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Don of a new sporting era

The views of Chamber members are playing a vital role in helping shape a new football stadium for Aberdeen which, as well as being a major community sporting asset, will be an important business venue.

Aberdeen Football Club is the driving force behind the £35 million project and Duncan Fraser, the club managing director, said that it was doing absolutely everything possible to maximise the potential of the development.

It is also engaging widely in an effort to ensure that the stadium, which it is hoped will be open for the 2013-14 football season, meets the aspirations of as many as possible.

The club has been working with a global construction consultancy on the project and has also enlisted the help of Paul Fletcher and John Dix, two established European stadia experts.

Mr Fraser said that a year-long feasibility study had shown that Aberdeen FC has no practical choice but to move from Pittodrie – a football stadium since 1899 and home for the Dons since the club was formed 106 years ago.

Pittodrie has served the club well and has always been a leader in stadium design, having become the UK’s first all-seated one in 1980.

However the cost of redeveloping, which would result in a stadium with a capacity of only 12,000, has been ruled out on financial grounds and Loirston Loch, to the south of the city, has been identified the only viable alternative site for a stadium which the club intends will continue to be innovative.

The proposal is for a 22,000 all-seated arena with the option of adding an extra 8,000 seats to house major events and talks have already been held with the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Rugby Union with the aim of attracting international fixtures.

“There is always a fantastic response from sports fans and the business community when the city hosts such events, “said Mr Fraser.

“Everyone in the North-east is vital to the success of this stadium. It should be remembered that on 340 days of the year there will be no football match played there. For match days we want to deliver an unrivalled stadium for the fans – one of which they are proud and in which they are comfortable but is intimidating for visiting teams.

For the rest of the year we want it to serve the needs of the whole community, including the business community, which is why the survey being conducted by the Chamber is so important. We are extremely grateful to Bob Collier, the Chamber Chief Executive, who has been very proactive and supportive in relation to this project.

“There has been a tremendous response to the survey and although the official closing date is past we want to hear from any members of the Chamber who have suggestions for what should be included.

“Their views will be extremely important in relation to the architectural design of the stadium and to the funding model.

“The stadium will provide enormous benefits to the whole region as well as the Club, and is the most ambitious newbuild stadium in Scotland in many years.”