tlg1903 Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 http://www.afc.co.uk/news/7160.php#.Vm9Aj9-WQy4 Some interesting news in that. The 112th Aberdeen Football Club Annual General Meeting took place on Monday evening in the Richard Donald Stand. Some 72 shareholders were in attendance for the annual event that lasted 23 minutes. After the evening's formal business was over, AFC Chairman Stewart Milne spoke to the media and to RedTV: FINANCIAL STATE OF AFC "I think financially, we are probably at the best place the club has been for a long time. We are debt free, we have a very strong balance sheet and last year, we delivered the highest turnover the club has ever had. "But having said all that, everyone recognises the way the environment is developing in the North East because of what is happening in the oil sector. We very much acknowledge that the next 12 to 18 months could be quite a challenging period on the corporate front and will likely affect everyone in the area. We are very much aware that some big challenges lie ahead for us. "There is still a serious challenge in generating enough cash to keep the operations going at the level we want in order to be able to fund the manager and the team. That is not going to change overnight and it is going to be even more challenging with the environment that will prevail in the city in 2016. "There is a lot of hard work ahead of us." THE STATE OF SCOTTISH FOOTBALL "I have said before there is a general feeling within the football industry in Scotland that the money coming into the game is falling way behind the investment that there is in English football, especially with the new TV contract kicking in next season which will make the gulf even greater. We have to recognise where we are within the game in Scotland. "We have come through an extremely difficult five or six years, but over the last few years the game has started to make real progress with a lot of clubs managing to offload the debt that they were carrying for a long time. Most of the clubs in Scotland have strengthened their position. "We delivered the first part of reconstruction three years ago but we still have a long way to go and, one way or another, we have to come up with an approach that is going to enable us to bring a lot more investment into the game over the next period." NEW STADIUM "There is progress with the new stadium in as much as the site that was originally planned out at the Loirston development has changed substantially since we originally got the planning permission. We are now integrating a new Academy on the south side of the city into the overall development and that has delayed things. All the different elements within the master plan have to be revised so that for example there is a transport strategy that works for the stadium, works for the school, works for the new settlement that takes place, as well as the new Cove Rangers stadium. All of that work is quietly going on in the background, but it does mean that the time period is getting extended. "By the time everything is planned out at Loirston, it is going to be well into next year and maybe slightly beyond. Raising the funds in the current environment could be quite challenging, but we would like to think we could be in a new stadium for the start of season 2019/2020. I think that is the type of timescale we are looking at now." TRAINING FACILITIES "A two year agreement with Robert Gordon's College has been put in place, beyond the current agreement, to use their facilities at Countesswells. With that agreement in place, it buys us a bit of time. "As was mentioned during the AGM, we have earmarked another site which is in a very good location and so hopefully we can get that finalised in the early part of the new year. Once we get that tied down, we would start the planning process. Everyone at the club appreciates the importance of us getting top class training facilities in place for Derek and the players. It is our number one priority. There will be a lot of time dedicated to that over the next period." THE TEAM "What happens out there on the pitch is the driving force for everything that happens within the club. It establishes the average crowds we get, it has a major influence on how much money we generate in the club shop, it has a major influence on the corporate market. So without doubt, what the team does on the pitch week in, week out affects everything we do. "Therefore we would like to congratulate and thank Derek, his coaching staff and the players for all their efforts and the progress that has been made over the past two and a half years. "It is also sustainable progress." THE SUPPORTERS "I, along with everyone at the club, have a massive appreciation for the commitment that the supporters make week in, week out. Derek and the team really appreciate the support that comes from the fans both here at Pittodrie and, in particular, the hard core of fans that are there to support us at most of the away games. "We have concerns about some of the rearranged kick-off times and these are concerns that we will take up with the SPFL. We do think there should be greater consideration given to the fans before some of these changes are made." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeegieRed Posted December 14, 2015 Share Posted December 14, 2015 So at least four years until a new stadium. And that's presuming they can actually fund it, which Milne didn't sound particularly positive about there. That's disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc_don Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Didn't really reveal much did it. Though in does prove that Ed was wrong about countesswells So when was it he first mooted the stadium idea? Must be going on 2 decades? It's a bit embarrassing that it hasn't been sorted out by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket_scientist Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 It's not "embarrassing" to Milne. It's about agendas and priorities. In the 90's, he agitated to build a new stadium at Kingswells. It was to be on land that he owned/had a preference on. It didn't matter that the paint on the new RDS was barely dry. If ever there were alarm bells ringing, our new chairman didn't wait very long after assuming the chair to show his true colours. He didn't even pay the equivalent for his shares like we all had to and has never owned 30% of the club! Then followed 20 years of neglect, financial mismanagement and shocking results on the park as well as off it. And the sheep never saw it happening right under their fucking stupid noses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeegieRed Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 What are the UEFA rules that mean an upgrade of Pittodrie would only be a 13,000 capacity? I've never seen them explained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_widdows Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 What are the UEFA rules that mean an upgrade of Pittodrie would only be a 13,000 capacity? I've never seen them explained. UEFA Rules are not the sticking point. Modern Scottish Building regulations and stadium design requirements are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeegieRed Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 UEFA Rules are not the sticking point. Modern Scottish Building regulations and stadium design requirements are. Milne specifically mentioned UEFA regulations though? Just give me the idiots guide. It's okay, my pride went south years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_widdows Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Milne specifically mentioned UEFA regulations though? Just give me the idiots guide. It's okay, my pride went south years ago. go to this thread Read BlooToon Red's posts and if yer bored read mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
️ Come on you Reds! 
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