Oxford United

Oxford United’s history follows a generally familiar course among smaller English clubs: ancient founding, early glory, obscurity, more recent glory, decline, and resurrection. In their case, the founding was in 1893, the early glory was in leagues you’ve never heard of, and the recent glory was in the 1980s under a manager named Maurice Evans.

They made the top flight in 1986. They barely stayed up, but they won the League Cup, which was then known as the Milk Cup, and is now known as the EFL Cup or Carabao Cup. Let’s just move on. The point is, 1986 was by all accounts the high-water mark.

Also of note from that Milk Cup win: Evans, the manager, let his winner’s medal be collected by the club’s 72-year-old physio (trainer). Proper gentleman move, that.

As money became more important in the league, the U’s became less so, and they almost went away in the late 1990s. In fact, they almost merged with Reading FC, but the fans of both clubs revolted against Reading’s nutty owner. They came back from the edge thanks mainly to their chairman Firoz Kassam, although they dropped out of the Football League in 2006.

They got back up in 2010, playing the Conference (now National League) Playoff final at Wembley in front of a then-record attendance of 42,000—of which 35,000 were Oxford fans.

In the 2015-16 season, they finished second in League Two, which earned them promotion to League One. They also lost the final of the League Trophy, 3-2, to Barnsley at Wembley that season. After getting back to the third tier, they finished midtable three years running and lost another League Trophy final. Then, in 2019, they beat two Premier League teams on the way to the League Cup quarterfinals. They finished fourth in the league and made the playoff final, which they lost to rivals Wycombe Wanderers. They weren’t as successful in the Cups in 2020-21 but did finish sixth and eighth in the league from 2021-22.

In 2024, though, they won the League One playoffs, putting them into the Championship for last season. They finished 17th, safe by four points.

2024–25 SEASON: 17th in the Championship, 3rd Round FA Cup, 2nd Round League Cup

2025–26 SEASON: The Championship (promoted in 2024)

Swindon Town is the most disliked; they are just 30 miles away, and the two clubs have met more than 50 times since 1962. Reading, a similar distance away, is also a rival, as are Wycombe Wanderers. There is an Oxford City (where the United women play), but they are in the National League North, the sixth tier, and the two haven’t had a competitive match since the 1950s.

Oxford United Women are in the Women’s National League South, the third tier, with home games at the Oxford City FC ground.

“Yel-lows, Yel-lows” and a long, rolling “Cooome on you Uuuuu’s!”

The Kassam, named for the influential former chairman, is an odd place really. It’s in Oxford Science Park, which is really just a business campus. The stadium has only three sides, with the open end revealing a bowling alley and a Frankie and Benny’s restaurant. Not the most romantic setting in the league. The club shop is over that way, as well.

Outside there’s a statue of a bull ox, owing to the town’s name (oxen crossing a ford). The club shop, when your author was there, was just a table set up in the corner. But now there’s a proper store in the shopping center next to the stadium.

The main noisemakers sit in the East Stand—the bottom of the U, appropriately—underneath banners about the Spirit of ’86. The away fans will be in the North Stand, toward the opening. Sit in Lower South Stand for the view of the action and away fans, or the east end to be amongst the singers.

The club’s current agreement to play at Kassam Stadium ends in 2026, and they recently published renderings of a new stadium focused on sustainability. So we could be seeing a new home for Oxford United in the coming years.

TOURS: No tours are available at this stadium.

GETTING THERE: It’s a weird place to get to as well. From the train station, take bus 5 (Blackbird Leys) for 35 minutes to Sandy Lane, and then walk another 15 minutes. Alternatively, take bus 1 (also Blackbird Leys!) to Queens Lane, then bus 3A (Littlemore) for 20 minutes to the stadium. Or you know what? Take a cab. It’s almost five miles and should be about £15. Get the taxi’s number for after the game.

PUBS: The closest options are the Frankie and Benny’s and J’s Sports Bar next door. The Blackbird is about 15 minutes’ walk and has a large outdoor area. The Catherine Wheel, on the route of bus 5, feels like it’s almost out in the country. And The George, also on that bus route, looks like a friendly local.

But this being Oxford, there are some amazing pubs around town. Drink and eat in one of these:

• The Kings Arms has been there since 1607!
• The Eagle and Child is where J. R. R. Tolkien used to hang out with C. S. Lewis. They let mortals in as well.
• The Lamb and Flag, across Gloucester Green, is owned by St. Johns College and has been there since 1613.
• There is another pub, named something like Land Inn, which is the oldest pub in town. It is where Bill Clinton allegedly didn’t inhale, where the future Australian prime minister set a world drinking record, and whose location and precise name, by local tradition, we will not share. It’s fun to find it on your own.

GRUB: Again, there’s little by the ground. Eat in town; there are a few options in The Covered Market.

AROUND TOWN: Touring the non-football Oxford is both easy and pleasant. The Hop-On Hop-Off bus is quite good, especially if you catch one with an actual tour guide on it. Get a ticket and board at the train station. Nice walks can be had through Christchurch Meadow, down to the Thames, and through various side streets.

The many colleges in town are often closed, but they have hours in the afternoon when they might be open. They’re all basically set up like monasteries, with a central courtyard or garden, and they range from a few dozen students in attendance to several hundred.

You can take Harry Potter tours to see sites from the films, and a £20 walking tour from Visit Oxford Tours was good to see the city and as a way to pick a local’s brain for two hours.

Also recommended: a £20 Thames boat tour from Oxford River Cruises, which was nice for a little peaceful break and because the river is pleasant. It lasts about an hour.

The Covered Market in an 18th-century building, open daily, is really cool and not to be confused with the every-Wednesday outdoor market, which is kind of lame. In The Covered Market, look for the heavenly cake shop.

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