Agenda item
Freedom of the City - Aberdeen Football Club and Gothenburg Greats
Minutes:
With reference to Article 12 of the minute of its meeting of 14 December 2022, and in accordance with arrangements made pursuant thereto, the Council convened this day at Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, for the purpose of conferring the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen on Aberdeen Football Club and the Gothenburg Greats.
The proceedings were opened by the Lord Provost who said:-
“It is with the greatest of pleasure that I have the honour of speaking in support of awarding Aberdeen Football Club and each of the Gothenburg Greats the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.
The team which has become known as the Gothenburg Greats after winning the UEFA Cup Winners Cup on 11 May 1983 at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg by beating the legendary Real Madrid 2-1 after extra time, gave Aberdeen a night which has lived long in our memories. Many here today will not necessarily have been born then but are very aware of the important place this team has in Aberdeen folklore.
As Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned in his video message, Aberdeen remain the last team to have beaten Real Madrid in a major European final, 40 years ago, which is quite a statistic.
In the same week, the team returned to Scotland and beat Hibernian at Pittodrie in the Premier Division, and the following Saturday went on to retain the Scottish Cup by beating Rangers 1-0 at Hampden. Later that year, they went on to beat SV Hamburg to win the UEFA Super Cup on another great night at Pittodrie.
The domestic record of Aberdeen Football Club during the 1980s, the core of the team being the players and staff who were responsible for the European successes, included 3 Premier Division Titles, 4 Scottish Cups, a Scottish League Cup and a Dryburgh Cup.
The squad gained 315 Scottish international caps between them; 8 of them went on in their careers to successfully manage various clubs in the Scottish and English Football Leagues and three went on to manage Scotland’s National Team - Gordon Strachan, Alex McLeish and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
In addition to the players who became synonymous with Gothenburg, we need to add some more names - Sir Alex Ferguson, Archie Knox and the late Teddy Scott who were equally fundamental to the success in Gothenburg and the other successes already mentioned today.
The coming together of the right components for success: players, management, the board and the loyal fans are and were essential in the success of Aberdeen Football Club in the 1980s in particular.
The Freedom of the City is the highest honour that the City of Aberdeen can bestow on anyone, be they citizens of the city, individuals who have greatly enhanced the City of Aberdeen by their actions or similarly given exemplary service to the country or humankind.
Since 1834, the Freedom of the City has been conferred on 74 recipients including Prince Albert; Field Marshal Douglas Haig after World War I; Sir Winston Churchill after World War II; Nelson Mandela; Professor John Mallard; and most recently in 2017, Denis Law. It is therefore very fitting that today we are conferring this accolade on the Gothenburg Greats and Aberdeen Football Club.
On this day, Friday the twelfth of May 2023, it is my pleasure to call upon the Chief Executive, Angela Scott, to read the Burgess Ticket and sign the Roll.”
Thereupon, the Chief Executive read the terms of the entry in the Burgess Register which, on signature would formally confer upon Aberdeen Football Club the Freedom of the City. The text on the ticket was as follows:-
At Aberdeen the Twelfth day of May
in the year Two Thousand and Twenty Three
in the Presence of the Lord Provost and
Members of Aberdeen City Council
WHICH DAY
Aberdeen Football Club
Was admitted and received as a Free Burgess and Guild Member of the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen in recognition of outstanding contribution to sport in the City of Aberdeen, including winning the European Cup Winners Cup.
Extracted from the City Records
And the City Seal hereto affixed
ANGELA SCOTT
Chief Executive
Thereafter the Lord Provost, the Chief Executive and Dave Cormack, Chairman of Aberdeen Football Club, signed the Burgess Roll.
The Lord Provost then presented Dave Cormack with a silver casket bearing the City Crest and suitably inscribed, and the Lord Provost affixed the Burgess Ticket to his hat.
Dave Cormack acknowledged the tremendous honour which had been conferred on Aberdeen Football Club with a short speech of thanks.
The Lord Provost then called upon the Chief Executive, Angela Scott, to read the Burgess Ticket and sign the Roll.
Thereupon, the Chief Executive read the terms of the entry in the Burgess Register which, on signature would formally confer upon the Gothenburg Greats the Freedom of the City. The text on the ticket was as follows:-
At Aberdeen the Twelfth day of May
in the year Two Thousand and Twenty Three
in the Presence of the Lord Provost and
Members of Aberdeen City Council
WHICH DAY
The Gothenburg Greats
Were admitted and received as a Free Burgess and Guild Brothers of the City and Royal Burgh of Aberdeen in recognition of outstanding contribution to sport in the City of Aberdeen, including the winning of the European Cup Winners Cup.
Extracted from the City Records
And the City Seal hereto affixed
ANGELA SCOTT
Chief Executive
Thereafter the Lord Provost, the Chief Executive and Archie Knox, Jim Leighton, Doug Rougvie, John McMaster, Alex McLeish, Gordon Strachan OBE, Neil Simpson, Mark McGhee, Eric Black, Peter Weir, Stuart Kennedy, Dougie Bell, Bryan Gunn, Andy Watson, Ian Angus, John Hewitt and Willie Miller MBE signed the Burgess Roll.
Each of the Gothenburg Greats collected a scroll and John Hewitt collected a scroll on behalf of the family of the late Neale Cooper.
The Lord Provost affixed the Burgess Ticket to the hat of Willie Miller MBE, as Captain of the Gothenburg Greats.
Willie Miller MBE acknowledged the tremendous honour which had been conferred on the Gothenburg Greats with a short speech of thanks.
The Lord Provost then called for three cheers for Aberdeen Football Club and the Gothenburg Greats, which brought forth an enthusiastic response. Thereafter the national anthem was sung and Reverend Eddie made a short speech and pronounced the benediction. Following which the proceedings ended.
- DAVID CAMERON, Lord Provost.