General Stadium Petition - Signatures Needed

[NC2U]

I don't think the survival of the club is in any immediate danger, but you have made a good point when you say that the investors would not want us to continue playing at a stadium that they have no control over.

If the stadium gets refused and the investors pull out, I personally think the club would be in big danger.

 

[m]

I don't think the survival of the club is in any immediate danger, but you have made a good point when you say that the investors would not want us to continue playing at a stadium that they have no control over.

I think I'm right in saying that the club has 8-figure debts, if not then high 7-digit debts. Disregarding player sales we lose over £1M PA.

The club - as is - is in no way viable without significant financial support.

 

[Wallop]

Well without a new stadium, the owners won’t hang around and our financial safety will be non existent. If we stay at the Kassam and have to renew the lease for another 25 years, what owner in there right mind is going to come in and take the club on, whilst having to pay extortionate rent for terrible facilities and practically no ways of making money, with little chamce of being able to compete with teams around us due to being hamstrung by the stadium.
I would go as far as saying without a new stadium the future of the club would be in doubt.

100% correct which is why signatures are so important @Chris1963

 

[Wallop]

I think I'm right in saying that the club has 8-figure debts, if not then high 7-digit debts. Disregarding player sales we lose over £1M PA.

The club - as is - is in no way viable without significant financial support.

All of which is owed to the current ownership and to no-one else. They have made it clear what they want to achieve in terms of a new stadium and without it, the club is in serious peril as they will very quickly consider their options..........which very likely involves investing in another club and geographical area who would like the huge investment.

Have I mentioned it's a good idea to sign the petition @Chris1963 ?

 

[Chris1963]

Have I mentioned it's a good idea to sign the petition @Chris1963 ?

Yes, I'm still considering it. I haven't dismissed it altogether. Having said that, I think the biggest hurdle may be the green lobby, rather than the number of signatures.

 

[ljs]

Yes, I'm still considering it. I haven't dismissed it altogether. Having said that, I think the biggest hurdle may be the green lobby, rather than the number of signatures.

The green lobby is a different point entirely than your original reason for not signing the petition. As plenty of others have said, the move would provide more financially stability than our current situation.

If anyone thinks differently after all the reasons given, then it's flogging a dead horse to try to get them to think otherwise.

Ps my first match attended was in the 1960s.

 

[Chris1963]

The green lobby is a different point entirely than your original reason for not signing the petition.

I wasn't saying that I support the green lobby. In fact, their argument is a weak one because there is already an existing sports ground on the proposed site at SB.

The point I was trying to make is that if the green lobby make enough noise, this may well persuade the council to ignore the petition and refuse planning permission.

It could be worse though - Greta Thunberg could have been born in Oxford rather than in Sweden!

 

[ljs]

I wasn't saying that I support the green lobby. In fact, their argument is a weak one because there is already an existing sports ground on the proposed site at SB.

The point I was trying to make is that if the green lobby make enough noise, this may well persuade the council to ignore the petition and refuse planning permission.

It could be worse though - Greta Thunberg could have been born in Oxford rather than in Sweden!

I didnt say you were.

Back to the point. You seem to think we are better off staying put than moving to Stratfield Brake. In my opinion that's madness.

 

[Wallop]

I wasn't saying that I support the green lobby. In fact, their argument is a weak one because there is already an existing sports ground on the proposed site at SB.

The point I was trying to make is that if the green lobby make enough noise, this may well persuade the council to ignore the petition and refuse planning permission.

It could be worse though - Greta Thunberg could have been born in Oxford rather than in Sweden!

Yes but the more names there are on the petition, the harder it is to ignore. Yet another good reason to sign it @Chris1963

 

[Chris1963]

Back to the point. You seem to think we are better off staying put than moving to Stratfield Brake.

No, that's not my view either. But moving to Stratfield Brake requires placing a lot of faith in the investors, and we have to hope that they are motivated by altruism, as opposed to the ulterior (business) motives that Kassam may have held when he was investing in the football club.

 

[OX14]

No, that's not my view either. But moving to Stratfield Brake requires placing a lot of faith in the investors, and we have to hope that they are motivated by altruism, as opposed to the ulterior (business) motives that Kassam may have held when he was investing in the football club.

Kassam bought the club for a £1, sold the Manor, built the stadium to a bare minimum and developed the land round the stadium for his own benefit. Then ran the club nearly to the ground, got rid of the youth and then sold the club without the stadium and been crippling us with rent for the last 15 years.

If you seriously think Thohir, bakrie and Horst are up to the same trick I would suggest you do a bit more research and see what Thohir has done for dc united and Bakrie with that Australian club..

Have some faith !

 

[DannyW]

I may be unusual but I prefer a guarantee of financial safety to success on the field. I actually started following the club during the relegation season of 1975-76 (how many other fans can say that?) rather than when they were rising through the divisions. And Stratfield Brake will in fact be a sort of homecoming for me because I grew up in nearby Yarnton! So I'm not opposed to moving there in principle, it's just that I would like to wait and see how things develop.

No, that's not my view either. But moving to Stratfield Brake requires placing a lot of faith in the investors, and we have to hope that they are motivated by altruism, as opposed to the ulterior (business) motives that Kassam may have held when he was investing in the football club.

Have you got one of those The End is Nigh boards in your garage.

 

[Malc]

@Chris1963 I am sure that our new investors want to see a profit, of course they do. But their proposal (and that's all it is) to OCC provides plenty of protection for the club, If the planning gets refused (which I do not believe) then the new directors will go away and Kassam will break us. I watched my first OUFC (HUFC) game in 1953 and been hooked ever since. But I'd rather see the club die than give that K fellow another 25 years of money for nothing.

 

[Chris1963]

I'd rather keep giving Firoz another 25 years of money than see the club die! But the bad experiences we had with Maxwell and Kassam just goes to show that you have to be cautious whenever a new investor comes along. The best solution, of course, is for the club to be fan-owned, but that's not really anything to do with the subject of this thread.

 

[ljs]

I'd rather keep giving Firoz another 25 years of money than see the club die! But the bad experiences we had with Maxwell and Kassam just goes to show that you have to be cautious whenever a new investor comes along. The best solution, of course, is for the club to be fan-owned, but that's not really anything to do with the subject of this thread.

Have you seen the responses that indicate the stadium will be tied to the club and the legal safeguards that will be put in place?

 

[OX14]

I'd rather keep giving Firoz another 25 years of money than see the club die! But the bad experiences we had with Maxwell and Kassam just goes to show that you have to be cautious whenever a new investor comes along. The best solution, of course, is for the club to be fan-owned, but that's not really anything to do with the subject of this thread.

20 more years at the kassam which is already falling apart will make the club bust.

 

[NC2U]

I'd rather keep giving Firoz another 25 years of money than see the club die! But the bad experiences we had with Maxwell and Kassam just goes to show that you have to be cautious whenever a new investor comes along. The best solution, of course, is for the club to be fan-owned, but that's not really anything to do with the subject of this thread.

But if we have to give Kassam another 25 years of money we probably die anyway, no owners are going to sign up to that. I agree we have to be cautious but without this new stadium the club would likely face some very difficult times.

 

[NorthWestOx]

I'd rather keep giving Firoz another 25 years of money than see the club die! But the bad experiences we had with Maxwell and Kassam just goes to show that you have to be cautious whenever a new investor comes along. The best solution, of course, is for the club to be fan-owned, but that's not really anything to do with the subject of this thread.

Are you sure you're an Oxford fan?
Starting to look like you're on a wind up.

We wouldn't survive another 25years if we don't move.

Yes, we need to make sure that if this goes ahead, we get a much more favourable deal, the council should ensure that as part of planning.

 

[West Oxon U’s]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1483393366431838213

 

[ljs]

A lot of people I've spoken to don't understand why we need a petition as it hasn't been refused. Normally petitions get high numbers when change is needed or a decision has been made that they dont agree with.

Better get on to them to sign it today after listening to the opinions at the OCC meeting.