ABERDEEN chairman Dave Cormack has announced a fresh investment of £2 million into the Pittodrie club as he revealed players and staff have agreed wage deferrals.
Employees of the club will have their salaries reduced by 10-30 percent for the net four months in a bid to ease the cash-flow worries of the team.
Cormack had previously admitted that the shutdown of Scottish football due to the coronavirus pandemic would cost Aberdeen around £5m, but the agreement to delay a cut of the club's wage bill will save £1.1m.
The chairman, alongside other members of the investment group, has provided a £2m cash injection to reduce the financial burden placed on the club as he urged supporters to renew their season tickets for the 2020/21 campaign.
The Dons are hoping to sell 10,000 season tickets and have set a target of 7,000 AberDNA - a club membership initiative - subscriptions to reach.
"The Club has worked diligently to minimise the impact on its lower paid employees and we’re pleased to confirm that more than 50% of our hard working and loyal staff are unaffected by this deferral," Cormack said. "The balance of employees have agreed to defer salaries by between 10% and 30%, plus certain bonuses including football performance.
"Our investor group, including myself, who invested an additional £5million last December, has committed £2million more to the cause. We now need to focus our efforts on selling season tickets and AberDNA memberships to meet the remaining shortfall in cashflow.
"Season tickets will generate about £2million in cash, with AberDNA delivering net income of £600,000 over the next 12 months. Those fans who are able to support this effort in the coming weeks will be playing a huge part in helping us through this very testing time."
He added: "We’re currently exploring how we can reward fans for their loyalty, in one‐off and unique ways when football resumes, and we’ll be announcing these in due course.
"We announced earlier this week that the Club’s investors will be making donations, equivalent to 10% of every season ticket sale, to the Trust. If the Club sells £2million in season tickets, then AFCCT will receive £200,000, which will enable them to continue to carry out vital work with some of the most vulnerable in our communities. To improve the Trust’s cash position immediately, the investors have already advanced a £100,000 donation.
"This win:win approach means that fans are making a contribution to both the Trust and the Club when they buy a season ticket."
Manager Derek McInnes insisted that he, his players and his staff had to take responsibility for the shortfall in income that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused and paid tribute to club employees for their actions.
"It is incumbent on all of us to help the Club through this challenging period," he said. "I want to thank the players, my coaching staff and all staff at the Club for being so forthcoming and willing to do what is required to get the us through these exceptional circumstances and for supporting our fans and the wider community."
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