Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has challenged his players to seize their chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time.
With two places on offer in European football’s premier club competition this season the Dons are in the hunt for the runners-up position in the Premiership along with Celtic and Hibernian.
The Dons, who are fourth, are three points behind the second placed Hoops and Cormack is daring to dream of Champions League qualification.
When asked if the Champions League was a realistic aim Cormack said: “Absolutely, and maybe for the first time in three years the league is kind of open to that opportunity.
“Next year if you get Champions League, even the qualifying rounds, you get knocked out of that and you go into the third round of qualifying for the Europa League.
“If you go out of that you have one round to get to the group stages of the Conference.
“Every incentive is there for us. We’ve got a good squad and a great bunch of lads and if we keep people fit and healthy we will do okay.”
While European football remains a prime objective for Aberdeen every year Cormack believes cross border competition involving clubs in England could become a reality in the next decade.
Celtic have made their desire to play on a bigger stage than Scottish football no secret and while he understands the clamour to play in England Cormack insists opportunities should be available to all Scottish clubs and not just Celtic and Rangers.
The Dons chairman said: “There is no doubt, in particular Celtic, and I don’t blame them, have made it clear that they would like a bigger platform to play on. It will take all clubs.
“If I look at it selfishly from Aberdeen’s perspective, I do not want to sit back and wait for the crumbs off the table of something we had no input to. That’s important for us to look at.
“People talk for example of British leagues. If Celtic and Rangers went off to the Premier League in some shape or form, where does that leave the rest of us – are we playing Exeter, Plymouth? Where do we go and would our fans want that?
“It is healthy to have a debate and a discussion over what might be. And we need to do more of that as Premiership clubs, and all clubs in Scotland.”
While the Aberdeen chairman can see cross border competition become a reality he is disappointed attempts to launch an Atlantic League have broken down.
He said: “We’ll stick our heads in the sand off we don’t think there’s going to be cross border leagues or European Super Leagues with divisions.
“What we have to do as a country and a group of clubs, is be at the table looking at these opportunities. If there’s significant money on the table, that looks like an uplift versus what we have now, it should be looked at by all parties.
“But any call on Aberdeen getting involved in something like that would have to be with full consultation with our fans.”
