THERE are historical reasons why Dundee, a city with a population of just under 150,000 people, is the home to two of Scotland’s largest and most storied football clubs.
Yet, the fact that Dundee United reside at Tannadice just 200 yards down the same street as their neighbours Dundee at Dens Park remains as nonsensical as it is unique.
There is no prospect of the two city rivals amalgamating at any stage in the near or distant future. The enmity that exists between them is far too great for that. Thousands of supporters would stay away in disgust if there was ever even the suggestion of a merger. But it is an inconceivable union.
However, now is the perfect juncture for the respective Dundee and Dundee United boards to give serious and long overdue consideration to a proposal which has been mooted on many occasions over the decades - sharing a ground.
Following the example of many clubs elsewhere in Britain, Europe and around the world and halving the exorbitant costs of maintaining a stadium has made sense for both Dundee and Dundee United for a very long time.
In Italy, AC Milan and Inter famously share the San Siro, Genoa and Sampdoria share the Stadio Luigi Ferraris and AS Roma and Lazio share, for the time being at least, the Stadio Olimpico.
In Germany, meanwhile, Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich both play their league games at the Allianz Arena. The colour of the futuristic arena changes from red to blue depending on which club, Bayern or 1860, is in action.
Closer to home, Coventry City in England sold Highfield Road to housing developers back in 2005 and moved to the Ricoh Arena which they now share with the Wasps rugby union side.
That is a mutually-beneficial arrangement which Reading also have with the London Irish rugby union team at the Madjeski Stadium and Wigan Athletic have with the Wigan Warriors rugby league outfit at the DW Stadium. There are numerous other examples.
It has emerged this week that Dundee are looking at the possibility of relocating to a new stadium on the outskirts of the city. Dundee United, meanwhile, yesterday announced they had made a loss of £1.55 million in the last financial year.
These austere times are proving difficult for all of Scotland’s clubs. Breaking even while continuing to enjoy on-field success is a difficult balancing act. It is vital, then, that innovative ways of cutting costs and generating income are examined and embraced. Failure to do so will jeopardise the very existence of even our most established teams.
There would be considerable merit, therefore, in the directors of the Ladbrokes Premiership and Championship clubs at least discussing the possibility of Dundee and Dundee United being housed in one modern purpose-built arena.
Doing so would give the age-old adversaries a distinct edge over their opponents and increase their chances of emulating their many successes of yesteryear considerably.
John Nelms, the managing director of Dundee, told the Tayside club’s television channel on Tuesday that a land use application would soon be submitted to the city council.
The American and his fellow owner Tim Keyes recently bought a 29 acre plot of land near The Ice Arena in Camperdown Park which will be the site of their proposed development.
Of Dens Park, Nelms stated: “We're trying to put on 21st century entertainment product in a 19th century building.”
Despite the construction of the Bobby Cox Stand and the Bob Shankly Stand – in a period of just 82 days - at either end of the pitch back in 1999, it is obvious to anyone who visits Dens Park that it has had its day. Long ago in fact.
Many Dark Blues fans will be horrified by the proposal. Dens Park, after all, is the scene of their famous European Cup wins over Cologne, Sporting Lisbon, Anderlecht and AC Milan back in the 1962/63 season as well as many other enjoyable wins over the years.
There will be, as Aberdeen have certainly discovered in recent years, many hurdles for Dundee to overcome before they can achieve their objective. They will certainly have to respect the wishes of their fanbase and the local community.
Steven Thompson, the Dundee United chairman, yesterday revealed that he is overseeing an extensive cost-cutting programme after the Tannadice club’s figures were made public.
Shouldn’t selling Tannadice to developers for a multi-million pound fee, combining that with the money that Dundee would bank from the sale of Dens Park and putting it towards the building of a City of Discovery Stadium be one of the ideas that Thompson considers?
Yes, being relegated to the second tier has cost United dear in the 2016/17 campaign. But the fact that an operating loss of £2.53 million would have been recorded if John Souttar, Nadir Ciftci and Ryan McGowan hadn’t been sold to Hearts, Celtic and Chinese club Henan Jianve should set alarm bells running.
Many Dundee and Dundee United fans are strangely proud of the fact that Dens Park and Tannadice are the two closest senior grounds in the United Kingdom. Becoming the first two major football clubs in Britain to share a stadium is something of which they could be rightly satisfied.
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