The transformation of the Kassam Stadium

9:10am Thursday 11th October 2012 in Sport

STAGE 1: The football goals are taken down immediately after Oxford United's match STAGE 1: The football goals are taken down immediately after Oxford United's match

TRANSFORMING the Kassam Stadium from a football to rugby ground can happen in just an hour and a half.

And these photos and the accompanying timelapse video, taken by our picture editor Jessica Mann after Oxford United’s home game against Gillingham on Saturday, show how.

It’s literally minutes after the full-time whistle blows that the three-strong groundstaff from the Sports Maintenance Ltd start removing the football goals.

Steve Honey, Darren Varney and Rory Moore then set about repairing the holes that the football posts were in, and preparing the other set of holes to put up the rugby posts.

It’s a real case of teamwork as the posts are hoisted into place, before the trio fix the crossbar into place.

Then it is onto the lines.

The football pitch markings need to be painted over in a green paint to ensure they are as hidden as possible, before a start is made on the rugby pitch.

The darkness begins to descend by the time the men are finished – and Oxford United’s home is now London Welsh’s.

Comments(8)

mandate says...
3:00pm Thu 11 Oct 12

The best transformation to the Kassam would be the building of the 4th stand. It is unbelievable that neither London Welsh or Oxford United force the owner of the stadium to complete it.

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paul from Kennington says...
3:16pm Thu 11 Oct 12

mandate wrote:
The best transformation to the Kassam would be the building of the 4th stand. It is unbelievable that neither London Welsh or Oxford United force the owner of the stadium to complete it.
Can you imagine how much Kassam would jack up the rent if it was built, and with no benefit to the clubs as Welsh are as high as they can go, and UTD would have to get into the championship at least before they need a bigger capacity.

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Mark L says...
3:52pm Thu 11 Oct 12

I read this headline with a bit of delight, thinking they were improving it :(

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BigOx22 says...
4:43pm Thu 11 Oct 12

Kassam is never going to sell up anymore. Gets too much is rent from both clubs put together. Unless IL is going to get £15,000,000 that Kassam now wants for the ground we aint going anywhere for atleast another 15 years. The club and council have an agreement in place from when the ground was built that OUFC can't build a new stadium in Oxfordshire within the next 25 years, and we have only been there 11 years. So we just have to stick with it. Plus we never make any money until we get over 5000 at the ground for a game. So basically we only get money for like 1000 fans the rest is already spent.

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osney terrier says...
9:46pm Thu 11 Oct 12

This story is worded like we really care!
Good luck to London Welsh
I realise that the OM is not an OUFC fanzine and has a duty to report newsworthy items
We are tennants paying over the top rates.
Fact is, we are in limbo as far as the ground is concerned,and i wish i knew the answers

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bob1952 says...
3:18am Fri 12 Oct 12

why not change the name back to headington utd that would get rid of the
25 year embargo then try and get another ground or share with some one
else

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BigOx22 says...
9:03am Fri 12 Oct 12

bob1952 I only being fairly young (22) I never knew the club as Headington Utd so for me I don't think I would take that option. Need a rich business man to buy the club and buy the ground but that won't happen anytime soon. O wait isn't IL and rich business man??? Who spent a six figure sum on fitness/conditioning coaches to stop injuries but we are worse then ever.

COYY

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hawkeye1 says...
9:21pm Fri 12 Oct 12

Good idea going back to Headington United if it would break that 25 year agreement, I would have thought ground sharing with the Rugby would also have done that, anything to get that cursed Kassam name OFF of the stadium,Kassam is only happy to drain every penny he can out of us, the man does not have a sole, well, he does in a way, he IS one beginning with a capitol A.

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