Oxford United gets green light for new all-electric soccer stadium

The team involved in the design of the stadium claim that it will be the UK’s first all-electric-powered football (soccer) stadium.

Consultancy Ridge Partners advised on site selection, planning, sustainability strategy and transport modelling, worked alongside AFL Architects, engineering consultant Mott MacDonald and Fabrik (responsibld for landscape design) to develop the design.

Powered entirely by renewable energy, the venue will include 3,500 sq m of roof-mounted solar PV panels, air-source heat pumps, and high-performance building fabric. Ridge said the measures will remove the need for carbon-based fuels and cut annual CO₂ emissions by around 80% compared with gas boilers.

The stadium isn’t the only one in the UK that could lay claim to being the first all-electric football stadium. Forest Green Rovers’ planned Eco Park stadium is also designed to be all-electric. But Ridge maintains Oxford United’s ground will be the first because it is scheduled for completion ahead of Eco Park, although neither project has yet started construction.

The £130 million development will sit on a five-hectare site near Oxford Parkway railway station and the Kidlington roundabout, selected from more than 60 locations assessed for sustainability, accessibility and absence of flood or heritage constraints. The transport plan aims for 90% of journeys to be made via sustainable means, with pedestrian and cycle links, Park & Ride integration, and nearly 450 cycle spaces.

The stadium bowl has been designed with a steep rake for improved sightlines, and a diagonally sloping roofline. A timber roof and lean structural frame aim to reduce embodied carbon. Landscaping will deliver a 20% biodiversity net gain, with green roofs, wildflower meadows, rain gardens, ponds, and beehives. The project will increase stadium capacity by 3,500, in a bid to enhance the Championship club’s financial sustainability.

Beyond matchdays, the site will host a 1,000-capacity events venue, plus a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, health and wellbeing centre, and a community plaza and gardens. Spaces will also be provided for the club’s charity, Oxford United in the Community, to support education, health and inclusion programmes.

Mott MacDonald contributed to the sustainable systems design and will provide specialist advice on fire, acoustics, crowd modelling, catering and security. The project joins Ridge’s wider sports portfolio, which includes work for Stoke City, Birmingham City, Forest Green Rovers, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, Twickenham Stadium, and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.