Aberdeen hope for ‘big step forward’ in stadium plan

Aberdeen have been invited to a meeting on Friday with city council leaders they hope “will be the first big step forward in some time” following a war of words over plans for a new stadium.

The Scottish Premiership club warned last week that the city risked missing out on a “transformational” boost to the local economy after a local newspaper report suggested their latest proposal for a new beachfront community stadium was going to be thrown out by the local authority.

Aberdeen chairman David Cormack told the club’s annual meeting on Monday “it would be pretty catastrophic” for the city if the football club moved away to a new stadium outside the centre.

Following the meeting, chief executive Alan Burrows told BBC Scotland: “We remain positive in terms of looking towards these discussions on Friday.

“As recently as today, we were asked to attend, Dave and I, a meeting with the senior representatives from the local council and we are going to go along on Friday and discuss the art of the possible.

Burrows replied “I hope it is closer” when asked how the situation had changed since the same question was raised at last year’s annual meeting.

“Even if we were to go to the meeting on Friday and the council leaders told us they were fully behind it and were going to support it, it would still take a significant amount of time to go through all the usual processes of building a stadium,” he pointed out.

“But I think hopefully what the call to have a meeting on Friday will be the first big step forward in some time that will allow us to make solid plans about what the next stage might be and that next stage will be hopefully is a real bona fide feasibility study to see just what it would cost, what it would bring, all these different factors.”

The stadium issue topped the agenda at a pretty positive annual meeting given recent form leaves Jimmy Thelin’s side unbeaten in eight games.

The Swede’s side had only won twice in the previous 12 and Burrows was asked if at any point the board were thinking they might need to start searching for a new manager.

“Responsible board of directors and senior executives are always looking at what they are doing and monitoring the performances,” he replied.