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When Dundee plan to leave Dens Park behind as John Nelms in disbelief at 'Frankenstein's lair'
John Nelms admits Dundee owner Tim Keyes is feeling frustrated over the club’s new stadium - but is determined to wave goodbye to the “old lady” of Dens Park.
The Dark Blues are set on moving away from Dens Park to a state-of-the-art facility close to the city’s Camperdown Park on a plot of land bought in 2017. The 12,500-seater stadium will be just one component of the ambitious £95-million building project that also includes a hotel and housing. Last year, Dundee managing director Nelms said he hoped the club would be kicking a ball in their new home by the summer of 2025.
However, due to delays, that will not happen with the city council finally set to consider the club’s extensive Planning Permission in Principle application in January. However, Nelms insists the long, drawn-out process has not deterred his American compatriot Keyes. He said: “I can tell you Tim is frustrated about this, but he and I share the same frustration. It is the process, and although it is a long and arduous process, we have to respect it. There’s nothing else we can do. And we are committed regardless of the process.”
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And Nelms was adamant Keyes had never got to the stage of questioning the whole point of continuing with the project. He added: “Neither one of us would ever do that now. Once we decide we’re going to do something, we’re going to see it all the way through until you tell us we can’t do it - and then we’ll fight that as well. That’s just the way we are.
“We’ve been here 11 years now. We will go and do what we say we’re going to go and do. We’ve taken the football club from where we started to now. It is a much different animal, and we think it’s a much better animal.
“We have to continue to do things to strive to make it even better. If we get deterred by processes, then we’d never continue to move forward.
“To secure the next 100 years for the football club, to do all of these things for the community, to bring another asset to Dundee, if we have to wait a little bit and be a bit patient, I think it’s worth it.”
Nelms admitted he is cautiously optimistic the club will receive the green light from the council when they finally consider the planning application. He said: “As confident as we can be. With a process like this, you usually have red flags that come up in any project. And this one has no red flags.
“We’re hopeful we’re going to have our hearing in January. And by the way, the city brought us this site. They think that this is a great site for a stadium. They brought it to us in 2015, or maybe even before that.”
Nelms admitted he has an emotional attachment to Dens Park but it is time to move away from the famous old stadium complete with its “Frankenstein’s lair”. He added: “I think we’ll have at least one more season at Dens.
“She’s an old lady. During COVID, I explored it a lot. There is a part of the building that looks like Frankenstein’s lair! The old electrical room is unbelievable. We’re trying to put on an entertainment product in what is basically a 19th century building.”
When Dundee do finally move out, it will leave Dundee United without their near neighbours but Nelms suggested a solution: “If they want to build a stadium next to us, that’s fine.”
