Aberdeen Football Club has announced plans to upgrade its current stadium, Pittodrie, abandoning the previous project of building a new stadium on the waterfront. The club’s president, Dave Cormack, shared the news during the annual general meeting (AGM) held this week.

Financial issues force club to abandon ambitious plan

Cormack explained that the plans for the new stadium have stalled due to ongoing disagreements with the Aberdeen City Council regarding financial support. He emphasized that the council had initially approached the club several years ago with the proposal to build a new stadium as part of an ambitious redevelopment plan for the waterfront. Independent economists had estimated that the club’s presence as the main tenant could bring economic benefits to the city of Aberdeen, amounting to £1 billion.

Due to the construction inflation caused by COVID, changes in council leadership, significantly reduced investment plans for the waterfront area, and very low land prices in the northeast, the club needs more time to reassess its options, said the president of Aberdeen FC. This situation arises because the value of the Pittodrie location – which, according to reports from P&J, could have been sold for residential development – has significantly decreased, meaning Aberdeen FC did not receive the best offer for the property.

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Club announces commitment to Pittodrie improvements

Meanwhile, CEO Alan Burrows has committed to making significant improvements to Pittodrie Stadium. One of the upgrades he mentioned could be the introduction of safe standing areas on the Red Shed stand. According to him, the club is absolutely open to this concept, which has been successful at various locations, including Celtic Park, Easter Road Stadium, and Rugby Park.

Given that neither the Kingsford nor the waterfront plans are likely to be realized in the short or medium term, we will invest in improvements to the stadium and its facilities. This will be in addition to the £500,000 we have invested in the past 12–18 months, added the Aberdeen spokesperson.

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