Interesting reading once you get past the initial clichéd ambitions and statements.

Looks like we will be cutting back in some areas of our Youth set up ("focusing on the North East").

No prospect of a stadium any time soon.

AFC Community Trust (with charity status) to take over Youth and Community work - (?tax dodge)

Pre and Half time entertainment  - whoop-de-doo

Oh and the end to football as we know it with a "Global Super League" 

 

Minutes of DST Meeting with AFC on Tuesday 11th June 2013

 

Present :  AFC -George Yule, Ian Jack and Derek Matthews

 

                  DST – Gordon Duncan, Phil Hay and Jennifer Moffat

 

 

 

 

 

AFC Vision and five F’s

George shared the AFC “vision” with us starting with a dvd montage of AFC related clips to the background of Coldplay’s “When I ruled the World”. He then went on to give a comprehensive presentation of the rebranding of AFC covering the following

 

 

 

Football Globally (including the 5 F’s- Football, Facilities, Fans, Finance and Fitness), AFC Community Trust and Youth Development

 

Football is changing and in the future it appears that domestic league seasons will be curtailed to allow for a GLOBAL SUPER LEAGUE for clubs such as Manchester United and Barcelona etc.

 

Next level down will be a Pan European/ Nordic League which would be AFC’s aim if they can finish at the top end of the league. It is difficult to estimate the timescale for these new leagues – maybe between 5-10 years time.

 

 

 

There are 5 key areas (the 5 F’s) which AFC need to work on

 

Football

 

Results must be improved, need to be at the top end of the league.

 

Facilities

 

Pitch – improve playing surface, refurbishment of lounges- Teddy Scott lounge and training facilities.

 

Need to reinvest in Pittodrie as Stadium move unlikely in the next 5 years.

 

Fans

 

Fans “needs” to be considered, club have to be prepared to listen to fans. AFC Community Trust – greater community engagement. Deliver best in class customer services. Matches become “EVENTS”.

 

Finance

 

P and L improved, focus on margins, reduce cost base, more new clients and spend within our means.

Fitness

 

Bespoke training regime, strength and conditioning training, sports science, nutritional education & diet.

 

 

 

AFC Community Trust to be set up encompassing Youth Development (Youth Academy and Junior Academy) and Community and Supporter Liaison Officer

 

 

NEEDS and AIMS

 

This covers what must happen and the CHANGE will be driven by AFC Management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phase 1

 

Board/ business reorganisation

 

Succession plan implemented

 

Playing squad changes

 

P+L/Balance sheet strengthening

 

Develop new training facilities – (work in progress – looked at how other clubs have linked up with a University – e.g. Falkirk and Stirling University).

 

Launch AFC Community Trust – (work in progress)

 

Secure club sponsor (2014-15) – (work in progress)

 

Identify fundraising strategy options

 

 

 

Phase 2

 

Confirm site for the new stadium

 

Deliver football success on the park

 

Implement funding strategy to deliver “new money” into AFC

 

Progress sale of Pittodrie

 

 

 

AFC Community Trust – to launch formally October 2013 (sooner depending on OSCR registration)

 

An application has been made to register the Trust for charitable status – legal process will probably take around 3 months. A business plan will be drawn up (with Key performance indicators) by the end of next month.

 

It will have its own separate identity from AFC and its own LOGO.

 

There may be a Head of Community Trust appointed to oversee current Head of Community and Head of Youth development.

 

There will also be a Board of Trustees to be appointed in September.

 

Main activities are AFC in the Community, Youth Development and SLO.

 

It will reach beyond Aberdeen City & Shire and involves everyone at the club playing some form of role.

 

 

 

Season tickets for disadvantaged groups- 2000 in the Merkland Road stand for next season.

 

Season tickets will be sold through the Community Trust to Corporates and smaller business and individuals, raising money for the Trust.

 

 

AFC Youth Academy

 

This covers the under 10’s to Under 17’s with competitive games being played from under 12’s onwards.

 

 

 

Vision for the future.

 

This will be more focused in the North/North East of Scotland with a higher profile and more engagement with local clubs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There will be changes to the scouting system to run with 10 part-time scouts (employed by AFC) to cover the area from Moray to Angus with a network of volunteer scouts below each part-time scout e.g. boys club managers, teachers.

 

A computerised scouting database has been developed by AFC for use by club scouts.

 

The above ties in with the Hazlehead Academy SFA Performance school, where 12 out of 15 (Year 1) and 13/16 (Year 2) are already signed AFC players.

 

AFC Curriculum for excellence

 

In addition to health and fitness training and specialised coaching, this will include work modules on sports science, life skills and further education, corporate engagement and community work.

 

 

 

 

 

A discussion followed thereafter about the funding of this and it was noted that there needs to be investment at this stage to allow AFC to move forward.

 

 

Customer Services Manager

 

Derek Matthews, the new Customer Services Manager was introduced. He has been at the club for six weeks and he outlined the work he has been doing and the approach he has been taking to dealing with customer matters. He is happy for DST to pass fans concerns on to him personally and DST will forward comments from our Aberdeen Mad – Ask Dons Supporters Together Forum to him.

 

DST raised the point about customer service relations with Corporate customers being important as well.

 

 

Catering

 

The new General Manager at Sodexo – Paul Quick started on 3rd June and GY to check if he has seen any of the fans feedback on catering that was passed to his predecessor in January this year.

 

(Post meeting – all DST feedback has been passed to Paul)

Match day Experience

 

The crowd will be more compact now with the closure of the RDU Upper.

 

Simmons family stand will have fun days over several matches.

 

Prematch and half time entertainment to be introduced

 

Club day for the kids at the Sports Village – will now involve children being taken from the sports village to the game by AFC Staff. 

 

Consider reducing the size of the programme.

 

 

Park & Ride

 

DST raised fans concerns about reductions in these services but AFC were not aware of any reductions and GY to check this out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New website

 

Club still in negotiations with current provider to develop/improve the website and this would include updating the Hall of Fame. Interim updates have been carried out by AFC staff to good effect.

 

feedback @afc.co.uk

 

The club receive vast numbers of e-mails on a huge range of topics and do not have the manpower to answer them all. DST pointed out that at the moment there is no acknowledgement of e-mails and AFC to look at this. DST stressed the importance of the e-mails being received going to the appropriate people at the club.

I'll bite. It's called "Viva La Vida". 

 

EDIT: Having now read the rest of the minutes The incorrect song title is still the most glaring issue encountered.

Dissapointed at the focus of youth development being North East. Scotland is a pretty small country and cannot see why we would not be able to cover the whole country.

Dissapointed at the focus of youth development being North East. Scotland is a pretty small country and cannot see why we would not be able to cover the whole country.

 

Agreed. Most of our best players through the years have been from outwith the North East area.

Dissapointed at the focus of youth development being North East. Scotland is a pretty small country and cannot see why we would not be able to cover the whole country.

 

I actually disagree with this. Part of the problem at the Dons is that a 'local' club does seem to sign most of its players from the Central Belt or further south, or abroad.

 

The club should be seen as the place were talented kids from the 'local' area can get a chance to shine. A club that is deliberately of an Aberdonian or 'North East Scottish' identity could pull in more talented NE youngsters and more punters?

 

We'd still end up signing players from the Central Belt, of course, seeing as most Scottish people do live there, but having a core of 4 or 5 really good 'local' lads in the first team would be great, would it not? There's enough of a pool in the NE of Scotland to produce a decent SPL side surely?!?

 

I think we've actually been guilty of letting a few 'local' boys slip through our fingers over the years (can't actually come up with any names right enough!), so concentrating our efforts there could pay dividends, I reckon?

Some Aberdeen fans cannae even spell "Future" never mind have a vision for it

 

I don't know what you mean?

FORMER Aberdeen FC Cato Guntveit today claimed the club are right to look towards a possible Nordic Super League.

But he warned lessons must be learned from a similar recent experiment – the Royal League between top sides in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. It collapsed after three years in 2007 due to lack of finance.

Aberdeen FC vice-chairman George Yule  revealed the club are drawing up plans to compete in a future Super League, along with clubs from Scandinavia.

Who would seriously be interested in watching Dons play Tromso or Malmo?

Me

Who would seriously be interested in watching Dons play Tromso or Malmo?

 

 

I dunno but it would make a fine change from Firhill and Firpark.

If the SPFL are keen to see Scottish sides playing more than the usual teams, then perhaps they should increase the size of the league?

 

Just a thought.

 

If the SPFL are keen to see Scottish sides playing more than the usual teams, then perhaps they should increase the size of the league?

 

Just a thought.

 

 

exactly.

 

I've really had enough of watching the same shite twice home and away. Different teams, different pubs, different experiences.