MORE than 40 football teams hope to be able to play on a new all-weather artificial pitch at Oxford City football club.

Players from various clubs would be able to access a new 3G surface at the Marsh Lane ground by the start of the next season if Oxford City Council grants planning permission.

Yesterday the Oxford Mail reported that City would play their first-team fixtures on the new pitch.

But the club also plan to open the new surface to the wider community and chairman Brian Cox said it will allow sport in the community to grow.

Mr Cox said: “If the plans get accepted it will be fantastic for the club and community.

We do a massive amount of work with charities and youngsters who will benefit from this.

“Every club’s base is its youngsters and we have over 40 teams that are made up of boys, girls, disabled people, people with learning difficulties and amputees.

“We are a community club and we have some great volunteers.

This will add to our arena and the more facilities there are the more people that you can get involved.”

The wider community will have 35 hours of access every week to the two-star Fifarated surface and if there are no issues with the proposals, work could start on the site this summer. In 2012, City opened a full-size 3G artificial pitch as part of the club’s £2.1m community arena, which cost £500,000.

The club will cover all the costs for the second pitch which Mr Cox thought would be between £300,000 and £400,000.

Mr Cox added: “Having this pitch will hopefully suit our first team’s style of football as it’s a lovely surface to play on.

“The pitch will allow us to play more as, with Oxford being low-lying, we have had huge problems in the past with flooding and having to call off games, which will be gone completely.”

The artificial turf , known as third generation, is a surface created using synthetic fibres made to look like grass and can be used in all weather conditions.

Unlike previous artificial surfaces, the pitch does not contain sand, therefore it is much less likely to cause friction burns to the skin.

Mark Lygo, city council board member for sports, events and parks, said the council had held discussions with the football club in relation to the development of sport in the area.

He added: “This could not only benefit the football club but also the wider community.

“We are conscious about making sure it has community use andwe can put various sporting sessions on the pitch.”

A decision is expected to be made within 10 weeks.