Aberdeen have made 200 more season ticket seats available in the Red Shed at Pittodrie, as well as outlining their desire to push more home fans into the currently-segregated away section of the South Stand.
The club have been in dialogue with the local council in a bid to increase the 'useable capacity' of the Merkland Stand, which houses the ultras of the Aberdeen support. They plan to hand the newly-available season ticket seats to people on their current waiting list, with the rest not taken to be dished out on a first come first served basis.
Moreover, the Granite City outfit plan to make structural adaptations to the South Stand, which accomodates both home and away fans. They want to make around 1,000 seats of Section R of the stand, which is currently segregated for away supporters, available to their own fans for big matches instead in what they call a 'flexible' change.
This will mean taking away the fence that segregates home and away fans, as well as a number of other physical changes to the stand. Once approval is gained, Aberdeen hope to commence this work in September of this year.
Meanwhile, in their statement, Aberdeen - who have sold a record-breaking 12,000-plus season tickets - say they intend to have discussions with other Premiership clubs in the hope they can negotiate 'reciprocal allocations' when it comes to their away fans at other grounds and when welcoming visiting supporters to Pittodrie.
They say the outcome of those discussions will factor into the allocation of seats for away fans coming to Pittodrie on matchdays.
Aberdeen CEO Alan Burrows offered his insight into the new plans, saying: “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.”
