Oxford City Council has said that it would consider providing financial support to a proposal for the Kassam Stadium to be placed in community ownership.
Earlier this month, OxVox, the supporters’ trust of English League One football team Oxford United, which plays at the Kassam Stadium, opened talks over the possibility to buy the facility. OxVox said that talks are at a “very early stage”, but added that it has “workable and deliverable” proposals.
According to the Oxford Mail newspaper, Council leader Bob Price said there is “no reason” it could not be involved in the project and that the Council has a “direct interest” in providing sports facilities to local residents.
“If there is a clear financial case that can be made for our involvement, we would certainly look at it,” Price said. “It would depend on the terms of the trust. We could not say yes at this stage but as a council we are very interested in maintaining a high-quality leisure offer for people in the city.
“We would like a good outcome which would secure confidence in the future of the club.”
OxVox chairman Jeremy Faulkner added: “We are in conversation with a number of potential stakeholders and partners in this project, one of which is Oxford City Council. The council has been hugely supportive of the project and we thank them for their continued encouragement.”
Firoz Kassam, the current owner of the stadium, has previously said that he will not sell the facility to individuals and instead stated his desire for the stadium to “pass into community ownership for the future security of the football club and the benefit of the local community”.
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