Aberdeen F.C.

This article is about the present-day club. For its predecessor of the same name in existence from 1881 to 1903, see Aberdeen F.C. (1881).

Aberdeen
Full nameAberdeen Football Club
Nickname(s)The Dons, The Dandies, The Reds
Founded14 April 1903; 121 years ago (1903-04-14)
GroundPittodrie Stadium
Capacity20,866[1]
ChairmanDave Cormack
ManagerJimmy Thelin
LeagueScottish Premiership
2023–24Scottish Premiership, 7th of 12
Websitewww.afc.co.uk
Current season

Aberdeen Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the Scottish Premiership and have never been relegated from the top division of the Scottish football league system since they were elected to the top flight in 1905.[2] Aberdeen have won four Scottish league titles, seven Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups. They are also the only Scottish team to have won two European trophies, having won the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup in 1983.

Formed in 1903 as a result of the amalgamation of three clubs from Aberdeen, they rarely challenged for honours until the post-war decade, when they won each of the major Scottish trophies under manager Dave Halliday. This level of success was surpassed in the 1980s, when, under the management of Alex Ferguson, they won three league titles, four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup, alongside the two European trophies. Aberdeen were the last club outside the Old Firm to win a league title, in 1984–85, and also the last Scottish team to win a European trophy. The team has enjoyed less success since this golden era, though a 19-year wait for a major trophy was ended by winning the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup, followed up by multiple second-place finishes behind Celtic in the league during the 2010s.

Aberdeen have played at Pittodrie Stadium since their inception. The ground currently has a capacity of 20,866[1] and was the first all-seated and all-covered stadium in the United Kingdom. Pittodrie was also the first football stadium to feature a dug-out, an invention of player and coach Donald Colman.

The club's colours have been primarily red and white since 1939; before this, they played in black and gold vertical stripes. In modern times, Aberdeen have almost exclusively played with all-red strips with white detailing.[3] Aberdeen attract support from the city and surrounding areas, as they have no geographically close rivals. Lacking a local competitor, Aberdeen have instead developed rivalries with more distant opponents such as Dundee United (collectively known as the "New Firm" in the 1980s) as well as long term SPFL competitors Celtic F.C and Rangers.

  1. ^ a b "Aberdeen Football Club". Spfl.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  2. ^ Nardelli, Alberto (2 June 2015). "Which European football clubs have never been relegated?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024. Only two clubs have always played in Scotland's top division: Celtic (since 1890) and Aberdeen (since 1905).
  3. ^ "Aberdeen". Historical Football Kits. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.