Aberdeen To Expand Pittodrie 'Useable Capacity' To Match Increasing Attendance

Aberdeen Football Club have announced plans to increase the capacity available to their home supporters including a boost in numbers for the Red Shed part of the Merkland Stand.

Following continued dialogue with Aberdeen City Council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), Aberdeen have made approximately 200 more season ticket seats available in the Merkland Stand, taking the useable capacity of the stand to 2,095. 12,000 plus season tickets - a record number for the Club - have been sold for the campaign ahead.

In addition, subject to final approval from the local authority, the Club intend to make some structural changes to the South Stand. These modifications will allow AFC to have a more bespoke offering when it comes to setting the number of away tickets it offers to fellow SPFL clubs – anything between the current 1,770 down to 300, with the stated desire of pushing towards approximately 1,000 more Dons fans in the South Stand, in Section R specifically, for matches where it is appropriate. This would also allow their own walk‑up supporters, around 2,000 per game, access to better seats and under cover from the open‑to‑the‑elements Section Y.

Aberdeen chief executive Alan Burrows said: “We are delighted to be able to offer even more season tickets in the Red Shed ahead of the 2023/24 season.

“There has been a huge amount of excellent work undertaken by AFC staff over the last few years on engaging with supporters and making matchdays at Pittodrie more noisy and more colourful and improving the atmosphere.

“We will continue to engage with all stakeholders to try and build on that, whilst maintaining a safe and secure environment for everyone.

“Our plans for the South Stand are very much an extension of that desire. We want even more Aberdeen fans coming to Pittodrie in the best seats, cheering the team on.

“The fence has not only proved a visible hindrance for fans in that area, but it has also not allowed us any flexibility to try and maximise attendances.

“This work will also have the added benefit of increasing the catering provisions in the South Stand by 25%, which we hope will further reduce queues and waiting times in that area for specific games.”