Kassam Stadium facts for kids
 |
|
| Full name | Kassam Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Grenoble Road, Oxford, England, OX4 4XP |
| Coordinates | 51°42′59.11″N 1°12′29.04″W / 51.7164194°N 1.2080667°W |
| Owner | Firoka Group |
| Operator | Oxford United |
| Capacity | 12,500 |
| Field size | 112 × 78 yards |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1997 |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Construction cost | £15m |
| Architect | ACP Architecture Ltd |
| Tenants | |
| Oxford United (2001–present) London Welsh (2012–2015) |
|
The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United Football Club, and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam.
The Kassam Stadium currently hosts League One (third tier) games although Oxford were relegated to Division Three (fourth tier) the season before the new stadium was built and were further relegated to the Conference National (fifth tier) in 2005–06. The club was previously based at The Manor Ground from 1925 until the opening of the Kassam Stadium in 2001.
Opening
The stadium is officially owned by one of Kassam's Firoka Group companies, and hosted its first football match on 4 August 2001. The game was a friendly match against Crystal Palace, which Oxford won on penalties following a 1–1 draw, and Paul Powell scored the club's first goal at the ground. The first competitive match at the ground took place one week later, on 11 August, against Rochdale, in the Football League Third Division .
Records
The attendance record at the Kassam Stadium is 12,243. This was for Oxford's final match of the 2005–06 League Two season. During the summer of 2006, Oxford United hosted Manchester United in a friendly game that attracted 11,463 people, and on Boxing Day, 2006, the ground held a Conference Premier record attendance of 11,065. This was surpassed during the play-off 2nd leg on 3 May 2010, where the attendance was 11,963 for the visit of Rushden & Diamonds. In January 2016, a crowd of 11,673 watched a 3–2 FA Cup win against Swansea City, which was the biggest home gate for almost four years.
On 24 July 2006, Sir Elton John played a concert to a sold-out 17,500 crowd.
Structure and facilities
A distinctive feature of the stadium is a reflective glass panelling that makes up the main entrance. The stadium offers a number of conference rooms to host corporate and non-corporate events. The stadium's South Stand is host to 28 private hospitality boxes with each box capable of holding up to 20 people.
The ground currently consists of three stands.
- The North Stand is divided for use by both home and away supporters and has a capacity of 5,026.
- The East Stand newspaper, and still commonly known as the Oxford Mail Stand) is home to the more vocal home supporters and can hold 2,879 spectators.
- The South Stand is the main structure of the stadium, housing the Quadrangle conference centre, the Exhibition Bar, the club offices and changing rooms, and a row of 28 glass-fronted executive boxes. The South Stand is divided into two tiers, with the lower tier including the ground's Family Section. It has a total capacity of 4,495.
Images for kids
-
The East Stand under construction in November 2000
-
Panoramic view of the Kassam Stadium
-
View from the open end of the Kassam Stadium
See also
In Spanish: Kassam Stadium para niños
