Leopardman1983
25-08-2017, 02:24 PM
The club’s owners tabling plans (Rev. 03 – refer Bellfield, Loirston) is proving divisive, and is once again playing communities against one another. Residents adjacent to the proposed ‘out of town’ location are up in arms, and the ‘town’ versus ‘country’ factions within the AFC support are battling it out on social media. To be sure, the current AFC board is showing great skill at hard-balling the situation (playing in the central belt etc.). Local media is also complicit. AFC draws a large share of audiences to the local newspapers, so stadium construction speculation is given a disproportionate amount of column inches - and that puts even more pressure on the ACC. So there is a growing weight of expectation on the ACC ‘to deliver’. But should there be?
Even if the many issues surrounding the proposed rural location were deemed resolvable by the planning department (a series og big ifs), the ACC won’t like to be blamed for the club leaving the city.
So fundamentally, the question is political and economic – should the council alienate a significant percentage of the local population (politically bad), to curry favour with a board of directors which wants to move a not insignificant portion of the local economy outside the city (economically bad) – and away from other city-based businesses (transport, hospitality, retail, license trade) who currently benefit from the team playing at Pittodrie?
Of course for the majority of the average supporters, the calculation goes beyond mere financial considerations and business sense. AFC represent not only contribute considerably to Aberdeen’s economy, but is also a cornerstone of the city’s collective identity. The value of such an intangible benefit remains impossible to measure.
Even if the many issues surrounding the proposed rural location were deemed resolvable by the planning department (a series og big ifs), the ACC won’t like to be blamed for the club leaving the city.
So fundamentally, the question is political and economic – should the council alienate a significant percentage of the local population (politically bad), to curry favour with a board of directors which wants to move a not insignificant portion of the local economy outside the city (economically bad) – and away from other city-based businesses (transport, hospitality, retail, license trade) who currently benefit from the team playing at Pittodrie?
Of course for the majority of the average supporters, the calculation goes beyond mere financial considerations and business sense. AFC represent not only contribute considerably to Aberdeen’s economy, but is also a cornerstone of the city’s collective identity. The value of such an intangible benefit remains impossible to measure.