Geoff Aberdein, the former chief of staff to ex-first minister Alex Salmond, lifelong Dons fan and head of European public affairs at Aberdeen Asset Management has had his say on plans for Aberdeen’s move to a new stadium.
Geoff Aberdein
Aberdeen FC chairman Stewart Milne deserves great credit for steering the club – in a time of considerable economic uncertainty – to a position of financial security.
The shrewd appointments of former Scotland manager Craig Brown and subsequently Derek McInnes have stabilised the club and the results on the pitch have reflected that.
The exciting plans for Aberdeen’s new stadium and training complex at Kingsford are hugely impressive and in keeping with the ambition and drive shown by the club in recent years.
With the new world-class facilities to look forward to, there is a feelgood factor and Aberdeen is a club on the up.
So with the undeniable success on the pitch it is a good time to consider how we can maximise the success off it.
Aberdeen is a “one club city” and the Dons do not have to compete with any other team in the SPFL to attract fans.
It would be nice to see that competitive advantage reflected more visibly throughout the city.
For fairly modest spend you could walk Union Street, the beach esplanade or through our shopping malls and see branding in support of our own club.
“One city, one club, one love” is my top-of-the-head marketing effort but you get the idea.
Can we do more to install a greater sense of common purpose in support of our city’s major sporting institution?
There are about 230 amateur and juvenile football clubs in the Aberdeen area.
By a crude estimate that is about 3,500 thousand people (not including parents and coaches) involved in football in and around Aberdeen at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
Boys and Girls clubs through to amateur leagues are playing precisely at the time when Premiership fixtures are kicking off.
That’s potentially 3,500 football enthusiasts unable to attend professional matches as spectators simply because they love playing the game.
Is there a way the various associations can come together and arrange a different time for our non-professional teams to play?
Surely it’s at least worth considering whether we can tap in to such a huge potential market and get extra bums on seats at Aberdeen’s home games.
Sunderland, in the north-east of England, has a smaller population than Aberdeen and is located within 30 miles of rivals Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Yet they attract an average home attendance of over 40,000.
In comparison, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire have a combined population of about 430,000 – a huge potential fan base with the nearest top level rivals in Dundee 90 miles down the A90.
Yes, English Premiership football may be more appealing to some and Sunderland might be more of a “traditional” footballing town, but are we doing enough to encourage would-be fans to make the journey to Pittodrie?
Could we explore a pilot scheme with local bus companies that would allow a reduced cost travel and ticket combo for fans coming from Fraserburgh, Ellon, Inverurie, Alford, Ballater and Laurencekirk?
Aberdeen Football Club is integral to the fabric of the north-east.
It plays a huge and positive role in our community and I have witnessed first-hand the wonderful contribution the club makes to youth development in particular.
Therefore it cannot be down to the club alone to come up with ideas to improve its fan base.
With a collective shoulder to the wheel all of us with a passion for Aberdeen Football Club, many of who admittedly do a great deal already, can build on this encouraging platform and ensure that the success of the club today is still there tomorrow and for years to come.
These are simply my ideas. What are yours?
