General New Stadium Plans - Stratfield Brake

[Golden Dr Otto]

I used to work overlooking the Brentford stadium, it was literally a scrap yard. How they managed to fit their new ground, houses and add ons into that space is a bloody wonder.

Gsk?

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

More on Minnesota United's stadium here:

Seems that its wrapped in a material rather than cladded which no doubt sped up construction: https://www.mnufc.com/stadium/about/sustainability

 

[Oslernorth]

This will be a controversial question but will anyone feel abit sad that we will be leaving the kassam.now before anybody says the usual please remember that for alot if our fans the kassam has been the only home they've known for oufc .
I will personally feel abit sad because weve had alot of good times at the kassam eg
Newcastle x2
Swindon every time they've played there except last season
Wycombe promotion to league one
Swansea fa cup
Rushden 2010
I know the place is a s**t hole I know to alot of people it's never felt like home but it's been our home kind of

Not for me, and I doubt many who grew up with the Manor will either. But I get the point you’re making.
I will always look back at the Appleton era with fondness and many other moments.
But from day one, I wanted something to change or be improved with the actual stadium. To start with, was to finish it, then the realisation we weren’t going anyway whist chained to it.
I’ve been ready to move since Kassam sold the club without the ground, so there was only really a 5-6 year period where I was actually buying into the project.
If all goes well, Stratfield Brake will actually feel like home again

 

[Made-in-Jericho]

Late to the party here but been hands off for a couple of years until I saw these plans. Drooling, especially when seeing the Minnesota stadium.
Could it really happen? The scepticism in me says never but then the hope kicks in. Someone local will probably throw a spanner in the works let’s hope they have contingency plans (brown envelopes) in place to ‘sweeten’ the deal.
How about ‘The Dream in-Spires Stadium’ ?

 

[Big Ronaldo]

I am more than glad to leave the three-sided, breezeblock, wind tunnel far behind.
Ka$$am saved us yet enslaved us.
I hope that we have learned valuable, unrepeatable lessons there.

That is not to say that there haven’t been moments at the sewage works that have been anything less than extra sensory emotional.
The absolute best of which, for me was that Whycome game where we clinched promotion.
What a day that was!!
If you were there then you will know.
For all of its shortcomings ( and there were many), the Ka$$am still housed fans that were and are supremely proud and passionate about this club and it is testament to them that we got behind them in thick and thin and created something of a racket in those wide open stands.
Now we need to ensure that we get a forever home that we can be proud of - one that strikes fear from the tight wall of sound that we make when we are rocking…. One, let’s hope, with four f*****g sides!!

 

[bashamwonderland]

Late to the party here but been hands off for a couple of years until I saw these plans. Drooling, especially when seeing the Minnesota stadium.
Could it really happen? The scepticism in me says never but then the hope kicks in. Someone local will probably throw a spanner in the works let’s hope they have contingency plans (brown envelopes) in place to ‘sweeten’ the deal.
How about ‘The Dream in-Spires Stadium’ ?

The most encouraging thing for me is that the council will really want the move to happen because it frees up acres and acres of land for development.

Regardless of your opinion on the overdevelopment of Oxfordshire (I think it is killing/choking West Oxfordshire beyond repair), the big players in the area will want this done.

 

[SteMerritt]

I am more than glad to leave the three-sided, breezeblock, wind tunnel far behind.
Ka$$am saved us yet enslaved us.
I hope that we have learned valuable, unrepeatable lessons there.

That is not to say that there haven’t been moments at the sewage works that have been anything less than extra sensory emotional.
The absolute best of which, for me was that Whycome game where we clinched promotion.
What a day that was!!
If you were there then you will know.
For all of its shortcomings ( and there were many), the Ka$$am still housed fans that were and are supremely proud and passionate about this club and it is testament to them that we got behind them in thick and thin and created something of a racket in those wide open stands.
Now we need to ensure that we get a forever home that we can be proud of - one that strikes fear from the tight wall of sound that we make when we are rocking…. One, let’s hope, with four f*****g sides!!

Best day for me was the Oxford 2 Swindon 0 game when Beano was sent off after about 10mins at 0-0, then we scored twice in 5 mins then defended for our lives for 75mins - the whole day from the buildup in a packed Priory through the game and the celebrations afterwards, the club and fanbase were as one that day. Losing The Priory was a big loss, closest thing we had to a Supporters Club.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

I will miss the place in a way, we will of spent 25 years there by the time we leave, that’s a big chunk of my life going there, longer than I went to the Manor (I am 43) for so I can’t just right it all off. The promotion back to this level is the highlight on the pitch, a truly enjoyable season. The lowlight is fairly obvious. But I have had some fun times around the ground getting drunk, the priory was good while it lasted. I have grown up in those years, can’t just wave them away.

I will have some sadness when we go but you have to recognise it’s for the best though, away from Kassam and his greed and dodgy practices, to a finished ground where the club can grow and prosper.

Like anything though, you shouldn’t be sad that it’s over, you should be happy that it happened.

I was in tears the day we played our last game at the Manor v Port Vale as we’re many around me in the London Road
When we play our last game at Grenoble Road I will just feel relief, I will walk away and won’t give it a second thought
Still have my Manor and Last Game vPort Vale T shirts don’t think any merchandise will be on sale when we leave the shite hole

 

[Scrongo]

Biztur councils approve waterparks, maybe we could get the stadium built in Bicester

The area from oxpens to train station and land behind it on osney trading estate is part of the west end project

 

[Scrongo]

Totally agree, never got the same buzz you would get first seeing the lit floodlights at the Manor as you got nearer walking up Windmill Road, building further as you walked up the little lane to the London Road turnstiles.

Looking at the plans it does appear there is a walkway leading from the train station (bottom right), across the new bridges and gets progressively wider as you reach the stadium. Lets hope they paint those bridges yellow and blue, and plant tons of daffodils either side of the path all the way so its a blaze of yellow when it gets to the end of season around March/April time! Maybe they could lay the path with yellow bricks I would hope nearly everything on site would have a yellow and blue theme so that visitors have no doubts where they are, unlike the mundane desolation that is The Kassam.

I know what you mean.
For me to see the floodlights on from my bedroom window.
On a big midweek cup match
As a kid & then adult.for me it was magical you could smell it &feel it in the air. The walk up was electric.
Being from round there you could feel it at school&all around the place there couple of days before

 

[bazzer9461]

Not sure where this has come from and yes I may have missed something previously, I picked this up of FB.

 

[frenchconnection]

I have to say im fecking ecstatic with these plans...statement of intent or what...final game at the breeze block ima take a dump and P**s on the centre spot

 

[Wallop]

I was in tears the day we played our last game at the Manor v Port Vale as we’re many around me in the London Road
When we play our last game at Grenoble Road I will just feel relief, I will walk away and won’t give it a second thought
Still have my Manor and Last Game vPort Vale T shirts don’t think any merchandise will be on sale when we leave the shite hole

Totally agree and that sums it up nicely for me. However, for those who didn't have the privilege of attending games at the Manor, I can see why they would have some affinity to the Kassam as they have no other home ground to compare it to.

 

[Wallop]

I have to say im fecking ecstatic with these plans...statement of intent or what...final game at the breeze block ima take a dump and P**s on the centre spot

Well at least your natural waste won't have far to travel to be processed.

 

[psquared]

RadOx made a point on their sports news this morning to say the master plan attached to the council agenda was just an illustration. (As we all knew.) Going on to say there is no suggestion that the ice rink will move at this stage.

Sounds like they would like to use this as a bargaining chip, but do not want to face an immediate backlash from users of the rink before the general go ahead meeting next Tuesday.

 

[SwissYellow]

Gsk?

SEEEEEGAAAAA

 

[Chris1963]

I thought the new owner said to be new stadium would be close to the current one?

I had been expecting an announcement about a new stadium, but Stratfield Brake being the preferred location surprised me. I had been expecting the location to be Horspath playing fields (next door to the athletics track) as there are no houses nearby, just a car factory. I know Horspath was rejected many years ago when United were looking to move from the Manor, but it still looked an ideal location to me.

 

[Followtheox1]

Not sure where this has come from and yes I may have missed something previously, I picked this up of FB.

View attachment 7797

Looks like this gives protection to OCC should the club food etc?

 

[Jolteon]

Totally agree and that sums it up nicely for me. However, for those who didn't have the privilege of attending games at the Manor, I can see why they would have some affinity to the Kassam as they have no other home ground to compare it to.

I'm one who never got to experience The Manor. And I cannot bloody wait to leave the shithole we currently play at. It's not home, never felt like a home, just felt like a tin shed with a pitch in the middle. I always felt much more at home when watching Brackley Town every week as a teen than any trip to Grenoble Road. I'll always remember what went on on the pitch, but outside of the pitch can be torn down and destroyed the moment we all leave on the final game there for all I care. I imagine tickets will be near impossible to get, but my hope/intention is for my little one's first OUFC game to be the first game played in the new stadium - the atmosphere and the moment will be something to behold.

 

[SwissYellow]

RadOx made a point on their sports news this morning to say the master plan attached to the council agenda was just an illustration. (As we all knew.) Going on to say there is no suggestion that the ice rink will move at this stage.

Sounds like they would like to use this as a bargaining chip, but do not want to face an immediate backlash from users of the rink before the general go ahead meeting next Tuesday.

Oh the Rink is going to be a huge pain. The Council, are in a messy situation with the rink, they've verbally communicated to outside the council ecosystem that they want it gone and they want to develop Oxpens entirely. They've not admitted this to the staff, the operators or users. This has left them unprepared and disorganized, which is to be expected. They didn't really think folks would be that bothered.