Pittodrie Stadium
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Pittodrie Stadium
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On January 20, 2000 Ian Morrison wrote: I loved your site and got lots of great info from it. I thought you might be interested in an addition.The attached picture is of Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland, home of Aberdeen Football Club.
Football has been played on the site since 1889 on ground that was previously used as the Police dung hill. When the ground was laid out as a football pitch the name Pittodrie Park was used for the first time, taking its name from the owner of the land, Mr Knight Erskine of Pittodrie in the Chapel of Garioch.
On March 26 1903 it was decided that Aberdeen should amalgamate with two other city teams who were playing in the Northern League - Orion, who played at Cattofield, and Victoria United (Central Park). The new Club, Aberdeen Football Club Limited came into being on 18 April 1903.
Pittodrie Park, later to be restyled Pittodrie Stadium in the 1960's after a £100,000 facelift, became the headquarters of the new Aberdeen Football Club.
Floodlights were installed at Pittodrie in 1959 following the erection of a new cover for the terracing at the Beach End of the ground. During the summer of 1968 the old enclosure disappeared as the grandstand was extended down to the track round the pitch. The Paddock came into being during 1971 when seats were installed behind the King Street goal and a similar operation was carried out behind the Beach End goal during the summer of 1972.
During the close season of 1978 seating was installed in the area opposite the Main Stand, now known as the South Stand. A cover was erected in the summer of 1980 making Pittodrie the first all seated, all covered, Stadium in Britain with a capacity of 24,000. That figure was reduced by about 1,500 in the summer of 1983 by the construction along the back of the Main Stand of 24 Executive Boxes, four of them allocated as a new Press Box and the remainder leased out to local firms as guest facilities.
Subsequent ground improvements included a reconstruction in 1985 of the former Paddock, now renamed the Merkland Stand and the installation in the 1987 close season of an undersoil heating system. In 1992 work began on the new Beach End Stand. It was opened on 18 August 1993 by The Princess Royal and was named after the late chairman Mr Richard Donald. Seating 6064 it also has a restaurant which can dine up to 270 and 12 executive boxes holding 10 persons in each. These are also leased out to local firms as guest facilities.
The record attendance at Pittodrie is 45,061 for the Aberdeen v Hearts Scottish Cup Tie on 13 March 1954 and THE DONS record score was against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup in 1923 when they won 13 - 0.
Other Facts: First all-seated stadium in Britain
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