Community Open Letter from Oxford United Football Club
June 2025
We understand that there are many questions about Oxford United Football Club’s proposed new stadium at The Triangle, north of Oxford. Our Club is important to so many people and this stadium secures its future – without it we have no future. We have prepared a short video here that shows what it means.
However, we know that it is about more than football. It’s about whether our Club and the stadium respect Kidlington and surrounding villages — its people, its green spaces, and its real challenges.
This letter explains how we’ve listened, adapted, and are committed to delivering something that can be genuinely valued locally.
Meeting Community Needs
We understand that Kidlington and surrounding villages face real and pressing challenges. That’s why we’ve worked closely with local stakeholders to develop a proposal that benefits the community – not just on matchdays, but every day.
Below are some of the key local issues we’ve identified, and how the stadium plans can help address them.
Improved Access to Health & Wellbeing Services
- A Health & Wellbeing Centre, ideally designed as a Community Diagnostics Centre. Our plans would deliver thousands of NHS appointments annually, with facilities such as X-ray, CT, MRI and outpatient services being earmarked to directly relieve current and future pressure on Kidlington Health Centre and other local GP services and hospitals.
- A proposed new pharmacy, to help fill the gap left by the closure of the pharmacy at Sainsbury’s.
- Expanded community programmes by Oxford United in the Community around our new stadium supporting mental health, social isolation, and physical activity. More details on this can be found here.
Supporting Physical & Mental Wellbeing
With few local gym facilities and rising obesity levels in the area[1], we believe the new stadium can help address this challenge through:
- A community gym, supporting up to 250 users daily to improve physical health.
- Investment in Stratfield Brake’s sports pitches for five years — protecting vital community clubs like Kidlington Youth FC, Gosford All Blacks, and others – see more on this below.
- A focus on girls’ and women’s sport, inclusion, and wellbeing pathways.
- Wellbeing gardens and walking routes linking to the Woodland Trust Wood at Stratfield Brake, promoting active lifestyles for all ages.
Creating Jobs, Skills & Opportunities
Oxfordshire faces a shortage of hospitality and youth employment opportunities. The stadium and its facilities will bring major opportunities for residents in Kidlington and surrounding villages:
- A new Radisson hotel, along with a conference centre, delivering hundreds of hospitality jobs and a pathway to significant opportunities with a global brand.
- Up to 1,000 roles in hospitality, stadium operations, and community services — with the aim of at least 20% of these roles going to local residents.
- Apprenticeships and training developed with local businesses and education institutions.
- A Community Employment Plan inspired by best-practice, with local authority backing.
This will help address Oxfordshire’s youth employment and hospitality labour shortages, while boosting local spend, tourism, local business and local career opportunities, especially for young people.
Tackling Climate Change – A Net Zero Development
Communities across Oxfordshire are addressing the challenge of climate change – and we are no different. Our plan is for an all-electric stadium, powered by on-site renewables and 100% clean energy. This would be a UK first and a landmark for green development in Oxfordshire and Kidlington – something we can all be proud of. It would also include:
- Rainwater harvesting across the stadium site and management of rainwater to reduce local flooding issues, as well as solar technology, and built with sustainable materials.
- New tree planting, green roofs, beehives, ponds, rain gardens, and wildflower meadows will be delivered on site, with a 20% net biodiversity improvement for the benefit of the community provided off-site (the legal requirement for developments is 10%). We have answered some key questions on Green Belt and site ecology in our FAQ here.
The stadium is not just sustainable — it’s inclusive. We’re also delivering:
- A sensory room and Changing Places toilet.
- An outward-facing prayer room.
- An accessible public plaza with gardens, a café, market space, and the potential to run numerous events throughout the year in partnership with our local councils and our community — anything from festivals, markets, community fairs, and local celebrations, providing opportunities for community interaction and participation.
Addressing Transport Matters
We know from feedback that matchday traffic is an important issue locally. That’s why we’ve worked closely with Thames Valley Police (TVP) and Oxfordshire County Council Highways, Chiltern Railways, Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach to create a transport strategy that actively promotes sustainable transport – trains, buses, cycling and walking.
TVP, OCC Highways, National Highways have given no objections, subject to a number of conditions being met, in response to the strategy – we are also delighted that our proposals are supported by Chiltern Railways and Oxford Bus Company, who will play an important role in delivering this strategy with us.
Details are set out in our Transport Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ document) that can be found on the stadium website – see here.
Setting a New Standard for Community Integration
We’re inspired by what clubs like Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion have done with modern community stadiums. Oxford United’s new home will build on these models.
Here’s what we’re committing to:
Investing in Stratfield Brake Sports Ground
There is uncertainty about continued public funding to maintain Stratfield Brake Sports Ground. That’s why the Club has committed to a five-year package to maintain the pitches – freeing significant taxpayer funds to be redirected into other local services.
We are also committed to helping grow grassroots participation, and support club-led development at Stratfield Brake – especially in underrepresented groups like disability, girls’ and women’s sport.
Should the stadium be built, we will not only maintain the pitches for five years, but we will use that time to work with Cherwell District Council and the community clubs using the facility to develop a long-term sustainable business model. This will ensure this significant community facility can be protected and sustainably run for the future.
We aim to protect this key community asset and the impact it has on our community’s physical and mental health, social inclusion and community cohesion. We will promote participation in sport and physical activity, leading to healthier lifestyles and reduced stress for all who use this facility.
- Free venue access at the stadium for local schools, charities, and community groups.
- Discounted event hire for non-profit organisations.
- Regular community sessions for support with mental health, nutrition, CV writing, and fitness.
- Support through our Dreaming Spires project, with £10,000 already provided, see Dreaming Spires – Oxford United Stadium.
Protecting Oxford United in the Community
Our charity, Oxford United in the Community, delivered £973,000 of social value last year — on a modest budget — through 28 delivery partners including Oxford Health NHS, Asylum Welcome, and Active Oxfordshire.
But the charity has no permanent home. It relies on renting space for its outreach work / events and has limited reach because of this. A new stadium would change that and:
- Give the charity dedicated offices, event, and classroom space.
- Expand health and education programmes across Cherwell and Oxfordshire, especially in our new community around the stadium.
- Enable continued delivery of the Leys Legacy in East Oxford.
Without a new stadium there is no Oxford United and, without the Club, there is no Oxford United in the Community. If Oxford United and Oxford United in the Community were to disappear, the county will lose £1million of social value, and an estimated £10million of direct and indirect spend, along with over 500 jobs.
We’re Here to Talk
We know not everyone will agree with every part of our proposal. But we want to work with you. We’ve published extensive FAQs on our website here — and if they don’t answer your question, we welcome emails at: oxfordunitedfc@devcomms.co.uk
We want to create something that reflects the best of Oxfordshire — a stadium that delivers for our local communities as well as securing the future of our much loved Club.
With appreciation and respect,
Oxford United Football Club
