The sale of Dens Park to Dundee FC could tip the balance of power in the city towards the Dark Blues in the long-term.
As Courier Sport’s George Cran reported on Friday morning, a return to club ownership of the ground is nearing, with Dee chiefs Tim Keyes and John Nelms close to completing the deal with current owner John Bennett.
It’s certainly been a saga.
Now though, the deal is close and, for Dundee, that opens up a potentially bright future.
Some still take the Dee’s new stadium plans at Camperdown with a pinch of salt but, if it goes ahead, it would signal a huge moment for the club’s future development.
Such a move would allow the club to generate an income stream far in excess of anything they can achieve at Dens.
Planning for income from a much-needed second city crematorium (which has been mooted as part of Dundee’s project), may seem macabre to the squeamish, but it would guarantee a healthy regular source of earnings.
Regular concerts at the proposed 15,000 capacity ground would add to that, as would the money generated by a new hotel and restaurants.
Financial backing ‘in place’
The move has its critics and, given how long it’s taken to come to this stage, it’s understandable why scepticism remains, but Dundee are pursuing it positively and I was told a while back that financial backing for the project was in place.
That financial backing is imperative for the new plans to work.
The sale of Dens to whichever buyer the club may have lined up certainly won’t come close to funding the entirety of the ambitious Camperdown proposal.
However, If Dundee can make this project work, it will potentially generate income to outstrip what United can produce at Tannadice, where profits are limited by the absence of alternative means of earnings.
Those potential regular income streams from various activities planned-for activities would hugely enhance Dundee’s current limited means of revenue.
That cumulative and compound effect could see them open up a major gap between them and their neighbours, leading to the possibility of future city dominance.
United have been top dogs for a long time, but if the return of Dens to Dundee’s ownership heralds their long-awaited move to Camperdown, the balance of power in future years could swing markedly.
The better off the club, the simpler the task of attracting better quality players.
And with easier access from the central belt and the Lothians to the new arena – along with brand new in-house training facilities – the attractiveness of signing for Dundee could be enhanced for the greater number of players who live in those areas.
The new development strongly suggests that Keyes and Nelms are committed, long-term players, who look set to stay with Dundee, whereas Dundee United owner Mark Ogren has indicated his Tannadice tenure could be nearing its end.
Dundee’s Camperdown project has been a slow burn; the imminent Dens sale might be the spark needed to finally set it alight.
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