clean break in 5/6 years time is the easiest (we can just walk away) but could a new stadium be approved and build in that timescale?