Dons hopeful of over 5,000 supporters for European clash
They've applied to the Council to be allowed to host more than double the 2k limit at Level 0.
Last updated 14th Jul 2021
Aberdeen Football Club say they hope to have a "meaningful" number of supporters inside Pittodrie for next week's European clash.
The Dons play BK Hacken next Thursday in a UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier.
Aberdeen City Council officials have met with senior management and operations personnel from the Club to scrutinise the detailed plans for a safe return of fans to the stadium within anticipated restrictions.
Council officials were given a tour of the stadium, with the club making the case for 5,665 fans to be allowed into the ground.
The limit set by the Scottish Government for Level 0, which will be level by the time of the game, is 2,000 supporters.
But clubs were told they can apply to their local authority to extend that figure.
They say they are under the belief the Council were "satisfied" the club considered all points of safety in their plans.
Dave Cormack, chairman of AFC, said: “Thanks to the tireless work of our stadium manager and his operations team, we have successfully navigated a forensic process by the local authority.
“This positive feedback of our highly regulated environment combined with government and scientific advice that controlled outdoor events are more acceptable than indoor gatherings gives us confidence that we will get the go‐ahead from the local authority.
“The unintended consequences of us being unable to welcome meaningful crowds could see an influx of hundreds, if not thousands, of people meeting up indoors at less regulated events to watch the game.
“Being able to host meaningful numbers of fans at Pittodrie for the BK Hacken game will be welcomed not only by supporters but by the first team squad and the manager who are desperate to get back to playing in front of home crowds.
“We’re grateful to Aberdeen City Council officers for working collaboratively with us on our application and look forward to hopefully getting the greenlight by the end of this week.
“Under the government’s newly announced guidance for events at 1m social distancing from 19th of July, we will be unable to accommodate all our 7,700 season ticket holders so, once we get confirmation from the Council, we’ll let supporters know the process as soon as possible.”
We've contacted Aberdeen City Council for comment.