Oxford United have decided not to erect a temporary stand to boost crowd numbers at the local derby with arch-rivals Swindon Town on Saturday, March 3.
The club said that it had undertaken extensive discussions with suppliers, sponsors, Oxford City Council and Thames Valley Police before making the decision. As a result, Swindon fans have been allocated 1,252 seats in the North Stand at the Kassam Stadium for the League Two match-up. Tickets for home fans have already sold out.
In a statement, the club said Football League rules meant they could not charge more than £11.94 after VAT for tickets in a temporary stand, which would cost Oxford United an estimated £17.74 per seat to put up. Costs include building the stand, security fencing, additional CCTV camera, stewards and turnstile operators, permits and the creation of a disabled seating section.
The additional stand would also boost attendances above 14,000, creating traffic and parking issues around the stadium. Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: "Everyone in the club would have loved to put a fourth stand up for this fixture. It's something that hasn't happened before and we all like to create history in some way.
"However after spending a lot of time on the research and a tremendous amount of time discussing the positives and negatives internally we think it is the right decision at this point. It could be a safety risk and a financial risk, on top of what is already a very high profile fixture.
"We are very excited about the fixture anyway, we will have a great crowd with over 10,000 Oxford fans and we look forward to a cracking atmosphere and game."
The club said supporters who are already on the waiting list will be contacted should any further tickets be returned for this fixture.
