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Milne says Aberdeen FC's future 'at risk' if sports complex plan is rejected New Aberdeen FC park 'killed off', says Stewart Milne
(about 17 hours later)
The future of Aberdeen FC could be put at risk if councillors reject plans for a community sports complex which would double as training facilities, the club's chairman has warned. Aberdeen Football Club chairman Stewart Milne has said its planned move to a new stadium has effectively been "killed off" by the city council.
Stewart Milne has written to every city councillor ahead of discussions about Calder Park. The Dons were hoping a new community sports centre at Cove would double as a training facility for the club, which wanted to open a new ground nearby.
It would be sited close to the Dons' proposed new 21,000-seater stadium. Aberdeen City Council threw out plans for the centre on Thursday evening.
Mr Milne said plans for the football club's new stadium would be killed off if the Calder Park project was halted. Councillors voted to to take control of the land to look into other development opportunities in the area.
The club hopes to move into the stadium, at Loirston Loch on the southern outskirts of the city, for the start of the 2014/15 season. Local authority leader Barney Crockett said he was confident a deal could still be reached with the club.
The letter was issued on behalf of Aberdeen FC as well as Cove Rangers FC - from chairman Keith Moorhouse - as both clubs have been involved in the Calder Park plans. Aberdeen FC was hoping to site a new 21,000-seater stadium close to the proposed Calder Park community sports centre.
It stated: "It is entirely inconceivable that the city of Aberdeen could be left without a professional football team participating in the Scottish game in future. The club had planned to move from Pittodrie to a new ground at Loirston Loch, on the southern outskirts of the city, for the start of the 2014-15 season.
"But this is precisely the potential outcome of a 'no' vote for the continuation of the Calder Park sports complex development." Mr Milne, who said the use of Calder Park to train was vital to the proposals, href="http://www.afc.co.uk/articles/20120822/official-club-statement_2212158_2897400" >said in a statement: "Disappointment and frustration do not come close to how my colleagues and I are feeling right now.
"As was made crystal clear, the Calder Park development has been designed as part of the master planning exercise to be completely integral with the new AFC stadium at Loirston, and this decision has effectively also killed off that development."
Mr Milne said the "illogical" decision could have "major implications" for the football club.
Responding to the comments, Mr Crockett told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Megaphone diplomacy is not helpful.
"It's not at all closed the door on anything."
Mr Crockett said the Calder Park decision was backed by Labour, Tory, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors, while the gap beetween them and SNP members was "very small".
"There's no decision that directly pertains to Aberdeen Football Club that was made yesterday, and there's a lot of room for discussion and I'm very optimistic that we can produce an outcome there that can satisfy people," said the council leader.