DEREK Whyte, the former Aberdeen captain, believes the club must capitalise on their Middle East connections after their winter break to Dubai.
The Pittodrie club returned home yesterday after almost a week in the UAE on a winter training camp.
During their sojourn, they took part in a Q&A session and golf day, while around 200 supporters turned out on Sunday to witness them defeat Uzbek side Bunyodkor 2-1 at their Jebel Ali base.
Aberdeen submitted an application last week for a new training ground and stadium, thought to be worth an estimated £50 million, on the outskirts of the city.
To get the project off the ground, it will require cooperation from various parties and investors, and Whyte, who lives in Dubai, believes utilising their presence in the wealthy Emirate could be the key to a more prosperous future.
“There were 200 people watching Aberdeen play so it was a great PR exercise for the club,” he said.
“Obviously the oil and gas industry is huge over here [the Emirates] so there are a lot of expat Dons supporters who live in this part of the world.
“I know some guys myself who have a right few quid, a few of them who love Aberdeen,” he added.
“So I think there could be real business opportunities over here for the club if that’s what they wanted.
“Having said that, the English Premier League is the place a lot of people want to be because of the TV money involved.
“But there are fans who love clubs and wouldn’t necessarily be looking for a return on their investment. But Aberdeen being in Dubai could open doors,” he added.
Whyte now works in sales for a Japanese firm after leaving the world of football behind him. He was once involved in academy football out in Dubai before switching careers and he reckons it could be an untapped resource for clubs such as Aberdeen to pick up the odd gem.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here