Kassam Stadium Becomes Community Asset after Oxford Fans Win Protection Bid

Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium has been listed as a Community Asset after the OxVox supporters’ trust won their bid to protect the ground.

The move was approved by Oxford City Council and means that OxVox will have to be notified if the stadium is to be sold.

OxVox will have the right to a six-month notice on any sale, giving them a chance to put together a bid of their own for the stadium.

Mark Sennett, OxVox Chairman said: “This is a significant moment for the supporters of Oxford United.

“This means United supporters will now never wake up one morning to read in the paper that the stadium has been sold, with no recourse.

“The stadium is of huge local importance to the people of Oxfordshire and the club’s role is a source of huge community benefit and pride.

“Because of this listing, supporters and the Oxfordshire community will be able to play more of a role in its destiny.

“We have kept Oxford United FC fully informed of this application throughout, though the club has not been directly involved.

“We have already notified the club about the decision and they too understand the significance of the application being accepted.”

The ground is currently owned by Firoz Kassam but Oxford United owner Ian Lenagan had previously mentioned his desire to purchase the stadium.

The development could be good news for other supporters’ groups, with Manchester United and Liverpool fans attempting similar moves for their respective grounds.

Tom Hall from the Supporters Direct said: “There are still too many cases of football grounds being treated like any other asset, and this legislation gives us an opportunity to begin to change that assumption.

“OxVox’s application to list the Kassam Stadium is the first successful one involving a football ground.

“We’ve had significant interest since we started promoting this scheme amongst out member supporters’ trusts, and both the Manchester United Supporters Trust and Spirit of Shankly are currently seeking listings for Old Trafford and Anfield.

“We hope that this successful application by OxVox, in many respects groundbreaking, encourages other supporters’ trusts to do the same.”