General Stadium Disrepair

[OX14]

We won't be buying Grenoble Road - mark my words.

We could be, 3000 houses being built across the road and the science park getting a train station. 13.5 million to buy the stadium, another 6.5 million to upgrade it and build a 4th stand. 20 million offset for the investors that could be gained back with sponsorship, increased crowds, holding events, concessions.

Plus if we are a championship team and go with the same strategy of selling our best players to the league above, we could be asking 10 million for a player.

 

[Foley]

We could be, 3000 houses being built across the road and the science park getting a train station. 13.5 million to buy the stadium, another 6.5 million to upgrade it and build a 4th stand. 20 million offset for the investors that could be gained back with sponsorship, increased crowds, holding events, concessions.

Plus if we are a championship team and go with the same strategy of selling our best players to the league above, we could be asking 10 million for a player.

Haven't tye club said that they did look at the Kassam and have discounted it?
They are looking elsewhere from what they have said (and others itk.like Colin)

 

[OX14]

Haven't tye club said that they did look at the Kassam and have discounted it?
They are looking elsewhere from what they have said (and others itk.like Colin)

I thought the last we heard from Niall was that the kassam hasn't been ruled out nor has a new improved lease . This came from the 5 minutes fan forum last year sometime. Where he was questioned on, now the 3000 houses across the road have been granted in the local plan does this change the way the club look at the grenoble Road site.

There may well be people in the know or not but nothing concrete has come out from the board. We are still awaiting news which should of been the end of last season. While I except the pandemic has delayed this, the fact we need to sort this out before the end of the lease hasn't disappeared.

 

[Northernyellow]

Haven't tye club said that they did look at the Kassam and have discounted it?
They are looking elsewhere from what they have said (and others itk.like Colin)

The ground is a dump, and I hate going there. Much rather go to away games wherever possible. One of the many reason I hate it (apart from the fact it has the feel of a B&Q that is about to shut) is because the stadium ‘footprint’ is so awful. God knows who the architect was, but s/he did a terrible job. The stands are miles away from the pitch and the gaps between the stands? Why? Anyway, if (and it’s a big if) there is a railway station about to be built, then there is a deal to be done with the lovely Mr Kassam. We could buy the main stand, and refurbish it, then get an architect who can actually design a ground to build three new stands around it, and demolish the horrible breeze blocks. A 12,000 wrap-around all seater with a refurbished main stand would be fine. A much smaller stadium footprint, so Kassam can build more houses. And then let him have the far car park for even more houses. Brighton have almost no car parking. Because they have a train station. And so on. We all know that Kassam only has the best interests of the club at heart, and this would allow us to buy the ground at a cheaper rate, so that he can build more houses. And that way, more people will be able to visit the stadium, which will benefit his beloved Oxford United.

 

[Foley]

I thought the last we heard from Niall was that the kassam hasn't been ruled out nor has a new improved lease . This came from the 5 minutes fan forum last year sometime. Where he was questioned on, now the 3000 houses across the road have been granted in the local plan does this change the way the club look at the grenoble Road site.

There may well be people in the know or not but nothing concrete has come out from the board. We are still awaiting news which should of been the end of last season. While I except the pandemic has delayed this, the fact we need to sort this out before the end of the lease hasn't disappeared.

I think that this has been updated and the purchase of the Kassam ground has been discounted.
Somebody else may have a link?

 

[OX14]

I think that this has been updated and the purchase of the Kassam ground has been discounted.
Somebody else may have a link?

Yes if anyone has a link it will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ljs]

Be interesting to see the outcome of a poll on if we were to move to MK who would still have a season ticket, who would make the occasional game and who would only go to away games.

While I wouldn't desert the club, It would be hard to go to any home games midweek.

It would only be 15 minutes to get there for me... but would still much rather watch Oxford in Oxford.

On your last point, I still(did) go to all midweek matches in Oxford.

 

[nick68]

Just because there grounds are of a poor standard does not mean we have to put up with a sub standard ground.

As to the grounds you mentioned, I think one or two of us on here have been a few times !!

And as for over reaching to a fire , remember Bradford / Kings Coss ?

Not really sure where i said The Kassam was a sparkly perfect stadium and that we should be happy? I just referenced some other grounds in a worse state to demonstrate that whatever H&S hurdles that need to be overcome can't be too high as others are in a worse state.

As for Kings Cross and Bradford, what i was referring to was people using a fire to use as something to criticise the Stadium and/or owners. None of us know the true facts of how it started last night so to compare it to those other horrible events or speculate is a bit wrong imo.

 

[windmill]

There is nothing to suggest that we are going to be moving into a new state of the art stadium on a green field site in Oxfordshire any time soon or even before March 2026 when the current arrangement to use the present stadium, which has passed it's sell by date ,expires. Given how far and wide our fan base is spread and the fact that clubs by and large only use their stadia for matches 2/3 times a month and not at all out of season, it is surely only realistic to begin discussions with other clubs to ground share. After all, most of our club's day to day activity these days takes place at the training ground. Grenoble Road is effectively just for match days. The MK Stadium is 40 minutes from Oxford, is as state of the art as one could wish for to match our ambitions for the Championship and beyond. We have to move beyond the parochial insistence of some that the club has to play within the confines of the city. Yes, it was lovely back in the day when we could do so in the middle of Headington and be successful but if we are to survive in the 21st Century and still achieve success then we are going to have to think differently. I would expect that MK Dons would look favourably at a sharing arrangement. The cost of running a professional football club nowadays is crippling as witness the number of EFL clubs struggling financially and some going to the wall. Sharing the cost of the stadium structure makes obvious sense. I would urge the board to pursue this possible solution to a problem that is becoming increasingly urgent to solve.

If Arthur Turner can see what you are suggesting, then he WILL be turning in his grave.

 

[Wallop]

We could be, 3000 houses being built across the road and the science park getting a train station. 13.5 million to buy the stadium, another 6.5 million to upgrade it and build a 4th stand. 20 million offset for the investors that could be gained back with sponsorship, increased crowds, holding events, concessions.

Plus if we are a championship team and go with the same strategy of selling our best players to the league above, we could be asking 10 million for a player.

Massive flaws in your numbers I’m afraid.

£13.5m purchase price - Kassam will want more especially given the opportunity cost to him of not building houses. £20m I reckon and he might sell - ‘might’ and then you’d have years of difficult dealings as per the usual modus operandi.

£6.5m to upgrade it and build a fourth stand, no chance whatsoever, £10m to upgrade it at the very least (and I’m a bit itk on that) and Plymouth’s newly opened stand cost them c.£10m.

Argyle's Home Park redevelopment has reached the £10 million mark

Pilgrims' owner and chairman Simon Hallett has provided most of the funding for the work

www.plymouthherald.co.uk

So you’re looking at c. £40m for a 20+ year old stadium in an undesirable part of town with nowhere to expand/put up associated facilities and the smell of sewage wafting across the site.

OR.....you could whack up a brand new stadium of your own design in an area with the potential to set up other business ventures with better transport links and not close to a sewage works. Cost - c.£45-50m. Our Board are seasoned properly developers, they aren’t buying Grenoble Road.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

Massive flaws in your numbers I’m afraid.

£13.5m purchase price - Kassam will want more especially given the opportunity cost to him of not building houses. £20m I reckon and he might sell - ‘might’ and then you’d have years of difficult dealings as per the usual modus operandi.

£6.5m to upgrade it and build a fourth stand, no chance whatsoever, £10m to upgrade it at the very least (and I’m a bit itk on that) and Plymouth’s newly opened stand cost them c.£10m.

Argyle's Home Park redevelopment has reached the £10 million mark

Pilgrims' owner and chairman Simon Hallett has provided most of the funding for the work

www.plymouthherald.co.uk

So you’re looking at c. £40m for a 20+ year old stadium in an undesirable part of town with nowhere to expand/put up associated facilities and the smell of sewage wafting across the site.

OR.....you could whack up a brand new stadium of your own design in an area with the potential to set up other business ventures with better transport links and not close to a sewage works. Cost - c.£45-50m. Our Board are seasoned properly developers, they aren’t buying Grenoble Road.

Wasnt there talk of a temporary stand if we were promoted, could become like Gillingham's.....

 

[Wallop]

Wasnt there talk of a temporary stand if we were promoted, could become like Gillingham's.....

I really hope not - joke of a stand, temporary measure only.

 

[Grumpy Git]

I'm all for moving temporarily while we / if we build our own stadium but it don't have to be MK. Wycombe's ground is much more convenient.

It’s a tiny ground with awful access

 

[Grumpy Git]

We are tenants, if there are issues with the state of the property it is the landlord who should be correcting it.

 

[Wallop]

We are tenants, if there are issues with the state of the property it is the landlord who should be correcting it.

Ongoing issues to comply with regulations yes but not a refurbishment.

 

[OX14]

Massive flaws in your numbers I’m afraid.

£13.5m purchase price - Kassam will want more especially given the opportunity cost to him of not building houses. £20m I reckon and he might sell - ‘might’ and then you’d have years of difficult dealings as per the usual modus operandi.

£6.5m to upgrade it and build a fourth stand, no chance whatsoever, £10m to upgrade it at the very least (and I’m a bit itk on that) and Plymouth’s newly opened stand cost them c.£10m.

Argyle's Home Park redevelopment has reached the £10 million mark

Pilgrims' owner and chairman Simon Hallett has provided most of the funding for the work

www.plymouthherald.co.uk

So you’re looking at c. £40m for a 20+ year old stadium in an undesirable part of town with nowhere to expand/put up associated facilities and the smell of sewage wafting across the site.

OR.....you could whack up a brand new stadium of your own design in an area with the potential to set up other business ventures with better transport links and not close to a sewage works. Cost - c.£45-50m. Our Board are seasoned properly developers, they aren’t buying Grenoble Road.

Argyles stand cost more as it runs the whole length of the pitch rather than behind a goal. Also a stand had to be demolished to make way for it. Ours there is already foundations under the car park for an exact copy of the east stand I reckon 3 - 4 million. This would then take our capacity to 15k which would be enough in the championship.

I'm not sure ka$$am could argue the price has shot up due to housing capabilities on the site, there is a convient on that site its only for leisure, plus the fact he can't develop it unless we find another site.

Finding a bit of land within Oxford boundaries that we could build a stadium and leisure on again will be hard, no one will want it on their doorstep. 6 years to get it through planning and constructed is a push and surely there would be rumours of where we are intending on building if this was the case.

 

[Wallop]

Argyles stand cost more as it runs the whole length of the pitch rather than behind a goal. Also a stand had to be demolished to make way for it. Ours there is already foundations under the car park for an exact copy of the east stand I reckon 3 - 4 million. This would then take our capacity to 15k which would be enough in the championship. - Fair enough, I suspect it's somewhere between our respective estimates. I stand by my refurbishment figures though - this very forum is constantly saying how dilapidated the stadium is and that's just based on what we can see........

I'm not sure ka$$am could argue the price has shot up due to housing capabilities on the site, there is a convient on that site its only for leisure, plus the fact he can't develop it unless we find another site. He doesn't need to argue anything, he can set a price that suits him and see if we'd want to buy the stadium. Yes there is a covenant in place but a re-leasing of the stadium as tenants is not a position that we want to take up and if we leave, the Council will want to reuse that land rather than it sit there dormant. If we don't leave he continues to make profit out of our rent. Win/win for him - he holds the cards.

Finding a bit of land within Oxford boundaries that we could build a stadium and leisure on again will be hard, no one will want it on their doorstep. 6 years to get it through planning and constructed is a push and surely there would be rumours of where we are intending on building if this was the case. Not going to comment on that because I shouldn't

 

[OX14]

@Wallop This is the problem, people who seem to be in the know won't comment as they say they shouldn't. So how do we know that everyone who is supposedly in the know aren't talking pie in the sky.

No where has the club actually come out and said we are moving, we have the investors who will fund it. It seems to me more that people assume that's why the board members are here.

Times ticking.

 

[Northstandboy]

Argyles stand cost more as it runs the whole length of the pitch rather than behind a goal. Also a stand had to be demolished to make way for it. Ours there is already foundations under the car park for an exact copy of the east stand I reckon 3 - 4 million. This would then take our capacity to 15k which would be enough in the championship.

I'm not sure ka$$am could argue the price has shot up due to housing capabilities on the site, there is a convient on that site its only for leisure, plus the fact he can't develop it unless we find another site.

Finding a bit of land within Oxford boundaries that we could build a stadium and leisure on again will be hard, no one will want it on their doorstep. 6 years to get it through planning and constructed is a push and surely there would be rumours of where we are intending on building if this was the case.

Does it deffo have the foundations or were they take out of plans for cost saving?

 

[Steve Gilbert]

Peterborough United to buy back stadium from council

Peterborough United sold its ground to a property developer in 2003, who then sold it to the council.

www.bbc.co.uk

Peterborough have agreed to buy back their stadium from the council even though they are building a new, bigger stadium...
It's amazing how easy other clubs find it get new grounds built/buy their existing grounds.

It's going to be a long bumpy road until we have our own stadium again. I personally would buy the current stadium and overtime, redevelop it and really make it a special place. People moan about the location but I actually think it is in quite a good location and easy to get to from all areas of the county/country. Yes it can be a pain getting away from it after a game but so can a lot of grounds. Once the train station happens and new houses built I think it could be a prime location to have our stadium.

As for the MK comment, I'm an exile but I wouldn't want to watch us play a 'home' game anywhere except for in Oxford.