Kassam Stadium- Oxford United
Address: Grenoble Road, Oxford, OX4 4XP
Capacity: 12,500
Pitch Type: Grass
Club Nickname: The U’s
Year Ground Opened: 2001
Undersoil Heating: No
Telephone No: 01865 337 500
Ticket Office No: 01865 337 533
Oxford United moved to their new stadium, the Kassam Stadium in 2001. In doing so they left their previous home, the Manor Ground, which has been its home stadium for the 76 years prior.
General Info about the Kassam Stadium
The Kassam is named after hugely successful and popular former chairman, Firoz Kassam, however the stadium is located just outside of the city.
The Kassam Stadium consists of just three sides- which is highly unusual for a football stadium. The open end is the west end of the stadium which is located behind one of the goals. Meanwhile, the North Stand is occupied by both home and away fans and in doing so is the largest stand in the stadium, housing 5,026 fans on match day.
The one tiered East Stand plays host to the most vocal of fans and is deemed widely as the singing section, this is behind the other goal. The main structure of the stadium is based off the South Stand where you will also find the conference centre, the exhibition bar, the clubs main offices and also the dressing rooms. The section is also divided into two, with the lower tier being used as the Family Section.
Oxford recorded the record attendance in 2006 during a League Two game against Leyton Orient. 12,243 fans were in attendance to see their victory on the 6th May 2006.
Visiting supporters are situated towards the open end of the North stand. The stadium is perfect for viewing football with no views obstructed no matter what stand you would sit in.
This has become more common in stadiums that are built in this century. Parking is available on site at the stadium if you arrive early enough before kickoff and to make it even more convenient it is free. In total there are 2,000 spaces available and it is something that is well worth taking advantage of as there is hardly any street parking.
How To Get To The Kassam Stadium
The nearest station to the stadium is Oxford. The station is located in the city centre which is around four miles from the stadium, so it would be too far to walk. You can then either take a taxi to the stadium which will cost a minimum price of £8.00, or one of the many buses that go past the ground.
Stands & Ticket Prices
One of the most interesting facts about the stadium is there is a special type of pitch, one of the first to have artificial grass woven into the living grass turf. However, one disappointment would be that there are large gaps in the corners, which sets the stands back from the playing surface and means cold winds whistling through in winter, so don’t forget to take your coat if you are visiting in February.
All stands have different prices set with the most expensive part of the stadium being the South Stand upper tier, here tickets are priced at £28 for adults, £21 for over 65’s and £12 for under 7’s.
The lower tier in the same stand is a little cheaper with adults priced at £24, over 65’s at £17 and £6 for under 7’s. The cheapest of all the stands is the Oxford Mail stand where adults will pay £22, over 65’s will pay £15 and under 7’s pay £5. Away fans will pay the average price for a ticket at the stadium with adults valued at £24, over 65’s at £17 and under 18’s paying £14.
Future Developments
Oxford are further expanding since the club have recently received planning permission for a fourth stand at the current unused end of the Kassam Stadium behind the goal. It is likely that this will be temporary stand and will have between 700 and 800 seats. It is expected that it will be put in place sometime during the 2018/19 season.