Labour’s the only party that’s fully backing a new stadium for Oxford United FC 💛
The Kassam Stadium has been OUFC’s home since 2001, but their lease will expire in June 2026 and the current stadium is not up to standard.
–UPDATE May 2025– It’s great to see that OUFC have now extended their lease for up to two extra years. Let’s get on with the work for the new stadium that Oxford United and its fans deserve.
OUFC is planning to build its own 16,000 capacity stadium and a new hotel, restaurant, and community spaces with good public transport links. This would be just north of Oxford, near Oxford Parkway station (“The Kidlington Triangle”). According to the Club, this would create around 1,000 jobs and add £32 million a year to our local economy. The new stadium would also be the first all-electric stadium in the UK, and OUFC has produced a fully-costed net zero carbon plan.
But Councillors from the Liberal Democrat Party and Green Party have tried to block OUFC’s move to a new stadium in Kidlington, and signing terms for the lease took longer than necessary. Senior Lib Dems and Greens are also objecting to the Club’s planning application for the site, putting the future of our local football team at risk.
Speaking at the House of Commons, Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East, said: “Oxford United must be able to move out of the Kassam Stadium, for which they’re charged unviable rent, despite lacking a fourth stand and many other problems. The club’s exciting proposals for a new stadium in Kidlington must go forward.”
Mark Lygo is the Labour County Councillor for Marston & Northway, a Trustee of Oxford United in the Community, and a youth football referee locally. He has been campaigning for the new stadium alongside the rest of the Labour Party. “Labour Councillors have constantly called out the endless dithering of Lib Dem and Green County Councillors on this issue. Only Labour understands the importance of OUFC’s survival to our community, and we wholeheartedly support United fans.”
Labour County Councillors celebrate lease agreement for new stadium, September 2023: https://www.oxfordlabour.org.uk/oxfordshire-labour-welcomes-oufc-decision/
Labour City Councillors pass motion declaring support for new stadium, July 2024: https://mycouncil.oxford.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=157&MId=7807
Anneliese Dodds stands up for OUFC in Parliament, March 2025 and April 2025: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2126852971100630 and https://www.facebook.com/reel/2460315744335912
News articles dating back to 2023: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66811697 and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyedwq8l0do and https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/25126697.oxford-united-stadium-plans-backed-parliament-mp/
Mark Lygo, County Councillor & Trustee of OUFC in the Community, speaks about Labour support, April 2025: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1202111461592891