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Marsh Lane
(Oxford City)
Address: Marsh Lane,
Marston,
Oxford,
Oxfordshire,
England,
OX3 0NQ
Capacity: 3,500
The newest member of the National League family.
Known as the RAW Charging Stadium through sponsorship, Marsh Lane otherwise goes under the name Court Place Farm, referring to the complex the ground forms part of that also includes the Oxsrad Sports & Leisure Centre.
Marsh Lane has existed since 1993, being the home of Oxford City Football Club ever since. The Hoops date back to the early 1880s, though just over a century later they would be forced to resign from their league and be without senior level football for two years after their White House Ground was sold off for housing. Oxford City would reform in 1990 and based themselves at Cutteslowe Park in northern Oxford. The move to Marsh Lane in 1993 coincided with their return to the Isthmian League.
Location and Getting There
Marsh Lane is located in the village of Marston, around two miles northeast of Oxford City Centre. The A40 passes right alongside the football ground, with the Oxsrad Sports & Leisure Centre immediately to the south of it.
Being located on the outskirts of Oxford, the clear easiest way to reach Marsh Lane is by car. Oxford City offer free car parking on matchdays, but spaces are limited and fill up quickly. In case when very large crowds are expected, the club can open up a field on the opposite side of Marsh Lane (B4150) to act as an overspill. If these car parks are not available, my recommendation is to head south into Marston and find legal street parking on the many roads around there. You can walk back up to the complex once parked.
Coming to Marsh Lane by train is a much tougher challenge. The nearest railway station to the ground is Oxford, served by Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways. This is based in the centre of Oxford however and nearly three miles away from Marsh Lane. What you can do however is take the Number 14 bus service which runs from right outside the Railway Station to the Horseman Close stop on Marsh Lane (B4150). This route takes about 30 minutes.
Outside the Stadium
Everybody enters Court Place Farm and the football ground the same way, via an access road off Marsh Lane (B4150). Heading through brings you first to the Oxsrad Sports & Leisure Centre and you will need to follow the two-way road north from here.
The first part of the football ground that you will come to is a large white building. It is inside here that the Main Reception can be found. Players, guests and hospitality visitors use this building to enter the ground.
Immediately north of this main building are the Marsh Lane Turnstiles, used by every fan entering the ground on a matchday.
The blue building to the north of the turnstiles is the 1882 Bar, a popular place pre and post-match for both home and away supporters. You have to be inside of the football ground in order to enter it, however.
The space outside and around the 1882 Bar is taken up by private car parking spaces and storage. There is no point heading any further up beyond the aforementioned Marsh Lane Turnstiles.
The northern side of Marsh Lane currently includes two stands, the larger of which is known as the Anglo Stand. With trees and the A40 right up behind it, you are not able to walk around the exterior of this northern side.
The eastern side of Marsh Lane includes a single stand, known as the Cyphers Stand and only accessible once inside the perimeter of the football ground.
Out beyond its perimeter wall are football pitches that form part of the surrounding complex.
The stand on the southern side of Marsh Lane is known as the Wallers Stand, and like the rest of the ground is only accessible once through the Marsh Lane Turnstiles.
Out beyond the stand’s green exterior is a full-size 3G pitch and a row of six smaller netball courts which form part of the Oxsrad Sports & Leisure Centre.
Inside the Stadium
The Main Reception building in Marsh Lane’s southwest corner houses the changing rooms and main hospitality facilities. It also includes the ground’s tunnel part-way along.
Immediately after entering through the ground’s Marsh Lane turnstiles, you can often find The Hopped Hut open on matchdays. It is a small hut where matchday programmes can be bought.
The western side of Marsh Lane is otherwise known as the Marsh Lane End and is dominated by the 1882 Bar building. You can also find gates on this side of the football ground that were previously the entrance to Oxford City’s old White House Ground.
The flat ground between the building and the 3G pitch is available for supporters to use however, providing a clear, unprotected view of the action taking place on a matchday.
The northwest corner of Marsh Lane holds a small stand of covered seating, four rows in total.
There are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, though you may find that a nearby floodlight can restrict your view of the far goal from certain seats.
Windshields are not in place at either end and supporters are not permitted to stand directly in front of this small stand on matchdays.
The Anglo Stand next door straddles across the middle third of the pitch. It consists of covered standing terrace and has the two dugouts in place in front of it, meaning that both players and staff have to walk across the 3G pitch to get between the dugouts and the changing rooms.
Supporting pillars do come down at regular intervals across the front of this stand and they can therefore restrict the view slightly for those based inside. You are not permitted to go beyond the eastern end of this Anglo Stand.
The Cyphers Stand on the eastern side of Marsh Lane does not run along the full width of the pitch, but is a decent size nonetheless. It shares similarities with the adjacent Anglo Stand, consisting of covered standing terrace. A large electronic screen sits in place at the stand’s southern end.
Supporting pillars do come down at regular intervals across the front of this stand and they can therefore restrict the view slightly for those based inside.
The Wallers Stand to the south is otherwise considered the Main Stand at Marsh Lane. It straddles the middle third of the pitch and contains four rows of blue seating.
Supporting pillars do come down at regular intervals across the front of this stand and they can therefore restrict the view slightly for those based inside.
Windshields are in place at either end of the stand and supporters are not permitted to stand directly in front of the Wallers Stand on matchdays.
Away Fans
Away segregation has typically not been in place at Marsh Lane. When it is in place however, away fans are usually housed behind the goal in the Cyphers Stand to the east. This is a simple covered terrace which does have its view restricted by supporting pillars present at the front of the stand. Fans are permitted to stand in the space in front of the Cyphers Stand if they wish, but will not be protected overhead.
Like every fan visiting Marsh Lane, away supporters enter the football ground through a set of turnstiles in the southwest corner. They are immediately north of the large white building which holds the Main Reception and Hospitality Entrance.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include*:
-The 1882 Bar (Marsh Lane, OX3 0NG) (Home and Away Supporters Welcome) (Located at Marsh Lane on its eastern side, can only be accessed once inside the football ground)
-The Red Lion (42 Oxford Road, OX3 0PH) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located around 0.5 miles west of the ground in Old Marston)
*Outside of the 1882 Bar and Red Lion, there aren’t really any pubs within close range of Marsh Lane. You will have to travel deeper into Oxford and take the long trip back up north if you are looking for a drink elsewhere.
Overview
The newest, smallest member of the National League family is classic non-league. A place that allows you to pack visitors right around the perimeter of the pitch and have the freedom to travel along all four sides during a game.
It’s a challenge to reach by something other than a car, though the local bus route is certainly handy if coming from within the centre of Oxford.
Great to see the ground by the A40 getting its first taste of fifth tier football.
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