London Welsh in talks to buy Kassam Stadium (From Banbury Cake)
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London Welsh in talks to buy Kassam Stadium
7:20am Friday 4th January 2013 in Sport By Ellie Simmonds
LONDON Welsh rugby team are in talks about buying Oxford's Kassam Stadium.
Managing director John Taylor said the team saw Oxford as its home and wanted to stay there.
Referring to buying the stadium, he said: "We are certainly exploring the possibility. Conversations have been had with Mr Kassam and we are also looking at ways we can raise the money to do it.
"It's a big investment but in some ways it's a good one because it's bricks and mortar."
But Oxford United supporters club OxVox has said it is not good news and said it would like to explore the idea of joint ownership.
London Welsh moved to Oxford last September after gaining promotion to English rugby’s Premiership.
Since moving to the Kassam Stadium the Exiles have attracted both support - with their highest attendance of more than 10,000 at last week’s game against London Wasps - as well as criticism because of claims their tenancy is having an affecting the quality of the pitch and frequent traffic problems before matches.
The 12,500 capacity Kassam Stadium was opened in 2001 and allowed Oxford United to move from the Manor Ground in Headington.
But it is still owned - and named after - the U’s former owner Firoz Kassam who has been leasing it to the club he sold in 2006.
Since then there have been frequent attempts by Oxford United to purchase the stadium from Mr Kassam but negotiations have not yet got under way.
Comments(26)
Sandy Wimpole-Smythe
says...
9:06am Fri 4 Jan 13
Surely any owner other than Kassam would be better for everyone, there is always comments on here from OUFC fans saying the man is the 'devil'.
Bartsimpson_uk
says...
9:17am Fri 4 Jan 13
Mark Sennett
says...
9:19am Fri 4 Jan 13
We will not stand by quietly and let anyone other than oufc take over full ownership of the stadium.
Owning the ground is a key aim to aid oufc progress and be sustainable at the highest level. We aim to try and aim to help oufc achieve this. BUT we are also talking to London welsh and we want a good relationship with them and it would be foolish not to explore the option of a joint venture. To London Welsh's credit we've already had some good conversations.
Sandy Wimpole-Smythe
says...
9:30am Fri 4 Jan 13
Mark Sennett wrote:It's not really up to OxVox who Kassam sells the club too is it.
Speaking for OxVox I can say we are talking to oufc and London welsh about this subject.
We will not stand by quietly and let anyone other than oufc take over full ownership of the stadium.
Owning the ground is a key aim to aid oufc progress and be sustainable at the highest level. We aim to try and aim to help oufc achieve this. BUT we are also talking to London welsh and we want a good relationship with them and it would be foolish not to explore the option of a joint venture. To London Welsh's credit we've already had some good conversations.
Kidlington Dave
says...
9:58am Fri 4 Jan 13
Ask Stockport fans how they enjoy being tenants to a rugby club.
AylesburyOx
says...
10:04am Fri 4 Jan 13
This is all just pie in the sky designed to unsettle OUFC and make the management stop complaining about the state of the playing surface, as LW can then say 'It would be impractical to share with a club unwilling to accept the circumstances of sharing with a Rugby club' or some such rubbish.
That being said, I still worry that buying the coffin a man built that nearly buried us is in the clubs long term best interest. I would rather we spent the money on some coaching and an improved scouting and youth set up.
saddletramp
says...
10:11am Fri 4 Jan 13
London Welsh owning the ground might seem, on the face of it, to be preferable to K*ss*m, but it would lead to potentially serious problems in the future - Utd games re-arranged to fit in with rugby matches, for starters.
Ask Stockport fans how they enjoy being tenants to a rugby club.
????????????????????
?????
Which rugby team would that be?
I hope you dont mean Sale,as not only have they never owned Edgely park,they dont even paly their anymore,they play at Salford.
Dan - Eynsham
says...
11:14am Fri 4 Jan 13
First of all, Saddletramp, you are wrong. The Rugby club still owns Edgeley Park, even though they have moved to the banks of the Ship Canal. It has been a nightmare for Stockport County.
Secondly, if I were an Oxford United fan, I would be extremely worried by another sporting club owning the ground. It has a huge effect on the income you get from the ground, on how the pitch is looked after, on how much the place feels like home.
A much better option is to replicate what happens in Swansea, where the Liberty stadium is owned by a company part owned by the Ospreys, part by Swansea City, and part by Swansea City Council.
Andrew:Oxford
says...
11:23am Fri 4 Jan 13
Fans have been complaining about the owner and the stadium for years and, since London Welsh commenced their lease, the quality of the pitch.
Time to move, develop a new partnership, perhaps even return closer to home at Headington?
A new Stadium adjacent to New Barton, off Marsh Lane, would be quite suitable. Perhaps as a Public-Private Partnership? A new Stadium, Morrisons Supermarket and 3000 space multi-storey combined Park & Ride & Supermarket & Stadium car park?
The car park would serve the congested JR & Churchill sites via the new bus gate across the A40 and through the Northway Council Estate.
At £3 per day, the car park alone would bring in around £2.8M a year revenue to the partnership.
Beau champ mummy
says...
11:25am Fri 4 Jan 13
Marina Morris
says...
11:27am Fri 4 Jan 13
Bartsimpson_uk
says...
11:31am Fri 4 Jan 13
Andrew:Oxford wrote:Not a cat in hells chance of moving. Marston was suggested long before Kassam was built and it was objected by all the NIMBY's there. Back in Headington!! Talk some sense will you.
Surely this is exactly what Oxford United need to give them the impetus to building a new stadium elsewhere in the City! Fans have been complaining about the owner and the stadium for years and, since London Welsh commenced their lease, the quality of the pitch. Time to move, develop a new partnership, perhaps even return closer to home at Headington? A new Stadium adjacent to New Barton, off Marsh Lane, would be quite suitable. Perhaps as a Public-Private Partnership? A new Stadium, Morrisons Supermarket and 3000 space multi-storey combined Park & Ride & Supermarket & Stadium car park? The car park would serve the congested JR & Churchill sites via the new bus gate across the A40 and through the Northway Council Estate. At £3 per day, the car park alone would bring in around £2.8M a year revenue to the partnership.
Oxford Utd will stay where they are and will have to talk to London Irish not push them away.
King Joke
says...
12:22pm Fri 4 Jan 13
OUFC games are not a problem as many of the home fans walk or get the bus to the KAssam.
Rugby games are a disaster as both home and away fans are coming from outside the city. At the very least, shuttle buses need to be run from Oxford station and THornhill . Maybe Didcot Parkway could be tried as well, as journey time is not much longer from here than from Oxford station.
EricTheRed
says...
12:25pm Fri 4 Jan 13
King Joke
says...
12:27pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Andrew:Oxford
says...
1:00pm Fri 4 Jan 13
King Joke wrote:The people of Long Wittenham would campaign to stop match-day buses "ruining their lives".
Will London Welsh be obliged to write a proper travel plan for the stadium when they own it?
OUFC games are not a problem as many of the home fans walk or get the bus to the KAssam.
Rugby games are a disaster as both home and away fans are coming from outside the city. At the very least, shuttle buses need to be run from Oxford station and THornhill . Maybe Didcot Parkway could be tried as well, as journey time is not much longer from here than from Oxford station.
Kidlington Dave
says...
1:02pm Fri 4 Jan 13
saddletramp wrote:See Dan from Eynsham's post - don't let facts get in the way of your argument, eh?
Kidlington Dave says...
London Welsh owning the ground might seem, on the face of it, to be preferable to K*ss*m, but it would lead to potentially serious problems in the future - Utd games re-arranged to fit in with rugby matches, for starters.
Ask Stockport fans how they enjoy being tenants to a rugby club.
????????????????????
?????
Which rugby team would that be?
I hope you dont mean Sale,as not only have they never owned Edgely park,they dont even paly their anymore,they play at Salford.
Andrew:Oxford
says...
1:10pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Bartsimpson_uk wrote:Things have changed in the 17 years or so since building work commenced on the soon to be "London Welsh" stadium.
Andrew:Oxford wrote:Not a cat in hells chance of moving. Marston was suggested long before Kassam was built and it was objected by all the NIMBY's there. Back in Headington!! Talk some sense will you.
Surely this is exactly what Oxford United need to give them the impetus to building a new stadium elsewhere in the City! Fans have been complaining about the owner and the stadium for years and, since London Welsh commenced their lease, the quality of the pitch. Time to move, develop a new partnership, perhaps even return closer to home at Headington? A new Stadium adjacent to New Barton, off Marsh Lane, would be quite suitable. Perhaps as a Public-Private Partnership? A new Stadium, Morrisons Supermarket and 3000 space multi-storey combined Park & Ride & Supermarket & Stadium car park? The car park would serve the congested JR & Churchill sites via the new bus gate across the A40 and through the Northway Council Estate. At £3 per day, the car park alone would bring in around £2.8M a year revenue to the partnership.
Oxford Utd will stay where they are and will have to talk to London Irish not push them away.
There is soon to be a massive new Housing estate adjacent to Marston, so a new Football stadium won't make a significant difference, besides, the people of Marston regularly complain about congestion around the local roads. A new 3000 space P&R facility will take an appropriate number of cars off their roads.
King Joke
says...
1:10pm Fri 4 Jan 13
Andrew:Oxford wrote:Too true!
King Joke wrote: Will London Welsh be obliged to write a proper travel plan for the stadium when they own it? OUFC games are not a problem as many of the home fans walk or get the bus to the KAssam. Rugby games are a disaster as both home and away fans are coming from outside the city. At the very least, shuttle buses need to be run from Oxford station and THornhill . Maybe Didcot Parkway could be tried as well, as journey time is not much longer from here than from Oxford station.The people of Long Wittenham would campaign to stop match-day buses "ruining their lives".
Doctor69
says...
1:32pm Fri 4 Jan 13
If London Welsh could buy the stadium, it would be a clever move on their part. I suspect it would be a down payment, and mortgage job. With the mortgage payments being covered by oufc's rent each month.
EricTheRed
says...
3:56pm Fri 4 Jan 13
mikek
says...
10:34pm Fri 4 Jan 13
mattyproper77
says...
12:01pm Tue 8 Jan 13
b. Swindon fans - you have to actually live in Swindon - the irony in discussing 'tin pot' is immense - you are a town full of smackheads
the wizard
says...
8:44pm Tue 8 Jan 13
mattyproper77 wrote:And Oxford being full of students and their "experiments" isn't ? Grow up, or is it you that is the "smack head", you do little justice to the huge number of ordinary sensible fans that support both clubs, idiot.
a. OUFC should dump the Kass and play at Quarry Rec.
b. Swindon fans - you have to actually live in Swindon - the irony in discussing 'tin pot' is immense - you are a town full of smackheads
the wizard
says...
12:07am Wed 9 Jan 13
The people of Long Wittenham would campaign to stop match-day buses "ruining their lives".
Oh do behave, I lived there for years and got out while the going was good. First you would have to find someone with a pulse, then someone with a pulse and who gives a hoot, and you will have a long search.
H.J.Harris says...
8:52am Fri 4 Jan 13