With the future of Oxford Stadium under threat after being included as a suitable site for housing, there will be a lot of worried people around, not just the owners, trainers and staff at the Cowley venue.

Reasons allegedly being given to the council by the owners, Capital Risk Partners, that the track is not viable, could be called into question.

Although racing only twice a week, where there is charge for entrance, the GRA collect almost £1m a year for providing BAGS racing, primarily as a service to the betting shops, they also have a handsome take from the tote.

Saturday is the boom night for the dogs and invariably is packed to the rafters and a favourite haunt for stag and hen night functions.

The question also has to be asked is why is there no speedway team at the moment?

It’s common knowledge that the GRA has had its fingers burnt by previous promotions. But with a further potential income of £70-80,000 through renting the stadium and the benefits of the bars and fast food, you would think it was worth considering.

There are only a handful of full-time staff at the Stadium with the rest part-time, and general manager Maureen Ridley, the most hands-on boss I have met in 37 years at the track, takes every opportunity to bolster the company’s funds.

Will this be the end of Oxford Stadium? No, I have seen it all before.

Going back to the 1970s, planning permission for housing was granted when Bristol Stadium quit the site.

It meant the closure of the Stadium for a time, and during that era, supporters of both speedway and dogs were up in arms forming a Save our Stadium campaign that finally won the day when Don Joyce and Peter Franklyn Jones took over the reins until a new buyer was found.

Northern Sports, a building company from Harrow, took over and transformed the Stadium into one of the best outside London.

However, the company were also in Garden Centres and when they went belly-up in 1994, Oxford went into re-ceivership. Joyce again came to the re-scue before the GRA took over in 1999.

GRA boss Clive Feltham is probably nearer the mark when he says it’s only about possible sites for building.

It could take time to sort things out, but it is such a great venue for local sports fans, people power may win in the end, possibly with a new owner.