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Stewart Milne Interview

23 November 2017
Author AFC Media Team

Stewart Milne spoke to RedTV on Thursday and gave an update on a number of major topics that are currently ongoing at the club.

As well as giving the very latest news on the Kingsford Project, the Chairman also strongly dismissed the media speculation surrounding the manager and a possible move away from Pittodrie.

 

 

The Chairman on the Manager:

“Derek made his feelings very clear to me last night during one of our regular meetings. He has no intention of going anywhere. He loves this club. He knows that he is loved. He knows that he is respected by everyone at the club and by the fans out there.

“I think anyone who was at the original pre-determination hearing and heard Derek speak with the passion that he has for this football club, will understand that it is a big big part of Derek’s life. He firmly believes that he has unfinished business here. The manager has always said to me that he did not want to leave this club with only one trophy in the boardroom and it is great news for everyone that he is committed to AFC. He just wants to get on with the job. Derek has spent a lot of time and effort, and money, I would add, over the summer rebuilding the team. Since then he has resigned a number of players who have extended their contracts, some of the senior players, some of the younger players.

“Everyone recognises the fantastic job Derek and Tony have done and no one wants to see them leave this club. I know that will happen one day but we all dearly hope that the management team are going to be here for quite some time.”

 

On the stadium planning application:

“Everyone was very disappointed with the fact we had to ask for the application to be removed from the October meeting but we are convinced it was the right decision. We felt there was a high risk that the decision might have gone against us because it became very clear that there were areas of the application that the council had interpreted in a different way to how we believed we had presented it. We agreed between us there should be further work done on these areas which has been going on over the last five or six weeks.

“I would now like to think that we have got to the stage where there is a clear understanding of all the main issues and I think we have every right to feel quietly confident that we will get the right decision when it goes in front of the full council at the end of January.

“We now have a new timetable and it is vitally important that we all work to that.

“The more information is focussed around three main areas (co-location, sequential testing and Economic impact).

“Regarding the importance of co-location of the stadium and community training facilities, I think we have demonstrated very clearly the benefits that are there for everyone of having that as a single unit.

“The second area was in respect of the sequential testing which they were not satisfied we had adopted the right approach. We got legal opinion which confirmed that we had adopted the right approach. They have accepted that.

“They also felt that two of the sites that were still possibilities in their eyes, at Kings Links and Loriston. We have provided further evidence that clearly demonstrates that neither of these two sites are deliverable. Kingsford is the only affordable and deliverable site.”

 

On the report for the economic case:

“I think first time round there was a clear demonstration that there was substantial financial benefit to the city and the region with Aberdeen FC relocating to Kingsford. And the new report has outlined that the economic case is even stronger that what was thought before.

“I think it should also be remembered the financial case has been based on an average attendance of roughly 13,500. We do genuinely believe if we can continue to put a winning team on the park and with the new facilities then the numbers could be substantially greater down the line.

“The other element that has very much be acknowledged during the discussions that have taken place, that if we had been honest, there has been the real lack of investment in infrastructure in this region. We are now starting to address that with the new exhibition centre, the investment that is going into the airport, the new harbour at Cove, the city centre redevelopment. The Council now see what we are setting out to do with the club as another key element of that strategic infrastructure that will serve this city and region well for the next 20 to 40 years.”

 

On Tom Crotty investment from the United States:

“It is absolutely fantastic. When we asked Dave Cormack to join the Board we knew that Dave was keen to invest himself but during our discussions we felt that there was an opportunity over there in the United States for investment. There are a lot of people over there with direct or indirect connections to the city or even the football club.

“That was part of Dave’s remit and to be fair to Dave he has delivered. It is great to see this investment coming through at such as early stage.

“Tom is a guy who is heavily involved in grassroots soccer in America. He has been over here a couple of times now. He sees what we are setting out to do with the club and the Community Trust.

“Tom knows and understands the power and passion of football and how that can be used as an effective tool to address some of the issues we have got with the next generation, getting them involved in football and the importance of fitness. He is very much behind what we are setting out to do here and he also recognises the vital importance of having top class facilities and that is why he has targeted his investment in the club.

“Bobby Clark’s role in persuading Tom is another demonstration of using the Aberdeen connections. Bobby’s son Tommy works alongside Tom Crotty in the grassroots soccer. He has also been over here. We have had a lot of good feedback from them. There are a lot of good ideas, from work they have been doing in America for years, that we can import into the Community Trust.”

 

On the training ground:

“The manager never misses an opportunity to remind me about the training facilities. He has made his commitment to the club. He wants to make sure that my commitment and the board’s commitment is 100% behind him in both terms of doing everything we can to make sure these training facilities are delivered and delivered as soon as they possibly can be.

“We do believe realistically that we could have these facilities on the ground by the summer of 2019. We then have to follow through and raise the funds to deliver the stadium but the priority for Derek and the players and for everyone at the club is the get the training and community facilities delivered.”

 

On the fans backing for the Aurora campaign:

“The supporters were brilliant the way they got behind the Aurora campaign. Also the business and wider community all played a huge part in the build up to the October council meeting. It was unfortunate that we had to pull it from the agenda at a late hour but as I said earlier I think it was the right thing to do. We need to get that restarted again and there are plans in place to build up the campaign again in December and really get it going in January.

“We have had many people from the business community coming forward and saying they are 100% behind the club and saying this simply needs to happen.”

 

On the challenges ahead for AFC:

“I have said on a number of occasions, the next three to five years is going to be the most challenging that this club has ever faced in its history. I think we are well placed to deal with that challenge. We are in the process of making some changes around the club but that is going to be required if we are going to meet the challenge on two fundamental fronts.

“We have to be able to build a bigger and stronger club over the next three to five years and we have to deliver this fantastic facility. If we can achieve these things over the next three to five years then I think this club will be in a really good place for the future.”

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