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Ground Name: Kassam
Stadium |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? Future Developments The South & Oxford Mail Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? North Stand (photo) Where To Drink? Looking Towards The West End (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train A Closer Look At The Oxford Mail Stand (photo) Local Rivals Admission Prices Programme & Fanzines Ground Layout Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2007-2008 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The club moved from the Manor Ground in the Summer of 2001, to the purpose built Kassam Stadium (named after the former Chairman Firoz Kassam). The stadium was built at a cost of around £15m and is located on the outskirts of Oxford. It has only three sides, with one end remaining unused. Each of the stands are of a good size, are all seated, covered and are roughly of the same height. The South Stand on one side of the pitch, is a two tiered stand with a row of executive boxes. This is a particularly impressive looking stand with police control and press boxes situated at the back. Opposite is the single tiered North Stand, primarily given to away supporters. This has a number of strange looking floodlights protruding from its roof. At the one end is the Oxford Mail Stand, which is also single tiered. There is a special type of pitch, one of the first to have artificial grass woven into the live turf. One disappointment is the large gaps in the corners, which sets the stands back from the playing surface and means cold winds whistling through in winter. | |
| Future Developments | |
Foundations have been put in place for the future construction of a fourth stand, at the West End of the stadium. However it is unlikely that this will be built for at least a couple of years. |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed on one side of the
North Stand, towards the open end of the ground. This stand may be shared
with home supporters, or as was the case on my visit, the whole stand was
given to the away support. There
is little around the ground in terms of pubs and eating establishments,
so you may have to find such comforts within the ground
itself. The refreshments on offer are okay, with a range of rollover hot dogs and
pies on offer, including the delicious 'Football's Famous Chicken Balti Pie'. Bottles of Carlsberg Lager are also available at £2.20.
However, I have had a number of reports that it still takes an eternity to
get served in the refreshment area and/or that they have run out of hot
food/drinks. One visiting supporter even suggested taking a flask and packed lunch. Please note that you are not
allowed to smoke within the ground, apart from the concourses where the
refreshment areas are located. The Kassam is light years away from the old Manor Ground. The facilities within and pitch view are excellent, and there is also good leg room. The atmosphere within the ground is not bad, with the Oxford fans in the Oxford Mail Stand doing their best to raise it. Although I did notice that they hadn't quite got used to their new home, still chanting the London Road End chant from the Manor Ground. With one end of the ground being open, there is always the remark 'of watch my car' as another wayward shot flies into the car park behind. On the whole I found the Kassam Stadium to be an enjoyable and a largely friendly day out. Derek Fennel a visiting Blackburn supporter adds; 'the stewards at the Kassam seemed very helpful and accommodating which led to a feeling of watching the game in relaxed frame of mind. There was great vocal support from the home supporters in the North Stand who really got behind their team'. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| The nearest Public House is 'The Priory' which is just behind the car park at the open end of the ground. The pub is owned by club chairman Firoz Kassam, is quite an historic looking building. On my visit the pub seemed fine for away fans, but can get quite crowded. It boasts a large screen for SKY TV, served hand pulled Tetleys and offered a wide range of pies and filled rolls. Andy Wraight adds, 'There is now a Holiday Inn Express Hotel on the corner behind the Oxford Mail and South Stand, which has a fair sized bar. The bar welcomes football supporters and has Sky Television. Kim Rockall informs me; 'A new cinema and bowling alley complex was recently opened adjacent to the stadium, called Ozone. Inside the bowling alley there is a bar, which also has SKY TV and a fast food outlet'. Otherwise alcohol is served within the ground (£2.80 for a bottle of Calsberg). | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| The stadium is quite well signposted from
the main routes into Oxford, with brown football signs pointing the way.
The stadium can be found in between the
Oxford Science Park & Blackbird Leys Estate. From the A423 Ring Road,
take the A4074 towards Reading. After the roundabout with Sainsbury's on
one corner, take the left turning sign posted Cowley/Wallington/Oxford
Science Park and you eventually come to the ground on your left. For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). There are 1,600 car parking spaces at the stadium itself, which are free. However, the car parks tend to fill up fast, so try and arrive early if you can (at least 75 minutes before kick off). An additional 400 car parking spaces are now available at the Ozone cinema and bowling alley complex adjacent to the stadium, which are also free to use. John Attwood a visiting Gillingham supporter adds; 'when arriving at the stadium, ignore the first stadium car park entrance that you come to and go up to the second entrance as the first will have you parking at the "open" end. There is a roundabout by the second entrance, which will take you back to the first entrance if the other half is full. I was also heavily delayed in trying to leave the car park after the game as there was only two exits available'. If you do end up arriving late at the stadium and find that the stadium car parks are full, then don't get tempted to park on a grass verge as you may well end up with a parking ticket for your trouble. To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. |
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| By Train | |
| Oxford railway station is over
four miles
from the ground and it is really not advisable to try to walk it. There
is a football special bus which runs from outside the station up to the
ground. The No: 601 departs from bus stop R1 at 2pm & 3pm for Saturday 3pm
kick offs and 5.50pm & 6.50pm for 7.45pm evening kicks offs. Buses return
from the stadium at 5pm & 6pm on Saturdays and 9.45pm & 10.45pm after
evening games. Alternatively the Oxford Bus Company Service, Number 5, runs from Oxford Railway Station (use bus stop R2) via the city centre to Knights Road in Blackbird Leys, which is a short walk away from the ground. On Saturday afternoons the bus runs every five minutes and on midweek evenings every 8-10 minutes. Journey time to the stadium is around 25 minutes. For more information visit the Oxford Bus Company website. Alternatively a taxi will cost you in the region of £10, from the station to the stadium. |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Swindon Town & Reading. | |
| Admission Prices | |
| Home Fans*: South Stand (Upper Tier): Adults £17.50, Students £13, Over 65's/Under 16's £11.50, Under 7's Free** South Stand (Lower Tier): Adults £16, Students £12.50, Over 65's/Under 16's £10, Under 7's Free** South Stand (Family Area): Adults £16, Students £12.50, Over 65's £10, Under 16's £4, Under 7's Free** Oxford Mail (East) Stand: Adults £14, Students £11, Over 65's/Under 16's £7.50, Under 7's Free** Away Fans*: Adults £17.50, Over 65's/Under 16's £11.50, Under 7's Free** * These prices are for tickets purchased prior to matchday. Tickets purchased on matchday can cost up to £2 more per ticket. ** Free under 7's tickets must be booked prior to matchday. Under 7's must be accompanied by a paying adult (maximum two under 7's per adult). Otherwise Under 7's admitted on matchday will have to pay the appropriate concession price, apart from the family area where the cost is £5.50. |
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| Programme & Fanzines | |
| Official Programme £2.50 Oxtales Fanzine £1 |
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| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Fixtures 2007-2008 | |
| For the Oxford fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| At The Kassam Stadium: 12,243 v Leyton Orient, League Two, May 6th 2006. At The Manor Ground: 22,750 v Preston North End, FA Cup 6th Round, February 29th, 1964. Average Attendance: 2006-2007: 6,332 (Conference National) 2005-2006: 5,443 (League Two) 2004-2005: 5,347 (League Two) |
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| Fans Reviews Of The Kassam Stadium | |
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Mick Hubbard
(Aston Villa) 6/5/06 Philip Nicolson (Grimsby Town) 5/3/05 Lee Roberts (Everton) 18/9/01 |
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| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. To access their Oxford page click here. | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me
and I'll update
the guide. |
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