Aberdeen give thumbs-down to Scottish Conference League
Dons decline chance to enter a B team into the proposed new 5th tier
Aberdeen have rejected the chance to to enter a B team in the proposed new Conference League.
The controversial SFA set-up would be placed in the 5th tier of Scottish football, should it be voted through next month.
Chief Executive Alan Burrows said: “We spent considerable time assessing the impact on our player development strategy, including the player pathway, and reviewed the cost/benefit of entering a B team in the Conference League.
“We also took account of feedback from other stakeholders, supporters and considered the decades long relationships we’ve had with Junior and Highland League clubs, including clubs who are now established in the SPFL.
“The player pathway challenge we would face with a team in the fifth tier is that “one size does not fit all”.
“We have young players who need experience at higher levels in the pyramid. To accommodate that, and have a full-time B team, we would need to have around 55 full-time players. We estimated additional annual costs of around £400,000.
“While we have said no to the SPFL and Scottish FA about entering the proposed Conference League in 2024/25, we are keen to explore other options such as a strategic partnership with another SPFL club, where expanding some of the loan regulations would be key to ensuring Aberdeen FC continues to be one of the best developers of young talent in the country.
“We will therefore continue to push our best young talent to our first team as quickly as possible, along with using the loan market to provide player pathway experience, which has been impactful for the Club over many years.”