Please see below a copy in full of the statement issued to the Press & Journal regarding the proposed community stadium facility within the Beachfront masterplan.

A spokeswoman for Aberdeen FC said: “It’s never been our intention to build a stand-alone stadium at the beach.

“The previous administration of Aberdeen City Council approached the Club about being a key stakeholder in and tenant for an anchor project that would be the catalyst for the wider regeneration of the beachfront.

“Aberdeen FC invested considerable executive time, over three years, on working with the Council to develop plans for an integrated leisure complex and community stadium. As a Council-led project, the onus was on the Council to lead the development of the detailed design and costings and the fund-raising, with the Club making a significant contribution to the cost of the stadium element.

“In its manifesto, the SNP pledged to support a community stadium at the beach if it was economically viable. Aberdeen FC shared the costs of an independent economic impact study which revealed that a community stadium with associated leisure facilities would deliver more than £1billion plus into the local economy over fifty years.

“However, the current administration has scaled back their plans for the beachfront – which is absolutely their prerogative. But it’s disingenuous to suggest that the Club is either stalling the process or not prepared to pay our share.

“The Club has spent £5million on various plans for a new stadium in three separate locations. We’re not prepared to incur any further costs on plans which end up becoming a political football.

“We believe an integrated leisure complex and community stadium would be a major piece of infrastructure that enables the city to attract and retain the companies and people it needs to be at the forefront of the energy transition. But making this happen and raising the funding requires ambition and the political will.”