Key information about Pittodrie Stadium
The Pittodrie Stadium was built in 1899 and is now the home of Aberdeen FC who are playing their football over in the Scottish Premiership. The ground is located close to the City Centre of Aberdeen and is also easily accessible by both private and public transport.
The stadium’s current capacity stands at 22,199 with all-seated space, and has a 100m x 66m pitch with natural grass and undersoil heating and no running track surrounding it.
Interestingly enough, the record attendance – 45,061 – is almost double its current capacity and was tallied during Aberdeen’s clash with Hearts in 1954.
A history of Pittodrie Stadium
The history of Pittodrie Stadium, or just commonly known as Pittordie, is quite convoluted because it essentially involved two different Aberdeens. The original Aberdeen football club, which was formed in 1881, would play on various different grounds until finally, in 1899, they settled on a land – which was previously a dunghill for police horses – after clearing it and leasing it from Mr Knight Erskine of Pittodrie.
The first game on the ground would be played on 2 September 1899, the home side thrashing Dumbarton 7-1. But then, in 1903, the club merged with two other local sides, Victoria United and Orion, to form the Aberdeen FC we know today.
With time and improved performances, the interest skyrocketed and the first major redevelopments of the Pittodrie Stadium happened in the 1920s. First the club finally purchased the land since they were just leasing it until then, and it’s got a Main Stand, adding in club offices, dressing rooms and trophy rooms in 1925. Around that time, they also got a dugout for the coach, as introduced by Donald Colman who liked to sit closer to inspect his players better.
The following years also saw them add floodlights and the conversion of the Main Stand into an all-seater area in 1968 as part of a big £100,000 improvement. This was also when the ground was finally renamed from Pittodrie Park to Pittodrie Stadium for the first time.
In 1978, the stadium became the second all-seated stadium in Britain and interestingly enough, it also pre-dated the Taylor Report by a decade or so and also coincided with the legendary reign of Sir Alex Ferguson as well. But the biggest changes were indeed happening during the 1920s and then, the final ones in 1993 when the Beach End got demolished and replaced with the two-tier Richard Donald Stand.
There were, however, some minor changes implemented to the existing ground here and there but as a whole, it does feel like Pittodrie Stadium is still very much outdated. For that reason, however, Aberdeen FC are waiting for their new stadium to be built and Phase Two is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2022/23 season. The ground will be called Kingsford Stadium.
Tickets to watch Aberdeen FC at Pittodrie Stadium
All tickets to watch Aberdeen FC at Pittodrie Stadium can be found on the club’s official website. The price varies depending on the category of tickets and the age of the buyer with the most expensive adult ticket costing £32.
Aberdeen FC also offer a season ticket option with multiple different pricing options depending on the type of ticket you want to purchase. The price of the new Red Shed ticket is £350, which is also the cheapest adult option out there.
Related links
https://www.afc.co.uk/ – Official website of Aberdeen FC