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Post by Steve T on Feb 24, 2013 12:40:48 GMT 1
From the Oxford Mail: At Oxford Town Hall on Monday night, a £60,000 grant for Oxford City Football club was approved as part of the city council's budget for the 2013/14 year. The cash will help upgrade the club's home ground in Marsh Lane, Marston, which is owned by the council.
The club was promoted from the Southern Premier League to the Conference North League last year. As part of the move up, the FA gave the club until next month to upgrade their facilities. Three new turnstiles, larger dugouts, new floodlighting and a different seating arrangement are among the plans.
Club manager Mike Ford said: "We have come a long way in a very small amount of time. The higher up you go means you have to tick a number of boxes, so now we can look forward to staying in the league next season. We have almost crossed the finish line to stay in the league. We need to win a couple more games first but we have proven we are not out of our depth after moving up, and will now have the grounds to stay up."
City managing director Colin Taylor said: "The stadium is 20 years old and the new improvements will help for training and attract more players. We have young teams which use it as well who are near the top of the leagues so it will benefit them as well."
Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: "We are very happy to make the allocation to ensure that Oxford City Football Club can remain in their league. And we also welcome the long- term benefits of having improved seating and lighting because it is a council facility that can be used by a variety of clubs and teams."Link to report |
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Post by geoff on Feb 24, 2013 17:00:41 GMT 1
Flying pigs ahoy
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Post by Sparky on Feb 24, 2013 17:24:24 GMT 1
Think they have already flown over San Spencer judging by the state of the pitch ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Keith R. on Feb 24, 2013 18:09:02 GMT 1
From the Oxford Mail: Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: "We are very happy to make the allocation to ensure that Oxford City Football Club can remain in their league. And we also welcome the long- term benefits of having improved seating and lighting because it is a council facility that can be used by a variety of clubs and teams." [/i] Link to report[/quote] It should not be a case of could it happen here but it should happen here,i am getting a bit fed up with everyone leaving the club in limbo,especially cherwell district council,it's about time they sorted the ground issue and help the club to go forward and modernise,also i am affraid that although the club has moved forward on the field we are still completely disorganised off of the field,we have no named Chairman,no press officer,no stadium manager to organise match day personnel,no fully qualified groundsman,the list goes on,to be honest,and this hurts to say it,Brackley and Oxford City are miles ahead of us in off field organisation,the one thing i hoped for when the takeover went through is that we would be more professional both on and off of the field,but in some respects we have gone backwards by elevating totally the wrong people who cannot take us forward,we have people in the Town who should be brought into the club with football knowledge,business contacts and connections with the club,Ronnie Johnson,Phil lines to name but two,how does the club expect to attract interest and help when it is perceived to be poorly run?,until there is a major shake up behind the scenes then i'm affraid we are going to remain the poor relations,the forward thinking modernists need to be allowed to take the initiative and drag us away from the dark ages before it is too late!. |
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Post by Steve T on Feb 24, 2013 18:43:14 GMT 1
Whatever the circumstances on or off the field, it simply won't happen while the club doesn't have a permanent home. Of course, Oxford City's link with the OFA also count in their favour, as does Brackley's with a multi-millionaire.
However, the gulf in off-field organisation that Keith describes is so disappointing because for several years the club looked to be pulling itself around after the dark days of the 80s and the 90s. Relations with CDC improved enormously. There was a time when they barely acknowledged the club's existence. One club official told me of the senior CDC councillor who had voiced his public support for the club when it nearly folded in 1990 with the threat of the sale of the ground following relegation. The two met by chance in town in the mid/late 90s and the councillor asked "Are you still going down there?"
I think the CDC will be disappointed by current events given their support in recent years.
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Post by Spriggs on Feb 24, 2013 19:18:24 GMT 1
From the Oxford Mail: Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said: "We are very happy to make the allocation to ensure that Oxford City Football Club can remain in their league. And we also welcome the long- term benefits of having improved seating and lighting because it is a council facility that can be used by a variety of clubs and teams." [/i] Link to report[/quote] It should not be a case of could it happen here but it should happen here,i am getting a bit fed up with everyone leaving the club in limbo,especially cherwell district council,it's about time they sorted the ground issue and help the club to go forward and modernise,also i am affraid that although the club has moved forward on the field we are still completely disorganised off of the field,we have no named Chairman,no press officer,no stadium manager to organise match day personnel,no fully qualified groundsman,the list goes on,to be honest,and this hurts to say it,Brackley and Oxford City are miles ahead of us in off field organisation,the one thing i hoped for when the takeover went through is that we would be more professional both on and off of the field,but in some respects we have gone backwards by elevating totally the wrong people who cannot take us forward,we have people in the Town who should be brought into the club with football knowledge,business contacts and connections with the club,Ronnie Johnson,Phil lines to name but two,how does the club expect to attract interest and help when it is perceived to be poorly run?,until there is a major shake up behind the scenes then i'm affraid we are going to remain the poor relations,the forward thinking modernists need to be allowed to take the initiative and drag us away from the dark ages before it is too late!. [/quote] Solid comments my friend. You need a solid foundation to go far. If anyone or anything wishes to be respected and treated professionally, you must first treat yourself in that manner. I hope that you and others can be the seed to cultivate that. |
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Post by Chris Smart on Feb 24, 2013 21:51:23 GMT 1
Sorry Keith but disagree. What you are suggesting with Lines and Co takes the club back 10 years. Mr Lines has recently stood down as manager of Easington and would be a poor decision IMHO. It's about time the club wiped the slate clean and started with a fresh deck. Reading the NLP today, JM says he's leaving the club in good hands, but surely these are the hands that had the reigns five years ago? To me the club has gone BACKWARDS not forward. As I said in an earlier pos Banbury can only dream of being where Oxford & Brackley are now. If Leamington go up then what will be the money spinner next season?
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Post by Keith R. on Feb 25, 2013 14:58:24 GMT 1
Sorry Keith but disagree. What you are suggesting with Lines and Co takes the club back 10 years. Mr Lines has recently stood down as manager of Easington and would be a poor decision IMHO. It's about time the club wiped the slate clean and started with a fresh deck. Reading the NLP today, JM says he's leaving the club in good hands, but surely these are the hands that had the reigns five years ago? To me the club has gone BACKWARDS not forward. As I said in an earlier pos Banbury can only dream of being where Oxford & Brackley are now. If Leamington go up then what will be the money spinner next season? Understand your post microbot,all i was suggesting is that we get local people involved who command respect in the Town,it is far easier to attract business interest and negotiate with CDC etc when people who are running the club are known locally and have a good reputation,the clubs image at the moment is all wrong,getting the club a good reputation for being well run is the priority to build a strong foundation for the future,and that will require wholesale changes at every level at the club,as you say and i agree,we need a clean slate and hopefully get the right people involved to move us forwards. |
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Post by Sparky on Feb 25, 2013 17:39:51 GMT 1
Thought we might have had a clean slate last September,proves just how wrong you can be  unless there is a hidden masterplan, but it does'nt bode well at the moment. |
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