Dundee FC will buy Dens Park to pave way for new stadium move

Football: Club reveals deal with ground’s owner as it eyes multi-use arena

Dundee FC has said it will buy Dens Park outright – in order to move to a purposebuilt new stadium at Camperdown.

Dark Blues general manager John Nelms said his company, Dark Blues Property Holdings, has an agreement in place with the stadium’s owner, former Dundee United director John Bennett, to buy the ground when the time is right.

Dundee want to move to a 15,000-seat stadium near Dundee Ice Arena but signed a 20-year lease for Dens Park with Mr Bennett in 2013.

He bought Dens Park from the club for £500,000 so it could pay off debts.

Mr Nelms said: “John is a friend of the club and we have an understanding of what’s going to happen.

“He has been really good to the club, I have spoken to him several times and when we get to the stage things are moving we will sit down.

“We will buy Dens Park back, if everything goes well, that’s what we’ll do.”

Mr Nelms said he hopes the new

“Itwillbea multi-use stadium of which the football club will be one tenant, but we will also have concerts there for up to 25,000 fans. JOHN NELMS

stadium will be ready in less than three years, but the arrangement in place with Mr Bennett gives the club room to manoeuvre if there are any delays.

He said: “That means that if we miss our target of 2020-21 then we don’t have to worry about having to leave at any certain time and messing him around.”

Mr Nelms also said he wants the new venue to stage concerts and the venue would have a capacity of 25,000 for those events.

He said: “It will be a multi-use stadium of which the football club will be one tenant, but we will also have concerts there for up to 25,000 fans.

“We have worked closely with the council to find out what’s needed so there will be conference space too.”

The development will also include housing and a crematorium.

But it is believed the price of the stadium could rise to more than £20 million because of access requirements, which are likely to include the creation of a new slip road.

The fact it is also adjacent to the Kingsway, however, means close scrutiny is being paid to how it would be accessed.

Transport Scotland, the body responsible for the country’s trunk roads, requires certain conditions to be met before it will give its blessing.

Mr Nelms said discussions with Traffic Scotland are under way about access to the site.

smorkis@thecourier.co.uk

Dundee FC general manager John Nelms is targeting a new 15,000-seater stadium for the club.