Aberdeen Football Club (AFC) broke ground on the site of its proposed new stadium and training complex at Kingsford to mark the beginning of the venue construction, according to several media reports.
Construction of the new facilities got underway after AFC manager, Derek McInnes, AFC Community Trust chief executive, Ally Prockter, and Lord Provost, Barney Crockett put the first spades in the ground, according to reports.
The club received permission to build a new £50 million facility earlier this year, which will include a new 20,000-seater stadium and a training center that will see them leave Pittodrie.
The first phase of the development will include the construction of a training pavilion, three training pitches, two 3G pitches and two grass pitches, with building work expected to be completed in the summer of 2019.
Aberdeen-based McIntosh Plant Hire will handle the initial earthworks and ground remediation in preparation for the building works, which are due to commence in October 2018.
“This is a hugely significant milestone for the club as we embark on building long-awaited, best-in-class training facilities,” McInnes was quoted as saying on AFC’s official website. “Since I took on the role of manager at Aberdeen I have been campaigning for better facilities so there’s a huge sense of excitement today to see work beginning on-site,” he added.
There has been opposition to the plans throughout however, with campaign group No Kingsford Stadium still planning to take legal action.
In a statement, they said: “We understand that AFC may be holding some sort of ceremonial ‘cutting of the turf’ as a signal that they intend to commence work on Phase One of the development. Be assured we are fully committed to bringing this case to court via the judicial review process.”
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