Dave Cormack: We will give council our Pittodrie land to ensure new beach stadium gets built.

The Dons chairman is calling for “a new stadium for a new era” in an exclusive interview with The Post and Journal. Our beloved Granite City, with its silver sands, is about to lose tens of thousands of oil and gas jobs.

Despite being heralded by politicians as the world’s renewable energy capital, it is sleepwalking into an economic crisis comparable to the Ravenscraig or Sheffield steel collapses.

That is, unless significant infrastructure investment is made to retain and attract businesses, which will choose where to locate their operations based on the attractiveness of a city to their employees and families.

The scenes at the parade to celebrate our Scottish Cup victory demonstrated Aberdeen FC’s positive impact on our city region.

The club brought tens of thousands of people into the city centre in one day, despite bus gates and the LEZ! The atmosphere was lively, with people smiling and ringing tills in cafes, bars, shops, and restaurants.

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Dave Cormack, writing exclusively for The P&J, makes an impassioned plea to council chiefs to take Aberdeen Beach stadium talks seriously.

Does Aberdeen FC success translate to city?

It’s often said that when our football team performs well, so does our city. The incalculable but very tangible feel-good factor has been building over the last few seasons.

As the club improves both on and off the pitch, there has been a significant increase in season ticket holders, improved fan engagement, and match-day experiences, resulting in several Pittodrie sell-outs.

As a result, local businesses have seen a boost.

As we returned to Earth from the euphoria of that historic victory, we heard a resounding call from all sides, including supporters, politicians, and business leaders, to capitalise on it with a new stadium fit for a new era.

Dave Cormack: Why now is the time to get serious about Aberdeen Beach stadium

When the council first approached us about building a new stadium on the beach, we were ecstatic about the potential for amazing community sports and leisure facilities, new events and economic benefits for the entire city region.

Without significant infrastructure investment in facilities that attract and retain people, Aberdeen will miss out on the tens of thousands of new renewable energy jobs.

With current job losses and a decline in our oil and gas industry, our city is on the verge of an economic downturn akin to Ravenscraig or Sheffield.

The stated political goal is to transform Aberdeen from Europe’s oil and gas capital into the world’s renewable energy capital.

However, let’s be honest: Aberdeen would not win that title in the United Kingdom right now. Teesside, for example, has invested far more in infrastructure than we have.

A number of oil service companies transitioning to renewable energy have told me they are very likely to relocate.

Is it any surprise that our citizens must travel to Dundee for the nearest leisure facility of any significance?

Companies want to know what cities have to offer their employees and families.

Dave Cormack on Aberdeen Beach masterplan

Aberdeen has an incredible asset in its beachfront.

A £55 million playpark and the Broadhill revival are very welcome, but this type of public realm on its own does not create jobs or revenue; rather, it adds additional operational costs to the taxpayer in terms of upkeep and maintenance.

The vision for a new community stadium with a multi-sport and leisure complex revolved around the catalytic impact of a centrepiece.

It would serve as the anchor economic driver, generating jobs and revenues sufficient to cover the cost of regeneration.

An independent study, funded jointly by the club and the council, estimated that such a facility would generate £1 billion in economic benefits over the next 50 years.

However, this vision has stalled and must be pursued if we are to create something unique, not only for our club, but for the entire city region and all of its residents.

This is why we need to take a fresh approach.

So what next for Dave Cormack’s Aberdeen Beach stadium hopes?

We want to bring together politicians from all parties, business leaders, and other stakeholders to share a common vision for the city:

to build a community stadium and best-in-class sports and leisure facilities that everyone can enjoy, attracting and retaining people while creating jobs and prosperity.

I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with the myth that the club expects the council to fund a new stadium. The club will contribute its fair share.

This does not imply that the council will cover the entire cost of the club’s new stadium.

This is about the opportunity to leverage the club’s unique influence and ability to catalyse the development of a community sports and leisure complex that can compete with anything other cities have to offer, and more.

It is about delivering a stadium and surrounding environment that can be used for a variety of purposes throughout the week, rather than just football matches every second weekend during the season.

It’s about the economies of scale that can be achieved by nearby community sports and recreation facilities.

‘Aberdeen is searching for the next big attraction’

It could also be about using the club’s cutting-edge customer engagement systems and processes for ticketing and promoting major events to transform loss-making recreation and sports facilities like the Beach Ballroom and those run by Sport Aberdeen.

Not to mention building on our community trust’s successful use of football to deliver positive social outcomes, particularly among young people, in terms of education, physical and mental health.

Following the success of the Tall Ships, Aberdeen is looking for the next big attraction to entice residents and bring money into the city.

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