The debate over where Oxford United should play their games is nothing new - it’s been raging since at least 1949.

The plan to build a new stadium on the outskirts of Kidlington is just the latest in a series of sites suggested for a possible stadium.

Regular Memory Lane contributor David Brown has sent in extracts from a book published in 1993 to mark the club’s centenary.

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It gives a detailed account of the numerous attempts the club had made to find a suitable home in and around the city.

In 1949, the city council claimed the Manor site off Beech Road, Headington, was “not suitable for or capable of any extensive development as a professional football ground”.

Two new sites considered at that time, Court Place Farm, Marston (where Oxford City now play), and Cowley Airfield, were said to be unsatisfactory.

The argument rambled on until 1971 when the city planning officer suggested 10 possible sites.

They were at Pound Meadow, off Botley Road; south of Blackbird Leys; north or south of Horspath Road; Langford Lane, Kidlington; Court Place Farm, Marston; Pear Tree roundabout; Old Abingdon Road; Oxpens recreation ground; Binsey Lane.

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The club suggested Horspath Driftway. The city council was willing to grant permission, but following changes in the United board of directors, the plan was withdrawn.

In the 1980s, sites were suggested at Marston, Blackbird Leys, Botley and Pear Tree, but all came to nothing.

Summing up the club’s first 100 years, the authors said it had been driven to success “by the ambitions of a few in a city that has, on occasions, hardly seemed to care a jot what was happening in Headington”.

They added: “Oxford United has succeeded against the odds, through the determination of a relatively small band of enlightened officials, big-hearted players and passionate supporters.

Oxford Mail:

“As the large number of failed planning applications has shown, United have rarely enjoyed an easy relationship with Oxford’s authorities, be they our elected representatives or the area’s major landowners, particularly the University.”

The authors admitted United had not been totally blameless, citing the era when publisher Robert Maxwell was in charge – “he appeared merely to want to bulldoze his way to a new site.”

They said football was a low priority for many people in Oxford and the club would have to work with the city and county councils “to become an integral part of the community, not an adjunct to it”.

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United ended their 76-year stay at the Manor Ground on May 1, 2001 with a 1-1 draw with Port Vale in front of a crowd of 7,080,

Now they face eviction from the Kassam Stadium. Will they move to Kidlington? Only time will tell.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

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