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Aberdeen

Pittodrie Stadium

Capacity: 22,199 (all seated)
Club Nickname: The Dons
Year Opened: 1899
Pitch Size: 110 x 72 yards
Address: Pittodrie Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5QH
Phone: 01224 650 400
Pitch Type: Grass
Shirt Sponsors: Texo
Fax: 01224 644 173
Ticket Office: 01224 631 903
Undersoil Heating: Yes
Manufacturer: Adidas
Home Kit: Red
Away Kit: Black, Green and Purple
Last Update: June 25, 2024

At one end of the ground is the newest and largest stand, the impressive-looking Richard Donald Stand,  named after a former Club Chairman. It was opened in 1993 and replaced what was known as the Beach End. This is two-tiered with a row of executive boxes running across the middle. There is a particularly large lower tier, with a smaller upper tier and overall this stand tends to dwarf the others around it.

At the other end is a much smaller and older single-tiered stand called the Merkland Stand.

On one side is the old Main Stand, originally built in 1925. As you would expect from an older stand, it has a fair few supporting pillars running along the front of it.

Opposite is a large single tiered cantilever stand, called the South Stand. The corner between this and the Merkland Stand is filled with seating, but this area is the only uncovered area of the ground.

For some time now, Aberdeen have been looking to move from Pittodrie. In 2018, the club received planning approval to build a new stadium in the Kingsford area of the city and a new training facility called Cormack Park opened around here in 2019. At the time the club believed they could have the new stadium built next door by the 2022/23 season.

However, when the COVID pandemic struck in 2020 the new stadium plans were put on hold. In 2021, there was a shift in plans when the club started to examine the possibility of building a new stadium on the city’s beachfront instead. In 2022, the club confirmed their intention to build a new stadium on the beachfront in a move that would also help boost the local area.

However, as of 2024, groundwork is yet to start so the project is still considered on hold.

Away fans are housed on the one side of the South Stand. Up to 4,500 supporters can be accommodated in this part of the ground (although the normal allocation is around 2,500).

There is normally an excellent atmosphere within Pittodrie, although it is sometimes lacking for the smaller games. As well as the atmosphere, common feedback from away fans who visit Pittodrie revolves around how cold it is due to the breeze that comes over from the nearby North Sea.

It’s a very old-fashioned stadium so as long as you go there with an open mind, you won’t be disappointed.

Pubs for away fans near Pittodrie:

  • The Bobbin – 500 King St, Aberdeen AB24 5ST
  • The Red Lion – 130 Spital, Aberdeen AB24 3JU
  • Old Blackfriars – 52 Castle St, Aberdeen AB11 5BB

The ground is located in the North part of the city (close to Old Aberdeen) and near to the coastline. It is close to the A956.

From The South

Follow the A90 towards Aberdeen. Just south of Aberdeen join the A956. Keep on the A956 through Aberdeen and eventually you will come to Pittodrie over on your right. Turn right into Pittodrie Street for the ground.

From The North

Follow the A956 into Aberdeen. You will reach Pittodrie over on your left. Turn left into Pittodrie Street for the ground.

From The West

Follow the A96 into Aberdeen. At the large roundabout with the A978 turn left into Machar Drive (A978). Proceed along the A978 and then turn right onto the A956 (King Street). Pittodrie Street and the ground is the 5th turning on the left.

Car parking

There is a large car park at the ground but this is for pass holders only. There is a fair amount of street parking in side streets and on the Esplanade along the sea front, which is on the other side of the golf course.

Aberdeen Railway Station is over two miles from the Pittodrie ground and is quite a walk (around 45 mins). Best to jump in a taxi up to the ground. However, if you want to brave the walk:

Upon leaving the station turn left and walk across the bridge and then turn right. This brings you onto Union Street, where you should walk down until its end, where you will reach Castle Gate. Home supporters should bear left into King Street (A956) and continue down this street before turning right into Merkland Road for the ground. Away supporters should proceed through the Castle Gate and into Park Street. This street eventually becomes Golf Road and you will come to Pittodrie on your left.

Remember if travelling by train then you can normally save on the cost of fares by booking in advance.

Visit the the trainline website to see how much you can save on the price of train tickets.

Click on the trainline logo below:

Aberdeen ticket prices 2023/24:

  • Adults: £26
  • Over 65s: £20
  • Over 75s: £16
  • 18-21s: £16
  • Under 18s: £12
  • Under 12s: £6

If you require hotel accommodation in Aberdeen then first try a hotel booking service provided by Booking.com. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will help towards the running costs of keeping this Guide going.

Official Programme £3

Although not local in distance, Glasgow Rangers.

There are 26 wheelchair spaces available in front of the Richard Donald & Merkland Road Stands, plus seven more in front of the away section. These also include provision for one helper per wheelchair space. Disabled fans are admitted free, although helpers are required to pay. Disabled toilet facilities are available in these stands. Places need to be booked in advance by calling 01224 650423.

Stadium tours are available every Tuesday and Wednesday 9am-11am.

Prices

  • Adults – £10  
  • Under 16’s – £5

Record Attendance:

45,061 v Heart Of Midlothian
Scottish Cup, 3rd March 1954.

Average Attendances:

2023-2024: 16,483 (Premier League)
2022-2023: 15,421 (Premier League)
2021-2022: 9,630 (Premier League)
2020-2021: N/A (Covid)
2019-2020: 13,836 (Premier League)
2018-2019  14,927 (Premier League)
2017-2018: 15,775 (Premier League)

Official Web Site: www.afc.co.uk

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail me [email protected] and I’ll update the guide.

Special thanks to Owen Pavey for providing the photos and ground plan of the Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen.

Reviews

Avatar of Ash Wilson Ash Wilson
Game AttendedAberdeen v Edinburgh City
CompetitionScottish Cup 4th Round
Date22/01/2022

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?

As luck had it, we got a massive tie away in the cup and to coincide with that it would mean I would be a football ground centurion and would have ticked off 100 grounds. Couldn't miss it for the world. Was one of the biggest games in our 94 year history.

How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

We took the 1020am Megabus from Edinburgh and it was direct to Aberdeen arriving at around 1.30pm. The bus was quite nice and a good time was had on board by a small group of us who decided to go that route. The ground is a good 25 min walk from the bus station through the city centre but pretty straight forward. For that 25 minutes, if you expect to see anything else bar the colour grey once the City centre is behind you, then you will be disappointed.

What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

We broke up the walk by going to Malones Irish pub in the City centre and doubled up on pints as it was table service and we didn't have lots of time. The pub was full of Raith Rovers fans who were in town on the same day playing Banks o'Dee. All a friendly atmosphere. At Pittodrie the home fans were very welcoming which took us by surprise as we were warned beforehand that "Edinburgh folk aren't well received in these parts". That couldn't be further from the truth, we met some thoroughly decent home supporters who appreciated seeing and meeting folk a bit different to the norm.

What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?

The ground from a distance looks like it is in the middle of a baron area. Not much around it apart from the beach area to the right. The two tier stand is impressive but the away end is quite run down. The stand we were housed in is also shared with home supporters on the other side of a 70s/80s style cage barrier. Apart from this stand, the rest of the stadium is impressive and I hope The Don's do not sell their soul and never leave Pittodrie for a characterless bowl well out of the city limits.

Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

It was our big day out and to be honest we were really well organised against a full strength Aberdeen side who had us defending from the 1st minute until the last. Aberdeen won the game 3-0 but we did not disgrace ourselves at all and we even managed a shot on target! The atmosphere was pretty good. Aberdeens Red Shed made for a good atmosphere and our own fans sang throughout. Stewards friendly enough and not over zealous at all. I enjoyed a steak pie which was tasty but overpriced at £3 and a cup of water which was needed after some pre match drinking. The water in a cup was priced at £2.50 which was a total rip off. Food menu is quite generic and nothing exotic, just your usual pies and that was that really.

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game

Only 161 of us devoted Citizens in the away end so getting away was not a problem at all. We had no bother mixing with Aberdeen fans on the long walk back to the bus station and we stopped off at a little shop on the way. There is a pub called The Saltoun Arms en route but we had no time for that sadly as our bus back home was due at 1745.

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out

Thoroughly enjoyed our big day out in the limelight and would highly recommend Pittodrie and Aberdeen for a day out but make sure you give yourself plenty of time before kick off if you want to enjoy the sights and sounds......and the pubs. Make sure to buy a programme at Aberdeen, it is the best programme by a country mile in Scottish football and for £3 it is worth every single penny.
Avatar of Michael Weeks Michael Weeks
Game AttendedAberdeen v Hibernian
CompetitionCinch Premiership
Date23/10/2021

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the ground itself?

I was visiting Aberdeen for a few days from Bristol England and chose the time of my visit to enable me to see an Aberdeen game against another leading club. Pittodrie is a ground i have wanted to visit.

How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

I was staying near the city centre and walked down to the beach then along the promenade to the ground. An unusual way to get to a football ground. Difficult to get lost though!!

What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?

It was a bit bleak around the beach side near the ground and there didn't seem anywhere to visit for fans apart from a couple of golf club bars which I would imagine are difficult to get in. I walked a little way back and came across a science museum which had a cafe which was open to non museum visitors and I had some great food in there although I must say it is not the typical place a football follower would visit pre-match.

What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the stadium?

I liked the ground both from the outside and inside.It clearly has a history and character. Although it is somewhat out of balance with the much larger stand behind the goal. I was in the main stand which was built in 1925. I liked it and could sense that all the metalwork and paintwork had about 50 coats of paint on built up over the years. A bit like the old main stand at my club Bristol City which was demolished a couple of years ago for refurbishment.

Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

The facilities were very basic as would be expected from such an old stand. The stewards were very pleasant and helpful. The game was decent and Aberdeen won 1-0. Just about deservedly although I felt Hibs always looked as if they had an equaliser in them. The home fans were vociferous throughout and there seemed very few early leavers. I must say that by contrast I was surprised how subdued the Hibs fans were considering they were always in the game.

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game

Easy enough and it seemed that lots head back towards the city centre on foot. I might not feel the same on a wet cold and windy winters day though.

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Pittodrie.
Avatar of Steven Roper (West Bromwich Albion) Steven Roper (West Bromwich Albion)

Aberdeen v West Bromwich Albion
Pre-season friendly
Friday 20th July 2018, 8pm
Steven Roper (West Bromwich Albion fan)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Pittodrie Stadium?
 
Aberdeen was one of the few Scottish teams I hadn't seen play, and Pittodrie was one ground that I wanted to visit. So the chance of a weekend in the city, and watching West Brom play there was too good to miss.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
I stayed in a hotel outside the city and used the regular bus service, which took about 25 minutes. From Union Street, the city's main thoroughfare, it took about 20 minutes to walk.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
The Albion fans met at the Saltoun Arms in Frederick Street, though there are plenty of bars along Union Street. The Aberdeen fans were friendly enough and there was a good bit of banter between both sets. All in all, they were a friendly enough set of supporters.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Pittodrie Stadium?
 
As a traditionalist the ground itself, in my opinion, is superb. The large two-tier stand looks a bit out of sync with the rest of the ground, but it isn't really modern. The brickwork all the way around the ground is dated, and the roofs of the stands were quite old-fashioned. The away fans are seated in one side of the South Stand. Part of the allocated seating though is not covered. It should also be noted though that there is nothing protecting the away fans from the wind blowing in off the north sea as this corner is open.
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
It was a typical friendly match with both sides just having a game of football, rather than anything intense. The 1-1 result was fair. The stewards were easy going and friendly enough. Caravan-type food bar selling burgers, chips, pies and hot drinks.
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
It was a twenty minute walk back to the city centre, and the bus back to the hotel. I did notice that a lot of fans tend to park along the esplanade next to the beach where there are no restrictions.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
As far a traditional grounds go Pittodrie is now one of my favourites. Easy to get to from the city centre where there are numerous bars. It was a good night out.
Avatar of Martin McNab (Dundee United) Martin McNab (Dundee United)

Aberdeen v Dundee United
Premier League
Wednesday January 2nd 2013, 3pm 
Martin McNab (Dundee United fan)

Being a loyal Dundee United fan, a trip to the home of our 'New Firm' rivals Aberdeen is an occasion not to be missed. Along with around 2,200 fellow Arabs I made the one and a half hour trip up north to the granite city and was looking forward to the match. Being my first trip to Pitodrie I was not to sure what to expect when I entered the ground however I had heard from some friends that the condition of the stadium (or atl east the away section) was not the most welcoming places to be. 

Finding the ground was not too difficult. We followed the main road through the city's harbour area and the stadium is quite well signposted. Before the game we had hoped to go to a for a bite to eat but because of the bad traffic on the roads we did not get to the stadium till about 20 minutes before kick off. 

My first sight of the ground was from the south side. Seeing the impressive Richard Donald stand I thought that the the away fans area would not be too bad. However when we got into the away end I was not impressed. The seats are in a state of dissrepair and some of them can be a bit hard to pull down becaue of them being so rusty although this did not prove to be a problem because we were standing up for the duration of the match. The view of the pitch is decent and there is a lot of legroom for those who chose to sit. 

The game itself was a cracking game, by half time Dundee United were leading 2-1, thanks to a Jaime Langfield (the Aberdeen keeper) own goal. Being rivals the atmosphere was brilliant, helped by the fact that the fans are separated by no more than a fence meaning that the banter flying back and forth between the home and away fans was brilliant. The stewards were not the best of people to deal with however that seems to be the case at more and more grounds in Scotland nowadays.

Just before half time I went to get myself a pie and bovril, the queue however was enormous due to the fact that there was only 3 serving stations to cater for the 2,000-2,500 away fans. After a wait of almost 20 minutes I reached the serving station only to find out that they had ran out of pies, hotdogs and all hot food just before half time, something that was not pleasing the fans. The toilets in the ground were not that bad however, like the food stalls there was by no means enough toilets to cater for a large away support which meant more waiting in queues. 

Getting out of the ground was fine despite a 5 minute wait for them to open the gates and overall with the game ending 2-2 it was a good day out and I cant wait to go again. 

Avatar of James Kidd (Neutral) James Kidd (Neutral)

Aberdeen v Ross County
Premier League
Saturday August 11th, 2012, 3pm 
James Kidd (Neutral fan)

1. Why you were looking forward to going to the ground (or not as the case may be):

Although I'm from Newcastle and primarily a Newcastle supporter I've followed Aberdeen for the best part of 30 years now and try to watch them as often as possible when their fixtures don't clash with Newcastles although that isn't very often so it's always exciting when I get the chance to visit Pittodrie. The fact that this was the first League meeting ever between the two sides added to the occasion and I was looking forward to seeing how good Ross County were with them being on the back of a 32 game unbeaten run stretching back through the previous season.

2. How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?

We left Newcastle at 7:40am and the 4hr 30m train journey meant we were in Aberdeen just after midday. We found our hotel easily enough and made our way to the pub to watch Peterhead v Rangers in the Scottish 3rd Division.

3. What you did before the game pub/chippy…. home fans friendly?

There aren't many pubs near the stadium and since Pittodrie as around a 20 minute walk from the centre we decided to head to Archibald Simpsons which is a Wetherspoons pub situated on the corner of Union Street and Castle Street and is around a 15 minute walk from the stadium. The pub was very busy with a good mix of home and away supporters who were all in very good spirits, especially when Peterhead took the lead against Rangers!

4. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the ground?

The stadium is a bit dated in all honesty. It was of course the first all seater stadium in the UK but other than the Richard Donald Stand which was built in 1993 the rest of the stadium is looking a bit tired these days. Ross County brought around 1,000 fans with them and they were all situated in the South Stand, towards the Richard Donald stand.

5. Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..

The game was pretty poor. Aberdeen were marginally the better side but Ross County were very determined and showed why they were unbeaten for so long and it was no surprise that it fizzled out into a 0-0 draw. The crowd were pretty subdued for the most part, despite the attendance being over 14,000 but the poor football on display meant it was difficult to get excited about what was happening on the pitch. We were in the Richard Donald Stand, four rows from the front of the Upper tier and had a railing which runs the full length of the stand obstructing our view of the goal we were behind. You would probably need to sit at least six rows from the front to get a totally unobstructed view of the match. The facilities in the stand are pretty good though.

6. Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:

We walked back into the city centre after the match for a few more drinks. Obviously we were on foot but noticed that the traffic around the stadium was all flowing freely and it is quite an easy stadium to get out of, even with a larger than normal crowd. The atmosphere was very relaxed with both sets of supporters mingling and wishing each other well for the rest of the season.

7. Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:

I love Aberdeen! It's a very nice city although even in the summer it can get pretty nippy so it's always worth bringing a coat with you! It wasn't a great game but the day on the whole was very enjoyable. We took the opportunity to visit several of the many pubs the city has to offer after the match and also found a great Indian restaurant which is where we ended our night. It's a long way to travel for many people in the UK but it's certainly a trip I would recommend taking.