Stadium Emails

[OxVox]

Hi Everyone

With less than a week to go before the Cabinet meeting we are entering the final stretch on this important part of the stadium process. The club have done everything they can, so now it is up to us to get this over the line. There are three really important things we can do to help make this happen.

1) Write to the Council Cabinet

We can’t stress how important this is. Those that oppose us are urging people to write against it and we need to have flooded the Cabinet with positive and supportive emails. All the help and information you need is on the OxVox website at http://www.oxvox.org.uk/contact-council/

2) Sign the petition, and get others to sign too.

A couple of clicks at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/StadOUFC will register your support. We are through the 7,000 mark but with so many more left to sign we feel we can go well beyond that.

3) Join OxVox

We would love you to join as full members (visit http://www.oxvox.org.uk/join-oxvox/ ) and receive all of the benefits of membership, but we are also now offering an Associate membership that is free and will keep you updated on all stadium issues. Just visit http://www.oxvox.org.uk/associate/ . Our numbers make our voice hard to ignore, both on the 24th then moving forward into planning.

Think of it this way, if every Oxford fan at the game on Saturday did these three simple things, we would stun the Cabinet with a voice they could not ignore. If they all get a friend to do it too.......

 

[Sarge]

Hi Everyone

With less than a week to go before the Cabinet meeting we are entering the final stretch on this important part of the stadium process. The club have done everything they can, so now it is up to us to get this over the line. There are three really important things we can do to help make this happen.

1) Write to the Council Cabinet

We can’t stress how important this is. Those that oppose us are urging people to write against it and we need to have flooded the Cabinet with positive and supportive emails. All the help and information you need is on the OxVox website at http://www.oxvox.org.uk/contact-council/

2) Sign the petition, and get others to sign too.

A couple of clicks at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/StadOUFC will register your support. We are through the 7,000 mark but with so many more left to sign we feel we can go well beyond that.

3) Join OxVox

We would love you to join as full members (visit http://www.oxvox.org.uk/join-oxvox/ ) and receive all of the benefits of membership, but we are also now offering an Associate membership that is free and will keep you updated on all stadium issues. Just visit http://www.oxvox.org.uk/associate/ . Our numbers make our voice hard to ignore, both on the 24th then moving forward into planning.

Think of it this way, if every Oxford fan at the game on Saturday did these three simple things, we would stun the Cabinet with a voice they could not ignore. If they all get a friend to do it too.......

done all of them Im an OxVox lifer too

 

[OxVox]

done all of them Im an OxVox lifer too

We expected nothing less from you Sarge

 

[Essexyellows]

Not a lover of data harvesting petition sites and uncertain if they have any leverage with OCC but signed anyway, emailed OCC lead and got a pretty standard response.

Not much else us exiles can do really.......

 

[OxfordYankee]

Not a lover of data harvesting petition sites and uncertain if they have any leverage with OCC but signed anyway, emailed OCC lead and got a pretty standard response.

Not much else us exiles can do really.......

I’m an exile and wrote to the OCC Chair and cabinet members. Had a few encouraging responses.

If you haven’t already, you should.

 

[bazzer9461]

Have emailed but as was said yesterday on another thread it appears a standard reply

 

[Wallop]

Have emailed but as was said yesterday on another thread it appears a standard reply

They aren’t going to reply to everyone individually but the number of emails will make a difference so let’s all do it.

 

[Marked Ox]

They aren’t going to reply to everyone individually but the number of emails will make a difference so let’s all do it.

Sent to every cabinet member, so far got a reply to 2 but getting a reply isn't important in this instance. As you say, the importance is the number of emails showing the support for the Stadium.

 

[ljs]

Sent to every cabinet member, so far got a reply to 2 but getting a reply isn't important in this instance. As you say, the importance is the number of emails showing the support for the Stadium.

Auto reply from one, and a standard reply from the chair.

 

[Essexyellows]

I’m an exile and wrote to the OCC Chair and cabinet members. Had a few encouraging responses.

If you haven’t already, you should.

I have, suggested all the positives - better travel options, local economy, improved local facilities, visitor "draw" etc.
Also stressed the importance of the club surviving for many thousands of people across the city, county & beyond.

 

[Upthecowboys]

I have sent mine, this is my second email sent in the last few months re this.

As an exile I've emphasised how a well constructed stadium with additional facilities will not just attract more Oxon based people to spend their hard earned money in the county, but it will help persuade more from outside to come to the county. I also highlighted the extra jobs in the short, medium and long term this could create

I also urged them to ensure the relevant protections are put in place re the stadium to protect the club in the long term. The last thing we need is a Kassam situation. The current board seem too have admirable intentions and Niall McWilliams (honorary Oxonian!) involvement has given me comfort, but we can't taken anything for granted.

 

[Sarge]

had an email from the club asking, if I haven't already, to email cc cabinet members ( cabinet members & chair email addresses provided) - presumably this email has gone out to everyone with an email address on the clubs current database?

 

[OxfordYankee]

It has.

 

[Kamal]

Is there a template we can use for inspiration when emailing the County Council?

 

[Sarge]

Is there a template we can use for inspiration when emailing the County Council?

help/ guide of sorts here -http://www.oxvox.org.uk/contact-council/

 

[JayOx88]

Highlighting the community reach that the club has is particularly important, and also don't be afraid to let the council know that it isn't a stretch to suggest that the future of the club rests on this decision.

Here's what I wrote if anybody is looking for inspiration:

Dear Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet,

I am writing to you as a concerned resident of Oxfordshire to urge you to grant Oxford United football club permission to lease land known as 'The Triangle' for a new stadium at your cabinet meeting on Tuesday 24th January 2023.

As you are all aware by now Oxford United is on course to be homeless after 2026 if it is not able to find a permanent new home before the lease agreement on the Kassam Stadium runs out. If this is allowed to happen, it is not sensationalist to suggest that the only fully professional sports team in Oxfordshire with over a hundred years of history will eventually die, and be lost to the thousands of people across Oxfordshire and beyond that it means so much to.

Following your recommendation that Stratfield Brake is not a suitable site for a new stadium and subsequent suggestion that 'The Triangle' is a more realistic location, it is critical to flag that this site is the only option left remaining to the club. Suitable sites in and around the city are at a premium, and an extensive site search has been carried out by Savil's on behalf of the club that backs this up. Quite simply, if the club is to survive then it needs you to do the right thing on Tuesday and give the green light for the club to enter into negotiations over the land.

The land that Oxford United wishes to build a stadium on is a sensible option with excellent green credentials. It is adjacent to a mainline railway station that is linked to many existing bus routes - this presents an excellent opportunity for the club to build a stadium that is centred around public transport and encourages fans to leave the car at home. In the long-term, a new stadium in this location could really help to take cars off Oxfordshire roads on match days. The current location of the Kassam Stadium and poor integration of public transport means travelling by car is the only option for thousands of fans, whereas at 'The Triangle' the club would provide limited parking and aim to work with local transport providers to make public transport the best choice.

It is also important to stress that the Club is not just important to thousands of supporters attending the Men's team matches on a Saturday afternoon. The club also runs a Women's team, an academy of multiple age categories and a Community charity that delivers many outreach programmes across the County. These community programmes include summer football camps for school children, after school clubs, refugee football group sessions, training sessions for children with Down's Syndrome and a walking football team for older age groups. Therefore, the club has a hugely positive impact for tens of thousands of people across Oxfordshire and is a vital part of the community that must be preserved. If the club dies, all of this is lost.

To finish, the future of Oxford United Football Club and a much loved and hugely important community asset rests in your hands. I hope you're aware of the magnitude of this responsibility when you come to make your decision and realise that the club will not have a prosperous future without your support. Therefore, I implore you to do the right thing on Tuesday 24th January and make the decision that gives Oxford United the opportunity to create a sustainable future for itself.

Yours Faithfully,

 

[bazzer9461]

had an email from the club asking, if I haven't already, to email cc cabinet members ( cabinet members & chair email addresses provided) - presumably this email has gone out to everyone with an email address on the clubs current database?

I get them asking if I’ve emailed. I have sent several emails just hope now those who haven’t or only sent one “ get emailing “

 

[Notaswindonfan]

Done

 

[captainox]

Sent this afternoon. Presenting my viewpoint as an exile, having lived in Oxford for around 12 months of my 31 years on the planet.
Pointing out the attraction for regular visits of a well connected, quality stadium and how that would also appeal to away fans, and football fans in general.

Talked about how wearing the badge is a conversation starter, and having a well thought of stadium increases the outside opinions of the club. Rather than a concrete 3 sided ground with a garden fence and horrendous transport links for the majority coming from outside the city and county.

 

[Manorlounger]

If anyone on here has not yet sent in an email, shame on you!

This is too important to leave to someone else. The club needs this, we need this, the future of the club depends on everyone doing their bit. A few minutes to compose a simple email. Nothing fancy just sending your support and letting OCC know that we are in favour of the proposal to lease land to OUFC for a new stadium.

New stadium – contact your councillor | OxVox

Do it now, please!