Pittodrie | |
 Pittodrie, with North Sea in background. | |
  Pittodrie Stadium Location in Aberdeen | |
| Location | Pittodrie Street,Aberdeen,Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°09′33″N2°05′20″W / 57.15917°N 2.08889°W /57.15917; -2.08889 |
| Owner | Aberdeen F.C. |
| Capacity | 19,274[1] |
| Field size | 109 yd × 72 yd (100 m × 66 m) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1899 |
| Opened | 2 September 1899 |
| Renovated | 1993 (Richard Donald Stand opened) |
| Construction cost | £4.5 million (Richard Donald stand) |
| Tenants | |
| Aberdeen F.C. (1899–1903) Aberdeen F.C. (1903–present) Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. (2004–2005) | |
Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to asPittodrie, from which the surrounding residential area has taken its name, is anall-seater stadium inAberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily forfootball, it has been the home ground of theScottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubAberdeen F.C. since they were formed in 1903. Prior to then, the ground hosted theoriginal Aberdeen F.C. from 1899 until the merger that created the present club.
With aseating capacity of 19,274[2] Pittodrie is thefourth largest stadium in the SPFL and the largest stadium in Scotland outside theCentral Belt. Pittodrie has been the location of a number of firsts in the field of stadium design, including the invention of thedugout, and in 1978 became one of the first all-seater stadium in the United Kingdom.[3]
As of November 2017[update], Pittodrie has hosted fifteen matches involving theScotland national team. The ground has also stagedrugby union, with fourScotland international fixtures being held there including a match against the Barbarians.[4] In club football,Inverness Caledonian Thistle temporarily shared Pittodrie during part of the 2004–05 season.
Theoriginal Aberdeen football club was formed in 1881. They played at various venues within the city, until a former dung hill for police horses was cleared and readied for football in 1899.[5] The land was leased from Mr Knight Erskine of Pittodrie,[5] with an agreement to construct a terrace on what is now the site of the Richard Donald Stand. The first game, a 7–1 win overDumbarton, was played on 2 September 1899.[5] The club was merged on 18 April 1903 with two other local clubs,Victoria United andOrion, to formAberdeen FC.[5] 8000 spectators turned up to watch the new Aberdeen FC play its first game at Pittodrie, a 1–1 draw in the Northern League againstStenhousemuir on 15 August 1903.[5] The club joined theScottish Football League in 1904.[5]
Increasing popularity of the team and rising attendances led to major developments at Pittodrie in the 1920s. The club purchased the ground, which they had been leasing, with the final payment made on 1 December 1920. The Main Stand, where the club offices, dressing rooms and trophy room are located, was constructed in 1925.[5] This was partly funded by the sale ofAlex Jackson toHuddersfield Town.[5] Also in the 1920s, thedugout was introduced to football by Aberdeen coachDonald Colman, who was interested in sitting lower to the pitch in order to inspect the players' footwork.[5][6]
The club won its first major trophy in 1947, when it won theScottish Cup. With increased success came more additions to Pittodrie. The record attendance occurred on 13 March 1954, when 45,061 spectators turned up for a Scottish Cup match againstHearts.Floodlights were introduced at Pittodrie on 21 October 1959, whenEnglishleague sideLuton Town were beaten 3–2 in a friendly. By 1 August 1968, the Main Stand had become all-seated as part of a £100,000 improvement of the ground. This coincided with a change of name from Pittodrie Park toPittodrie Stadium.[5] On 6 February 1971, a fire destroyed part of the Main Stand, and gutted the dressing rooms and club offices. The Scottish Cup trophy, which was held by Aberdeen at the time, had to be rescued by firemen.
In 1978, Pittodrie became the firstall-seated stadium in Great Britain, after the south terracing was fitted with bench style seating.[5] This improvement pre-dated theTaylor Report on British football grounds by a decade and coincided with a distinct upturn in the fortunes of the home team, now managed byAlex Ferguson. The south side became the South Stand in 1980, following the installation of acantilever roof which covered most of the seats.[5] A year later, the benches were replaced by individual seats.[5]
Both during the subsequent run in the 1980s and at numerous other times over the century the stadium has been in operation, there have been many memorable nights for the local fans. However, Pittodrie's greatest night is generally regarded as 16 March 1983. Aberdeen fought back from 2–1 down in aEuropean Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final second leg tie againstBayern Munich to win 3–2. A full house witnessed this victory, which took the Dons through to the semi-finals, and they went on to win the trophy by defeatingReal Madrid in thefinal. The club installed 24 executive boxes in the Main Stand, and built a new roof over the Merkland Road End in 1985.[7] Undersoil heating was installed in 1987.[7]
The most recent development of the stadium came in the1992–93 season when the Beach End stand on the east side of the ground was demolished, with the newRichard Donald stand - named after the club's long serving chairman - constructed in its place. On 1 August 1993, the new stand was opened with aLeague Cup tie againstClydebank. The official opening was carried out later in 1993 byPrincess Anne. It is currently the only two tier stand in the stadium. The stadium has remained relatively unchanged since then, although some minor improvements, such as the introduction of an electronic stadium entry system for the2006–07 season, have been carried out.
The site of the stadium is only 550 yards away from theNorth Sea, and with only the King's Links golf course between the stadium and the beach, the ground is one of the coldest football grounds in Britain.
As a result of aground sharing agreement, Pittodrie was used byInverness Caledonian Thistle for their home matches during the early part of the2004–05 season. This was required because Inverness CT's ownCaledonian Stadium did not meet the requirements for entry into theScottish Premier League until improvements were carried out and theseating capacity increased. In 2005 the stadium size criterion for entry to the SPL was reduced to 6,000, thereby allowing Inverness Caledonian Thistle to return to their home stadium partway during the season.
In March 2020 the club announced plans to reduce the operational capacity of Pittodrie to 15,500.[8] Despite this, attendances in the 2023-24 season have been reported from 15,000 to 18,652.[9]
The Main Stand was the originalgrandstand within the ground, and contains much of the staff and offices responsible for the day-to-day running of the stadium, from the boot room to the trophy room. Teams enter the pitch from a tunnel to the extreme left of this stand. As befits a main stand, this section of the ground includes both padded seating for club officials andVIPs, and severalexecutive boxes at the rear. There are a number of pillars running along this stand, supporting the roof. As a consequence, views in some places are restricted. It remains, however, the most expensive stand from which to watch matches. To the east of the Main Stand is the club shop, which doubles as a ticket office.
The Richard Donald Stand is named after former club chairmanDick Donald. Completed in 1993, it houses over 6,000 fans, although this is a reduction on its Beach End predecessor. It is acantilever construction with two tiers and a row of twelve executive boxes in between. It is commonly referred to as simply the "RDS". It was built by the present chairman's construction firm, the Stewart Milne Group, at a cost of £4.5 million. Within this stand are a number of banqueting rooms, which are used for corporate hospitality and outside bookings.
Taking its name from the street behind it, the Merkland Stand (also known as 'the Paddock' or 'King Street End') sits behind the goal, on the west of the ground. The Merkland is Aberdeen F.C.'s family stand, with reduced prices for under-twelves and families. There is also a section for disabled supporters near the pitch. The stand itself is a covered enclosure, with two pillars supporting the roof. The entrance to the stand is dominated by afaçade constructed fromgranite, a local stone.
Named simply after its position within the ground, the South Stand was originally an undeveloped embankment which was later remodelled as a standing terrace. Seating and a cantilever roof were later added, although some of the 8,400 seats remain uncovered. Since 1993, the easternmost part of the stand has been used to house away fans. Sections P, Q and R are designated for this purpose. Thetelevision gantry andcommentary positions are housed in this stand.
Despite improvements and its ground-breaking past, it appears[where?] that the future of Pittodrie as a football stadium is uncertain.[according to whom?] Plans are in action for the club to move to aNew Aberdeen Stadium. The principle of a move, rather than a redevelopment of Pittodrie, has already been recommended byAberdeen City Council. An earlier plan[when?] to move to the edge of the city, which corresponded with Scotland's failed joint bid for theEuro 2008 tournament, was scrapped.
In June 2006, the club's two major shareholders agreed a plan to sell the land on which the stadium sits to clear some of the club's debt.[10]
During the late 2010s, construction began at Kingsford on the western edge of the city which led to the completion of a new training facility,Cormack Park, in 2019;[11][12] however, the proposed stadium on the same site was put on hiatus due to economic issues, and in 2021 alternative designs at thecity's beachfront close to Pittodrie were released.[13]
Since its construction, there have been fifteenScotland international matches staged at Pittodrie. Normally the national team's home matches are played atHampden Park inGlasgow, but during times of redevelopment of the national stadium, or matches which are expected to draw a low crowd, theScottish Football Association has made use of other stadia in the country. Playing at Pittodrie, Scotland have won ten matches, drawn two and lost three. The most recent was a 1–0 loss toNetherlands on 9 November 2017.[14]
v
Wales| 3 February 1900 | Scotland | 5 – 2 | Wales | 1900 British Home Championship |
Bell 2'D. Wilson 7',35'Hamilton 37'Smith 60' | T.D. Parry W.T. Butler | Attendance: 12,500 Referee: C.E. Sutcliffe (England) |
v Wales| 12 February 1921 | Scotland | 2 – 1 | Wales | 1921 British Home Championship |
| Wilson 11',46' | D.J. Collier | Attendance: 20,824 Referee: J. Mason (England) |
v Wales| 21 November 1935 | Scotland | 3 – 2 | Wales | 1936 British Home Championship |
| Duncan 23' C.E. Napier 46',85' | C. Phillips 72' D.J. Astley 88' | Attendance: 26,334 Referee: S. Thompson (Northern Ireland) |
v
Ireland| 10 November 1937 | Scotland | 1 – 1 | Ireland | 1938 British Home Championship |
| Smith 48' | P. Doherty | Attendance: 21,878 Referee: A.J. Jewell (England) |
v
Belgium| 10 November 1971 | Scotland | 1 – 0 | Belgium | 1972 European Championship qualifier |
| O'Hare 5' | Attendance: 36,500 Referee:Bostrom (Sweden) |
v
Egypt| 16 May 1990 | Scotland | 1 – 3 | Egypt | Friendly match |
| McCoist 73' | Youssef 15' Hassan 28'Hamid 83' | Attendance: 23,000 Referee:Pedersen (Norway) |
v
Estonia| 2 June 1993 | Scotland | 3 – 1 | Estonia | 1994 World Cup qualifier |
| McClair 16' Nevin 27',72' (pen.) | Bragin 57' | Attendance: 14,307 Referee:Ouzounov (Bulgaria) |
v
Switzerland| 8 September 1993 | Scotland | 1 – 1 | Switzerland | 1994 World Cup qualifier |
| Collins 50' | Bregy 69' (pen.) | Attendance: 15,000 Referee:Quiniou (France) |
v
Belarus| 7 September 1997 | Scotland | 4 – 1 | Belarus | 1998 World Cup qualifier |
| Gallacher 7',58' Hopkin 54',88' | Katchouro 74' (pen.) | Attendance: 20,160 Referee:van der Ende (Netherlands) |
v
Faroe Islands| 14 October 1998 | Scotland | 2 – 1 | Faroe Islands | 2000 European Championship qualifier |
| Dodds 21' Burley 45' | Petersen 86' (pen.) | Attendance: 18,517 Referee:Kapitanis (Cyprus) |
v
Nigeria| 17 April 2002 | Scotland | 1 – 2 | Nigeria | Friendly match |
| 17:45 | Dailly 7' | Report | Aghahowa 40',69' | Attendance: 20,465 Referee:Øvrebø (Norway) |
v
South Africa| 22 August 2007 | Scotland | 1 – 0 | South Africa | Friendly match |
| 20:00 | Boyd 71' | Report | Attendance: 13,723 Referee:Atkinson (England) |
v Faroe Islands| 16 November 2010 | Scotland | 3 – 0 | Faroe Islands | Friendly match |
| 20:00 | Wilson 24' Commons 31'Mackie 45' | Report | Attendance: 15,064 Referee:van Boekel (Netherlands) |
v Estonia| 6 February 2013[15] | Scotland | 1 – 0 | Estonia | Friendly match |
| 19:45 | Mulgrew 39' | Report | Attendance: 16,102 Referee:Turpin (France) |
v
Netherlands| 9 November 2017 | Scotland | 0 – 1 | Netherlands | Friendly match |
| 19:45 | Report | Depay 40' | Attendance: 17,883 Referee:Buquet (France) |
Since 2005, Pittodrie has hosted fourrugby union internationals.
| Date | Country | Score | Country | Victor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2005 | Scotland | 38 – 9 | Barbarians | Scotland |
| 22 November 2008 | Scotland | 41 – 0 |  Canada | Scotland |
| 27 November 2010 | Scotland | 19 – 16 |  Samoa | Scotland |
| 24 November 2012 | Scotland | 15 – 21 |  Tonga | Tonga |
Pittodrie has been used for concerts; bothElton John[16] andRod Stewart[17] have played at Pittodrie.
