Aberdeen hope to be playing in new stadium by 2017

ABERDEEN chairman Stewart Milne yesterday announced he estimates the club will be playing in a new stadium away from Pittodrie by 2017.
Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne yesterday announced he estimates the club will be playing in a new stadium away from Pittodrie by 2017. Picture: SNSAberdeen chairman Stewart Milne yesterday announced he estimates the club will be playing in a new stadium away from Pittodrie by 2017. Picture: SNS
Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne yesterday announced he estimates the club will be playing in a new stadium away from Pittodrie by 2017. Picture: SNS

Plans to relocate the club to a new venue in the city appeared to have come to a halt in recent seasons but Milne insists work is very much in progress behind the scenes to reduce the debt that will give the Dons the green light to proceed. He further revealed his intention to be able to announce details of a new training facility in the coming months.

Milne told BBC Scotland: “We would hope to be in a position within the next few months to announce something on the training facilities. Then they’ll be delivered over a period of time.

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“There’s a number of different elements that we’re working on to hopefully get to a point where, within the foreseeable 
future, we could get the club into a debt free position.

“If we can get there that puts us in a very strong position to deliver the new training facilities that we badly need and a little bit further down the line, hopefully deliver the new stadium. Our current thinking is we want to aim for having the new stadium ready to play in probably season 2017/18.”

Aberdeen finished third in the Premiership last season and also won their first major trophy in 19 years when they defeated Inverness Caley Thistle in the League Cup final on penalties in March.

However, despite a run in the Europa League qualifiers which was ended last week by Spanish side Real Sociedad, the Dons were turned over on their own patch in Sunday’s Premiership opener losing 3-0 to Dundee United.

The club has been tipped by some to run Celtic close in this season’s league championship, but Milne has quashed any 
suggestions that a two-horse race is likely to unfold.

He said: “Turnover-wise and player budget-wise, Celtic will always be a multiple of what Aberdeen is. I think every club outwith Celtic are not in a position to go out and participate in the transfer market.

“We are all struggling just to balance the books. That’s the reality of where we are in Scottish football. We just want to finish as high up the league as we can.”