Councillors keep Aberdeen FC stadium in beach plan

The new stadium would be near the beach

Aberdeen FC has welcomed the council's decision to keep a community stadium within its overall beach masterplan.

Councillors have kept the option open for a new beachfront stadium to be built in the future, should the club wish to proceed with the project.

But the local authority agreed it would not put any public money into building it.

Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack said a new stadium would "entice people to come here to work, live and play".

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He added: "The stadium at the beach is not simply about a home for Aberdeen FC where we would play one top-flight men's game every second week, instead it's a genuine community asset, that would be used every day of the week to host the community and visitors.

"It would cement our position as a leading developer of professional sport, support grassroots sport and actively promote health and wellbeing."

Mr Cormack also said he was committed to working collaboratively with the council on delivering and funding the stadium.

The initial proposals for the beach masterplan included a stadium to the north of the existing Beach Leisure Centre.

It would form part of a new complex alongside a new leisure centre and revamped Beach Ballroom.

Backed by fans

The new stadium would be close to the club's current Pittodrie home.

Aberdeen FC got permission in 2019 for a ground next to their Kingsford training complex, six miles from the centre.

However the city council then proposed plans to include the new stadium in a facility next to the Beach Ballroom.

Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce said in a recent report that the local economy could benefit by £20m a year if the beachfront stadium was built.

In April proposals for the new stadium on the city's beachfront were backed by fans in a club survey, with 92% supporting the revised location out of more than 6,500 who responded.