United, Aberdeen share best practices

Incoming Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack said Monday that he hopes a new partnership with Atlanta United will improve the club and put smiles on the faces of people in the Scottish city.

Atlanta United’s parent company, AMBSE, on Sunday announced it has purchased a stake of less than 10% ($2.57 million) in Aberdeen. A press conference was held Monday in Aberdeen featuring Cormack, outgoing chairman Stewart Milne, and Atlanta United President Darren Eales.

That purchase is part of a bigger initiative at Aberdeen that includes other investors and a new chairman, Cormack, an Atlanta resident. In total, the club received more than 16 million pounds of new money, some of which is earmarked for day-to-day operations and annual maintenance costs of its new training ground, named after Cormack.

The club is constructing a new stadium, scheduled to open in 2023. The goal of the partnership between Aberdeen and Atlanta United is a sharing of best practices in fan engagement, stadium construction, scouting, player analytics and development that will help Atlanta United continually challenge for trophies and for Aberdeen to try to level the playing field against Scottish powers Celtic and Rangers.

Aberdeen qualified for the Europa League in each of the past six seasons. It is a two-time winner of UEFA tournaments. The club is in third in the Premiership and on pace to again qualify for Europa League qualifiers.

Executives and others who work at Atlanta United and Aberdeen are going to spend the next 90 days sharing information. Atlanta United vice president Carlos Bocanegra and others were in Aberdeen last week talking about the team’s academy.

Though Eales will have a seat on Aberdeen’s board, Atlanta United will not share in any of the day-to-day running of the club because Eales said his focus will remain on the MLS club.