Oxford United Football Club are delighted to announce that plans for their new stadium have been shortlisted in this year’s Football Business Awards sustainability category.
The sustainability award recognises the Club’s commitment to tackling climate change via its innovative approach to its new low-carbon stadium design and plans.
The stadium, which is currently going through the planning process, will be the UK’s first major all-electric stadium and will include numerous cutting edge design solutions to make the venue more resilient to climate change.
Low-impact materials will be used in the build and it will increase biodiversity in the area by adding gardens and public spaces. The Club has also created an active travel plan for matchdays which will significantly reduce supporter carbon emissions.
Working with key partners including Mott MacDonald, Ridge and Partners, AFL Architects and Fabrik, net zero and sustainability is at the heart of all decision-making in the design, construction and operation stages of the project.
Jonathon Clarke, Development Director at Oxford United, said: “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society and football can play a key role tackling it.
“The new stadium is central to our vision of becoming a low-carbon Club with sustainability at its core. It is an exciting opportunity for Oxford to create a blueprint for how modern stadia operate for the benefit of the environment.
“We’re delighted the new stadium has been shortlisted for this award and thank all our delivery partners for helping create such a compelling design.”
Subject to the grant of planning permission, the new stadium, on land north of Oxford, will be one of the greenest in the UK. Technology will include 3,000m2 of solar panels to generate electricity and heat recovery solutions to maximise thermal efficiency. Heat pumps will provide an estimated 80% reduction in CO2 emissions per year when compared to gas boilers.
The stadium will also include drainage systems, rain storage and recycling solutions to re-use rainwater to improve biodiversity, while plans to enhance biodiversity on the land at the Triangle would achieve a significant net gain.
Last year the Club announced it has joined the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, committing to halving its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2040.
