Aberdeen on the move

[Parklife]

10 hours ago, AberdeenAngus said:

Announcement imminent on new ground and training facilities at Westhill. 

 

http://stv.tv/news/north/1353763-aberdeen-fc-set-to-announce-plans-for-new-stadium/

Plans look ambitious. I'm pretty positive about this although slightly concerned about how easy it'll be to get there without driving. 

7 hours ago, Capital Saint said:

I hope they invest in a change of ground better than they do in players. Thank you so much for Joe The Throw. He is heading for a player of the season award or 2 from Saintees. Started off shaky but ended up immense in defence for us.  Talking of which, yet another great result for Saints tonight. 4 on the trot in the top 6. If Scottish football played during the summer months, we would win the league at a canter. Scott Brown (Saints player) struggled for a game when out on loan with Dumbarton but, yet again, bossed the game against Celtic 

I was surprised we let Joe go. I've always rated him. One of the few players we've had recently who's not afraid of a physical battle. 

[Rossy]

http://www.afc.co.uk/news/7867.php#.VzRJ7mP4J0U

What's a 'concluded missive' ?

Apparently we've got one.

[Fairbairn]

43 minutes ago, Rossy said:

http://www.afc.co.uk/news/7867.php#.VzRJ7mP4J0U

What's a 'concluded missive' ?

Apparently we've got one.

Just means all the formalities have been finalised and paperwork has been filed/exchanged.

[SMcoolJ]

Concluded missives seems advanced.  Suggests that land purchased is complete.  Given our Chairman seems to buy quite a lot of land for particular purpose, i imagine they have the feasibility and planning boxes ticked off for this particular purchase?

[min]

Concluded missives in this instance is merely a binding 'option' to buy the land.

Everyone can make up their own mind as to the likelihood of this 'option' being exercised...

[thplinth]

Considering that AFC have no money to buy players and spending a few hundred thousand quid is now really pushing it and that Scottish football in general has very little money how can a club like Aberdeen with a low level (<20k) of support afford to build a brand new stadium? 

What will happen here is you will end up in a shit stadium in a shit location that no one wanted nor needed with the club in big debt to pay for it all and the only one who will be happy is Milne as he will have taken millions out by doing the construction work and charging AFC retail prices for doing it. What happened to the Cove site? Milne is clearly not going to rest until he gets this done somewhere. Westhills FFS?! Mental.

How will AFC ever have any money for squad investment if they are shouldered with a huge debt that takes them an age to pay off. I could see them getting relegated after this and then sitting in their shiny new stadium playing lower league football. Then it would be eventual administration and who knows maybe even have to do a Rangers... 

[Parklife]

29 minutes ago, thplinth said:

Considering that AFC have no money to buy players and spending a few hundred thousand quid is now really pushing it and that Scottish football in general has very little money how can a club like Aberdeen with a low level (<20k) of support afford to build a brand new stadium? 

What will happen here is you will end up in a shit stadium in a shit location that no one wanted nor needed with the club in big debt to pay for it all and the only one who will be happy is Milne as he will have taken millions out by doing the construction work and charging AFC retail prices for doing it. What happened to the Cove site? Milne is clearly not going to rest until he gets this done somewhere. Westhills FFS?! Mental.

How will AFC ever have any money for squad investment if they are shouldered with a huge debt that takes them an age to pay off. I could see them getting relegated after this and then sitting in their shiny new stadium playing lower league football. Then it would be eventual administration and who knows maybe even have to do a Rangers... 

 

[Marky]

What would people's guesses be (unless it's already known) of the likely capacity for this new stadium?

[deecie]

1 minute ago, Marky said:

What would people's guesses be (unless it's already known) of the likely capacity for this new stadium?

19,000 seated.

Entire stand behind 1 goal is convertible to safe standing.

Shame it won't be built really.

[Marky]

3 minutes ago, deecie said:

19,000 seated.

Entire stand behind 1 goal is convertible to safe standing.

Shame it won't be built really.

Fair enough. Makes sense really.

Just wondered if Aberdeen might be the ones to step up and give Scotland a much needed c.30k stadium.

Why would they though. Not in their interests.

[Redz]

3 minutes ago, deecie said:

19,000 seated.

Entire stand behind 1 goal is convertible to safe standing.

Shame it won't be built really.

I disagree. 

It's needed.

Our support needs to get used to the idea though. (Which won't be easy!)

[Parklife]

2 minutes ago, Redz said:

Our support needs to get used to the idea though. (Which won't be easy!)

Folk in Aberdeen have only just got used to colour TV's and 4 slice toasters. We'll be waiting a while. 

[Marky]

2 minutes ago, Parklife said:

Folk in Aberdeen have only just got used to colour TV's and 4 slice toasters. We'll be waiting a while.

There are 4 slice toasters!?!?!

[deecie]

11 minutes ago, Marky said:

Fair enough. Makes sense really.

Just wondered if Aberdeen might be the ones to step up and give Scotland a much needed c.30k stadium.

Why would they though. Not in their interests.

The 30k stadium should really be in Edinburgh, Aberdeen is too far out the way for everyone not in Aberdeen.

11 minutes ago, Redz said:

I disagree. 

It's needed.

Our support needs to get used to the idea though. (Which won't be easy!)

Of course it's needed. It's be the Council that get in the way. 

[Duncan Blackheart]

Cannot comment on the geography/ infrastructure as I don't know the area, but if those mock-ups represent the actual design of the stadium, it looks pretty bland, unimaginative and, on the whole, disappointing.

[Rossy]

2 minutes ago, Duncan Blackheart said:

Cannot comment on the geography/ infrastructure as I don't know the area, but if those mock-ups represent the actual design of the stadium, it looks pretty bland, unimaginative and, on the whole, disappointing.

That's just a generic mock-up.

The real stadium won't be as exciting.

 

[Marky]

If the mock up is accurate at least to the extent of the corners being filled in, that will be a massive plus.

Four free standing stands is $hite no matter the stadium.

Even our wee LEGOLAND effort would be hugely improved by the corners being filled in.

Corners being filled in is the future!!

 

[Parklife]

7 minutes ago, Marky said:

If the mock up is accurate at least to the extent of the corners being filled in, that will be a massive plus.

Four free standing stands is $hite no matter the stadium.

Even our wee LEGOLAND effort would be hugely improved by the corners being filled in.

Corners being filled in is the future!!

 

Yup. Glad to see the current design includes corners. A safe standing section behind a goal would be a fantastic addition also and be a step in the right direction to encouraging greater numbers through the door. 

Football has went too far in sanitising the atmosphere IMO. While it's right we encourage families to come along through fun days and cheap tickets, we need to do this in conjunction with encouraging the ordinary man/woman in the street to come along. Standing areas and the ability to get a pint will lead to a more vocal section and an improved matchday experience. 

The biggest thing about this is proper training facilities. This should enable attract better players (both youth and senior pros) and improve them. 

I'm really optimistic about this, on the assumption that AFC have got their sums correct. 

[aaid]

20 minutes ago, Parklife said:

Football has went too far in sanitising the atmosphere IMO. While it's right we encourage families to come along through fun days and cheap tickets, we need to do this in conjunction with encouraging the ordinary man/woman in the street to come along. Standing areas and the ability to get a pint will lead to a more vocal section and an improved matchday experience.  

Arguably an out of town stadium with road access only would mitigate against that.  Good for families but not so good for the "man/women in the street", especially those that want to have a couple of pints before or after a match.

[Marky]

35 minutes ago, Parklife said:

Yup. Glad to see the current design includes corners. A safe standing section behind a goal would be a fantastic addition also and be a step in the right direction to encouraging greater numbers through the door.

Football has went too far in sanitising the atmosphere IMO. While it's right we encourage families to come along through fun days and cheap tickets, we need to do this in conjunction with encouraging the ordinary man/woman in the street to come along. Standing areas and the ability to get a pint will lead to a more vocal section and an improved matchday experience.

The biggest thing about this is proper training facilities. This should enable attract better players (both youth and senior pros) and improve them.

I'm really optimistic about this, on the assumption that AFC have got their sums correct.

My jury is out on safe standing but only to extent of "don't knock it till you've tried it".

I've only seen pictures of it and to me it looks sufficiently sanitised to be almost just standing for the sake of standing. I'm not sure standing in safely penned rows would be anything like the old terracing days, but happy to be proved wrong when I eventually get the chance to try it.

Out of curiosity, have you (or anyone else on here) experienced it?

 

Edited May 12, 2016 by Marky

[dandydunn]

50 minutes ago, aaid said:

Arguably an out of town stadium with road access only would mitigate against that.  Good for families but not so good for the "man/women in the street", especially those that want to have a couple of pints before or after a match.

Arguably,you're wrong. 

It's not 1970,Westhill isn't "out of town". 

Plenty transport would be available I would imagine for people getting there,I would like to think they have this all sussed out. 

People questioned on Fbook today about access issues,how shit it will be to get to from the north and south. 

Utter morons,hopefully if it does get built,these clowns will stay away too. 

[aaid]

16 minutes ago, dandydunn said:

Arguably,you're wrong. 

It's not 1970,Westhill isn't "out of town". 

Plenty transport would be available I would imagine for people getting there,I would like to think they have this all sussed out. 

People questioned on Fbook today about access issues,how shit it will be to get to from the north and south. 

Utter morons,hopefully if it does get built,these clowns will stay away too. 

I know exactly where Westhill is and it is certainly not "in town".   See those big green bits with cows and sheep on them, that's called the countryside.  See that letter P in AWPR, that stands for Periphery, you might want to look up exactly what that means.

It's not so much a question of how easy it is to get to the ground its all to do with the difference an out of town stadium makes to people's matchday experience and routine and also to the make up of the support. 

There's a big difference to a stadium that is in a city centre, which effectively Pittodrie is and one that out in the sticks, sitting off a dual carriageway junction with no facilities around other than what is actually available in the ground.

[AberdeenAngus]

15 minutes ago, aaid said:

I know exactly where Westhill is and it is certainly not "in town".   See those big green bits with cows and sheep on them, that's called the countryside.  See that letter P in AWPR, that stands for Periphery, you might want to look up exactly what that means.

It's not so much a question of how easy it is to get to the ground its all to do with the difference an out of town stadium makes to people's matchday experience and routine and also to the make up of the support. 

There's a big difference to a stadium that is in a city centre, which effectively Pittodrie is and one that out in the sticks, sitting off a dual carriageway junction with no facilities around other than what is actually available in the ground.

I wouldn't say Pittodrie was exactly in the centre of the city. A good 25/30 walk from bus/train train stations and regularly a right pain in the hoop to drive to. Have often taken as long to drive 48 miles to Altens as the remaining 3 miles to Pittodrie. Like most cities the roads were never designed to cope with today's level of traffic. 

Have seen comments about Reading's ground which is apparently in the middle of an industrial estate. Buses run every 15 mins and seems to work for them. I don't imagine a big percentage of our current home crowds walk to Pittodrie anyway so it will just be travelling to somewhere else.

As for facilities again reading that there are a number of pubs/hotels within 20 minutes of the site. The stadium model for Loriston had a 1500 capacity fans bar so I would imagine that will remain part of the plans. 

Derek McInnes is suggesting an enhanced 'matchday experience' (not a fan of that phrase) because the site will host youth games on the Academy section with a 550 seat stand before home games allowing fans who can to arrive early and watch the stars of the future. 

Whatever the club propose there will be detractors but this proposal looks like one which many are keen to see move on and become reality. 

[Marky]

5 minutes ago, AberdeenAngus said:

The stadium model for Loriston had a 1500 capacity fans bar so I would imagine that will remain part of the plans.

 

Given the new(ish) drink driving limit, is it likely there would be much call for a bar in a stadium that for the most part people have to drive to?

Suppose you might get groups with a designated driver?

 

[AberdeenAngus]

4 minutes ago, Marky said:

Given the new(ish) drink driving limit, is it likely there would be much call for a bar in a stadium that for the most part people have to drive to?

Suppose you might get groups with a designated driver?

 

No difference from Loriston. Folk will travel by bus and non drivers obviously. Too much to ask that designated drivers get free soft drinks?