The Aberdeen Mega-Hyper New Stadium Thread

[resk]

"A brisk walking pace is 3.0 miles per hour or about 20 minutes per mile, which is about 5 kilometers per hour or 12 minutes per kilometer,"

Add in stopping at lights, crowds, etc it's an easy 35 mins for your average rowie munching Red.

Fine, but I know I walk 10 mins per km because I have one of those GPS watch thingies that tells you. Unless the fkin thing is lying to me..... I accept that lights and crowds might add a wee bit on to the journey but not a 50% increase.

 

Anyway, I don't want to hijack this thread to boast about how I'm so great at the old walking. I'll probably start a separate thread for that. The gist of my message is that Pittodrie is pretty much in the perfect location (for borderline alcoholics and speed walkers, which I assume you all are).

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

I would also question the statistic that up to 10% of an average Dons support comes into and out of the city by train. 1400 people by train ? 

I doubt it. This isn't Glasgow or Edinburgh where the grounds are well served by suburban trains up until around midnight. There's one line into Aberdeen and one line out and trains are relatively few and far between. 

I'm relatively neutral on the new stadium issue for various reasons, but the suggestion that Pittodrie is a logistical nirvana has to be questioned. It can be a feckin nightmare for anyone travelling on wheels. 

[HibsFan]

2 hours ago, Bob Mahelp said:

I'm relatively neutral on the new stadium issue for various reasons, but the suggestion that Pittodrie is a logistical nirvana has to be questioned. It can be a feckin nightmare for anyone travelling on wheels. 

Who, as I have previously mentioned, should be ignored at all costs on account of their presumed political leanings.

[Dunty]

2 hours ago, Bob Mahelp said:

I would also question the statistic that up to 10% of an average Dons support comes into and out of the city by train. 1400 people by train ? 

I doubt it. This isn't Glasgow or Edinburgh where the grounds are well served by suburban trains up until around midnight. There's one line into Aberdeen and one line out and trains are relatively few and far between. 

I'm relatively neutral on the new stadium issue for various reasons, but the suggestion that Pittodrie is a logistical nirvana has to be questioned. It can be a feckin nightmare for anyone travelling on wheels. 

The 5-10% figure was from memory. For the purposes of this post I've went and had a look. 

The 'Dons Supporters Together' survey didn't actually mention trains, but revealed people travelled to Pittodrie by car 55.5%, bus 16%, walk 21%, cycle 0.16%, and other was just under 7%.

The Kingsford Stadium twitter account held a survey recently and found that it was car 57%, bus* 23%, walk 12%, train 8%, other 1%.

*that was public bus, shuttle bus and supporters bus combined.

They also asked how fans would travel to Kingsford, result was car 54%, bus 27%, drive to various park & rides then bus 8%, walk 7%, train 3%, others 1%.

 

The train isn't actually practical anyway on account that it's expensive. Let's say Aberdeen/Hibs on Sunday was at Pittodrie. If a Hibs fan decided today, six days in advance, they wanted to go from Edinburgh - to get the train for £36.35 (cheapest) you need to leave at 08.00 but then have to hang around Aberdeen until 21.30 before going home. Bear in mind I'm looking at these prices now when the game is actually at Easter Road so it's not as if football fans have already snapped up the train tickets. Generally you're looking at £50-£60 for return tickets unless you've booked 12 weeks in advance and got lucky. On the other hand, for Hearts fans going to Celtic Park, train tickets are plentiful and £13.30 return no matter what time you leave, and they can just buy them on the day.

Secondly, as the above poster rightly points out, it's not like Haymarket where trains arrive from all over the country every five minutes. At a midweek match, you can't get a train down from Aberdeen to the central belt after a game - think furthest you can go is Dundee. When we play the Old Firm on a Wednesday night where many of their fans would consider the train, it's literally not an option.

Aberdeen FC are held back by the city they're in, and held back even more by many in the council past and present actively working against the club. 

The Loirston fiasco set the club's plans back years. And also sure it's on record that the council won't allow Aberdeen any leeway to build on the area surrounding Pittodrie.

I don't think many thought of Kingsford as their first choice, but it's affordable, has enough land for what the club want to do, it's next to the AWPR, it isn't as some suggest in the middle of nowhere and there are actually quite a few bars and shops nearby and we're already seeing applications going in to build takeaways on the back of the stadium announcement. The stadium will be as good as we make it.

[Dons_1988]

22 minutes ago, Dunty said:

The 5-10% figure was from memory. For the purposes of this post I've went and had a look. 

The 'Dons Supporters Together' survey didn't actually mention trains, but revealed people travelled to Pittodrie by car 55.5%, bus 16%, walk 21%, cycle 0.16%, and other was just under 7%.

The Kingsford Stadium twitter account held a survey recently and found that it was car 57%, bus* 23%, walk 12%, train 8%, other 1%.

*that was public bus, shuttle bus and supporters bus combined.

They also asked how fans would travel to Kingsford, result was car 54%, bus 27%, drive to various park & rides then bus 8%, walk 7%, train 3%, others 1%.

 

The train isn't actually practical anyway on account that it's expensive. Let's say Aberdeen/Hibs on Sunday was at Pittodrie. If a Hibs fan decided today, six days in advance, they wanted to go from Edinburgh - to get the train for £36.35 (cheapest) you need to leave at 08.00 but then have to hang around Aberdeen until 21.30 before going home. Bear in mind I'm looking at these prices now when the game is actually at Easter Road so it's not as if football fans have already snapped up the train tickets. Generally you're looking at £50-£60 for return tickets unless you've booked 12 weeks in advance and got lucky. On the other hand, for Hearts fans going to Celtic Park, train tickets are plentiful and £13.30 return no matter what time you leave, and they can just buy them on the day.

Secondly, as the above poster rightly points out, it's not like Haymarket where trains arrive from all over the country every five minutes. At a midweek match, you can't get a train down from Aberdeen to the central belt after a game - think furthest you can go is Dundee. When we play the Old Firm on a Wednesday night where many of their fans would consider the train, it's literally not an option.

Aberdeen FC are held back by the city they're in, and held back even more by many in the council past and present actively working against the club. 

The Loirston fiasco set the club's plans back years. And also sure it's on record that the council won't allow Aberdeen any leeway to build on the area surrounding Pittodrie.

I don't think many thought of Kingsford as their first choice, but it's affordable, has enough land for what the club want to do, it's next to the AWPR, it isn't as some suggest in the middle of nowhere and there are actually quite a few bars and shops nearby and we're already seeing applications going in to build takeaways on the back of the stadium announcement. The stadium will be as good as we make it.

No no, it's easier just to be a miserable c**t about it until someone else makes it into the unrealistic proposition they want it to be.

[KingswellsRed]

Personally I am just looking forward to going to a decent stadium

[EdTheDuck]

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

2 hours ago, Dunty said:

Aberdeen FC are held back by the city they're in, and held back even more by many in the council past and present actively working against the club. 

 

Never has a truer phrase been uttered in the long and disgraceful history of this discussion board.

 

[fatshaft]

On 5/12/2019 at 17:14, Bob Mahelp said:

It's a fucking miserable 30 minute walk in the rain from Pittodrie to Aberdeen train station, and is no quicker by public transport after a game.

It's hard to stress this enough, Pittodrie is a nightmare to get in and out of on game day/night. I tried to get by car to Stonehaven a few months ago after the Dundee (?) game on the Friday night and I was going mental long before I managed to reach the harbour. 

 

Correct. 

I can't get my head round anyone saying pittodrie is in a great location, it's always been horrific to get away from, and finding parking anywhere near can be a nightmare as well.

 

 

[fatshaft]

On 5/7/2019 at 22:01, LiviLion said:

LEARN

TO

FUCKING

MULTI

QUOTE

No. 

[Aberdeen Cowden]

19 minutes ago, fatshaft said:

Correct. 

I can't get my head round anyone saying pittodrie is in a great location, it's always been horrific to get away from, and finding parking anywhere near can be a nightmare as well.

 

 

Just wait until you get to Kingsford.

[EdTheDuck]

3 hours ago, Aberdeen Cowden said:

Just wait until you get to Kingsford.

You’re wasting your time. There is clearly some sort of comprehension problem going on here. They insist on talking about the parking problems pre-game and traffic jams post-game but It has been explained many, many times. The advantage of where Pittodrie is has everything to do with the number of restaurants, bars, pubs, coffee shops and assorted other eateries and drinkeries and nothing at all to do with ease of access.

The parking and traffic jam problems will still be there when AFC moves to the outer rim of civilisation, but the myriad choices of places to eat and drink will not. Building a Burger King or Bella Italia will not transform it into the city centre. The suggestion there are already adequate hostelries in and around Westhill/Kingswells would make Nigel Farage blush.

Frankly, the people who drive to the football at ten to three expecting a parking space near the ground deserve what they get. Likewise them that scarper at quarter to five, jump in their cars to go home deserve to sit in traffic for 45 minutes.

Edited May 15, 2019 by EdTheDuck

[Carl Cort's Hamstring]

I know people hate the idea of shuttle buses but, if they're done properly, the reality is nowhere near as bad as some people on here are making out. I've been to the Madjeski Stadium and the Agaes Bowl quite a few times, and they're both out of town grounds where you need shuttle buses. I've never queued for more than 10 minutes at either. It just needs needs to be organised properly.

[Tibbermoresaint]

1 hour ago, Carl Cort's Hamstring said:

I know people hate the idea of shuttle buses but, if they're done properly, the reality is nowhere near as bad as some people on here are making out. I've been to the Madjeski Stadium and the Agaes Bowl quite a few times, and they're both out of town grounds where you need shuttle buses. I've never queued for more than 10 minutes at either. It just needs needs to be organised properly.

Who's going to pay for these buses? 

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

Supply a  (reasonably) succesful team, and build a stadium that the fans can enjoy......not necessarily Spurs' new ground, but a stadium with good sight-lines and one that is enclosed with a good atmosphere.

That's all the club need. If you've got these 2 things right, then people will come regardless of traffic and pubs.

 

[Guest Moomintroll]

Who's going to pay for these buses? 

Said this before but the companies who run buses to away games will be quite happy to make money by charging people to get out to the new ground on a day where their expensive assets would otherwise be lying idle. The fans will pay for the buses, return fare would be the price of a pint, the bus company will make a profit & everyone is happy.

[Dons_1988]

25 minutes ago, Bob Mahelp said:

Supply a  (reasonably) succesful team, and build a stadium that the fans can enjoy......not necessarily Spurs' new ground, but a stadium with good sight-lines and one that is enclosed with a good atmosphere.

That's all the club need. If you've got these 2 things right, then people will come regardless of traffic and pubs.

 

True but its inevitable that performances on the pitch will dip over a 50-60 year period or however long. How good the stadium is and how much of a pain in the arse it is to get there will determine how quickly and how many will abandon the club during those times.

[Tibbermoresaint]

16 minutes ago, Moomintroll said:

38 minutes ago, Tibbermoresaint said:

Who's going to pay for these buses? 

Said this before but the companies who run buses to away games will be quite happy to make money by charging people to get out to the new ground on a day where their expensive assets would otherwise be lying idle. The fans will pay for the buses, return fare would be the price of a pint, the bus company will make a profit & everyone is happy.

You're making a lot of assumptions here.

[Guest Moomintroll]

You're making a lot of assumptions here.

What are they? Companies have buses that will otherwise be idle, fans will need to get to the ground from the City Centre. Fair to say they might not be happy to start with but like everything else they will get used to it, to be honest I couldn't care less about Aberdeen or their fans but in this instance there is a pretty obvious solution for home fans or away fans who travel by train to get out there.

[kingjoey]

27 minutes ago, Tibbermoresaint said:

You're making a lot of assumptions here.

Not fitting in with your doom and gloom scenario?