- Target:
- Aberdeen Football Club and Aberdeen City Council
- Region:
- United Kingdom
Aberdeen want to knock down Pittodrie Stadium and move to Kingsford, an area that although in the city boundary, is essentially in the country.
The match day experience will change from being a short walk from the city centre in the heart of the city, to being next to a dual carriageway and heavily reliant on shuttle buses.
Hearts and Hibs fans rallied against similar ideas of moving their club away from their historic homes, and instead have rebuilt their stadiums to a standard that most Dons fans look on at with envy.
By all means, build the new training and community facilities at Kingsford. But let's look at keeping Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Pittodrie is our home. It has been a massive part of all our lives.
Enshrined in history. Situated within walking distance of the city centre, in the heart of our city. There's no other place like it.
Once it is knocked down, Aberdeen football club changes forever.
Of course clubs have to grow and modernise. Old terracing gets knocked down and a new stand goes up in its place. But you don't need to move six miles away, where the day becomes about shuttle buses and the countryside, to do that.
Hearts have stayed in Gorgie and rebuilt Tynecastle. Hibernian have resisted urges to depart from Leith to rebuild Easter Road.
Let's explore the possibility of staying in our home. Do we need to expand the footprint? Do we need council investment? Surely all possibilities have not been exhausted - instead, it appears we haven't even tried. The club has had NO discussions with the fans over Pittodrie, not a single bit of debate. We have simply been told it is not possible and if it is then it is too expensive, rather than having a grown up and open debate to look at what we as a city and support can do to stay in our home.
What about the council? They can find hundreds of millions of pounds to build the new AECC and Union Square, yet where are they when the club needs help? A club that, if successful, brings thousands of visitors to the city and millions of pounds. The council's job is to enhance the city and help the businesses within it be successful - Aberdeen leaving the city is benefitting no-body.
Let's look at the possibilities rather than knock Pittodrie down to build flats and make a move that many fans are uncomfortable with.
Please add your name to the petition to let the club know how you feel. That you want Aberdeen FC to stay at Pittodrie. That you want an open and honest debate about what can be done to save it - not outlandish statements from the chairman about being made to play European football in Glasgow or a capacity of 12,000.
Let's save Pittodrie before it is too late.
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The Save Pittodrie petition to Aberdeen Football Club and Aberdeen City Council was written by Save Pittodrie and is in the category Football at GoPetition.