Pittodrie Stadium
| Pittodrie | |
View from Broad Hill towards the stadium
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 Pittodrie Stadium
Location in Aberdeen
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| Location | Aberdeen, Scotland |
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| Coordinates | 57°09′33″N 2°05′20″W / 57.15917°N 2.08889°W |
| Owner | Aberdeen F.C. |
| Capacity | 20,866 (Football) |
| 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 | GB£4.5 million (Richard Donald stand) |
| Tenants | |
| Aberdeen F.C. (1881) Aberdeen F.C. Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. |
1899–1903 1903–present 2004–2005 |
Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen F.C. since they were formed in 1903. Prior to then, the ground hosted the original Aberdeen F.C. from 1899 until the merger that created the present club.
With a seating capacity of 20,866; Pittodrie is the fourth largest stadium in the SPFL and the largest stadium in Scotland outside the Central Belt. Pittodrie has been the location of a number of firsts in the field of stadium design, including the invention of the dugout, and in 1978 became one of the first all-seater stadia in the United Kingdom.
As of 2017[update], Pittodrie has hosted fourteen matches involving the Scotland national team. The ground has also staged rugby union, with four Scotland international fixtures being held. In club football, Inverness Caledonian Thistle temporarily shared Pittodrie during part of the 2004–05 season.
Pittodrie’s original tenants were the original Aberdeen club, a precursor to Aberdeen FC, which along with other local clubs Victoria United and Orion amalgamated on 18 April 1903. Having previously played their football at various venues within the city, a former dung hill for police horses was chosen by Aberdeen to be cleared and readied for football on 1 February 1899. The land was leased from Mr Knight Erskine of Pittodrie with an agreement to construct a terrace on what is now the site of the Richard Donald Stand. On 2 September 1899, the first game was played in the new home, known then as Pittodrie Park; a 7–1 win over Dumbarton. On 15 August 1903, 8000 spectators turned up to watch the new Aberdeen FC draw 1–1 against Stenhousemuir, the first game played at Pittodrie by its amalgamated tenants.
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