Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack is confident the crisis facing Scottish football will finally be resolved this month.
SPFL clubs have until 5pm today to vote on whether to end the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 and declare the respective division leaders as champions.
A proposal to follow suit in the Premiership if necessary at a later date is also being voted on, although there is doubt whether the motion will succeed given the strong opposition from several clubs so far. The Dons are expected to vote against the proposal.
Cormack is more concerned with planning for the future and he is optimistic a new season will start near the end of the summer.
The Dons chairman, who attended a Premiership conference on Wednesday, said: “There will be a season, whether it starts the beginning of August or September. The feedback from the SPFL meeting itself was around pulling all the data together.
“We had medical doctors on board and some interesting stuff on that came out, but we’re certainly hoping to bring to some conclusion where we will be for next season in the next couple of weeks.
“I know it is incredibly frustrating but it is vital we get this right and there are a number of factors affecting it.”
The Dons fans have rallied to support the club during the coronavirus shutdown and this week broke the 2,000 mark for season ticket sales.
The Aberdeen chairman, who has pledged his board will make a donation to the tune of 10% of season ticket sales to the AFC Community Trust at the end of the month, is delighted with the response from fans.
He said: “We are at 2,000 season tickets sold which, to put in context, is just ahead of where we were last year and given where we are that is a phenomenal level of support from the fanbase. For those who are willing able, and we absolutely understand not everybody can, we have set ourselves a target of 5,000 season tickets by the end of this month.
“We’ve extended the 0% interest and pay in four months’ time from Friday to the end of the month. For those willing and able, it will give the Trust about £125,000 directly.
“The season ticket money is directly to the club, but the directors will contribute to the Trust so it is a win-win for everybody.
“There are multiple ways to put money in the Trust. My message is this, for those willing and able, we will take 10% of the sale value at the end of April, and if that’s £1.25million of season ticket sales, that will be £125,000 going straight to the trust.
“We’ve already given an advance of £100,000 as right now they don’t have the ability to sell 4G pitches to generate income at Cormack Park and they need income too.”
Cormack remains personally invested in the club’s engagement with stakeholders during the social distancing restrictions and believes it is vital the club continues the work being done in the local community during this difficult period.
He said: “One in four we’re told by social services, are currently and will continue to suffer from depression and mental health due to this crisis. When people are losing jobs or have uncertain futures, it is tough to think the cup is half-full at times.
“It’s good to talk and as my wife says, guys want to solve everything. I remember before navigation in the car that I didn’t want to stop and look at a map and half an hour later because I’m a guy we were back at the same place.
“Males are a group that suffer from mental health maybe more than other groups. We’ve made thousands of calls and will continue to make thousands more as it’s important.”
