Aberdeen to meet with fans over singing section

Dons to meet with supporters after The Away End intervention

By ANDREW SOUTHWICK

A SURVEY conducted by The Away End has sent a powerful message to Aberdeen Football Club from the club's fans.

Over 900 Dons supporters filled in a 30 question survey asking for their views on how to improve the attendances and atmosphere at Pittodrie.

A new singing section is at the heart of supporters pleas, and the survey showed overwhelming backing for it.

Now, as a result of the survey, and a letter to the club, the Dons have to their credit agreed to sit down and discuss the results with fans.

The original letter, and survey results, were:-

Dear AFC,

It is fair to say that Aberdeen Football Club's star does not shine quite as bright as it once did.

Where once fans looked forward to the start of the season with hope and a great deal of excitement and expectation, we are coming to the end of a campaign where once again very modest and reachable expectations have not been met.

Where once players were proud to be at Aberdeen, now frustrated supporters are watching their stars shun new deals in preference of playing for other Scottish Premier League clubs.

These perhaps are to be expected. The game has moved on considerably, even within the relatively short time the SPL has been in existence. Standards are lower, as are the funds.

However, what should never have been allowed to happen is the alarming rate at which a once loyal fan base has been turned away from Pittodrie.

Aberdeen fans have proudly been the club's greatest asset for years. No other support would have rallied behind their club the same way the Red Army did in 1994/95. No other support would have continued to back the team both home and away in the numbers they did through the majority of the 16 long years that have gone past without domestic success.

However, the club has been guilty of taking advantage of that loyalty for too long.

With the rise of the number of games on TV, the choice has been there to sit on a comfy settee, warm living room, joined by your friends, and able to shout, stand and do what you like while watching the game.

Or, you can pay £22, sit on a plastic seat with a bitter North-sea wind swirling round the ground, while overzealous stewarding strips you of your dignity and ruins any chance of enjoyment.

The 'Pittodrie Experience' is now a sombre one. The atmosphere has gone. Saturdays at Pittodrie are a chore rather than something to look forward to.

Season tickets are advertised showing smiling fans, full stadiums, and displays by the Red Ultras. The Red Ultras though were treated like lepers, moved to a small corner in Section Y open to the elements, watched constantly by police and stewards, and eventually frustrated into giving up when their goal was to improve the match-day atmosphere – something the club should have backed them with 100%.

Now, a number of supporters want to try again. There are those who don't want to be TV fans and want Pittodrie, and eventually the new stadium, to be a place they’re not only happy to go to but proud to show off.

Fans pay to fly to Germany to take in a true football experience – great atmosphere, cheap tickets, big crowds, and a fun day out. This because the football ground on their own doorstep does not serve any of the above needs.

One small step to creating an enjoyable experience at Pittodrie would be the advent of a singing section.

The singing section at the Scottish Cup semi-final showed a glimpse of what could be at Pittodrie; fans grouping together, creating an atmosphere, and backing the team to the bitter end.

Last week, after being contacted by a number of Aberdeen fans, ‘The Away End’ magazine conducted a survey amongst Aberdeen fans to ask for their views on a new singing section. Just under 900 Dons fans took part.

The results deliver a damning verdict on how fans are treated at Pittodrie.

A total of 51% of respondents said they go less than they did five years ago. The reasons were mostly the same – ticket prices too high, entertainment too low, overzealous stewarding, poor atmosphere, poor team.

Season ticket numbers have already fallen, yet the survey results suggest up to another third could decide not to renew next season.

One thing that came over loud and clear from the results was that people could be convinced to come back should the atmosphere improve. Fans want to enjoy going to Pittodrie, they want a day out with their mates, and they want to forget about the troubles of the 9-5 week rather than be given a set of new ones.

We asked fans what they thought of the singing section at Hampden – it received overwhelming backing with 90% saying they thought it was a good thing. We asked if fans would back a new singing section at Pittodrie. 87% said yes, with a suggestion that as many as 79% could be enticed to get tickets for that section even if it meant moving to a different area of the ground.

The Merkland Stand has emerged as the most popular place for it. The acoustics of the stand are perfect, it's right next to the pitch, and if full it would match (and probably out sing) the Old Firm's vast away support.

The idea has been put to the club in the past by the Red Ultras, and indications were that various directors supported it, only to suddenly dismiss the idea.

Our survey has asked those who sit in the family stand with their children just now what their views on this would be. The results show that many would be happy to move to where there are better facilities for kids, as long as prices were not more expensive. There is a huge concourse in the lower deck of the Richard Donald Stand that is going largely unused every Saturday – why not look to get children in the ground a few hours before the game and run stalls and competitions?

Children are the future of the club's support, yet they're in a section that doesn't suit them, doesn't tend to their needs, and would be better off filled by vocal fans. Kids should be excited about going to the game, about having a day out with their parents. The club has the facilities to deliver a family experience, but doesn't.

We urge the club to review the survey results. Not just the results, but the hundreds of comments and opinions from fans who filled out the survey.

We urge the club to look again at ticket prices. It is accepted they are little different to the rest of the SPL, however when the rest of the teams are also suffering from poor crowds then theirs is not a model to copy. The Dons once has Chris Anderson and Dick Donald as pioneers in Scotland, leading the way. Now we're copying a business model that is clearly not working for anyone in Scotland.

We urge the club to review the whole Pittodrie experience. It is all well and good telling fans a new stadium will be here in a few years, but it's not just about the stadium looking nice – fans want affordable tickets, a good atmosphere, an enjoyable day out, as well as a team to be proud of. We urge the club to reconsider a singing section in the ground, and to help promote it in the same way they belatedly did with the organised singing section at Hampden.

The crowds, atmosphere, and relationship between the support and the club could not be any worse
just now. Therefore, the club surely has nothing to lose?

Yours in hope,
‘The Away End’ Scottish Football Magazine (www.theawayend.net)

Potential Singing Section – Survey Results

1 – How old are you? (886 responses)

Under 18: 7%
19-25: 20%
26-40: 49%
41-64:  24%
Over 65: 1%

2 – Where do you generally sit at Pittodrie? (882)

South Stand: 51%
Richard Donald Stand (upper deck): 19%
Richard Donald Stand (lower deck): 17%
Merkland Stand: 6%
Main Stand: 6%

3 – How often have you been at Pittodrie this season? (886)

A handful of games: 42%
All or most of the games: 34%
Around half of the games: 14%
None of the games: 10%

4 - How often do you go to Pittodrie now compared to how often you went five years ago? (886)

Less often: 51%
Just the same: 39%
More often: 10%

5 - Are you a current season ticket holder (2010/11 season) (883)

No: 67%
Yes: 33%

6 - If you are a current season ticket holder, do you think you will renew for next season? (296)

Yes: 69%
Have yet to decide: 22%
No: 8%

7 – What factors have, or are likely to, put you off attending games next season?

Poor team on the pitch: 25%
Lack of atmosphere at Pittodrie: 22%
Ticket prices: 19%
Treatment of fans by Stewards/Police: 13%
Playing the same teams too often: 12%
All seated stadium: 5%
Other: 4%

8 - If you attend less regularly than you used to, what factors would help you to attend more often next season?

If in your opinion Craig Brown has made the squad stronger during summer: 27%
Lower ticket prices: 20%
If there was to be a designated singing section or general improvement in the atmosphere: 20%
If the team starts the season in good form: 16%
If the SPL and/or police were to get tougher on the Old Firm's sectarian chanting at Pittodrie: 14%
Other (please state): 3%

9 - Do you agree that the club should consider closing the upper deck of the Richard Donald Stand if crowds continue to be less than 12,000? (878)

Yes: 74%
No: 16%
Don't Know: 10%

10 - If you currently sit in the upper deck of the Richard Donald Stand, what would you be more likely to do if the club closed it for certain games? (387)

Would move to the South Stand: 28%
Would move to wherever there was a designated singing section: 26%
Don't know: 26%
Would move to the RDS (lower): 15%
Would move to the Main Stand: 2%
Would stop going / attend less regularly: 2%
Would move to the Merkland Stand: 1%

11 - The last game v Rangers had a crowd of just 11,925. If the club decided to increase the Old Firm's allocation in order to bring in more revenue, would you.... (880)

Disagree: 72%
Agree: 20%
Don't Know: 7%

12 - For those who bring children to games, are you more likely or less likely to take them when playing the Old Firm? (539)

Makes no difference: 48%
Less likely: 46%
More likely: 6%

13 - Would you like to see a designated singing section in the ground? (837)

Yes: 87%
Don't Know: 8%
No: 5%

14 - Where do you think a designated singing section should be? (823)

Merkland Stand: 39%
South Stand (middle section): 30%
Richard Donald Stand (upper deck): 10%
South Stand (Section Y): 8%
Don't think there should be one: 6%
Richard Donald Stand (lower deck): 5%
Main Stand: 2%

15 - It has been suggested that the Merkland Stand would be better served as a singing section as opposed to the family stand, what are your views on this? (825)

Would support it being used as a singing section for all games: 54%
It should remain as a family stand: 29%
Don't know/other (please state below): 12%
It should be a family stand for all games except v the Old Firm when it could be used as a singing section: 5%

16 - If a singing section was situated in the Merkland Stand, what do you feel should happen to the family section? (820)

It should move to the wings of the Main Stand: 32%
No need for family section just have cheaper children's prices throughout ground: 19%
Do not support moving family section from Merkland Stand: 17%
It should move to the wings of the RDS (Lower): 15%
No need for family section but make another area of the ground cheaper tickets for both adults and children: 10%
No need for family section but keep prices in Merkland stand cheaper than rest of ground: 2%
No need for family section at all: 2%
Other: 2%
It should move to the wings of the RDS (Upper): 1%

17 - If you currently sit in the Family Stand, and current family stand prices were not too dissimilar in another area of the ground, how would it effect how often you attended games? (357)

Would make no difference: 42%
Don't Know: 40%
Depends where the section was: 11%
Would still attend but would be less likely to take my kids: 4%
Would be less likely to attend: 4%

18 - If you currently sit in the family stand, and the club announced that they were not continuing with a family section at least until the new stadium is built, how would that effect how many games you and your children attended? (356)

Would make no difference: 37%
Don't know: 36%
Would be less likely to attend if prices were more expensive: 16%
Would be less likely to attend regardless: 6%
Would be less likely to attend if area was situated next to away fans: 5%

19 – Did you attend the recent Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic? (805)

Yes: 51%
No: 49%

20 – Did you purchase tickets for the designated singing sections in A7 and B1? (422)

No: 53%
Yes: 47%

21 - How would you rate the singing section at the semi-final? (428)

Good: 90%
No opinion: 7%
Bad: 3%

22 - Would you be happy if a designated singing section was situated in or near to where you currently sit at Pittodrie? (802)

Yes: 85%
Don't Know: 9%
No: 6%

23 - If there was a singing section, would you be interested in purchasing tickets for that area? (803)

Yes: 65%
No: 21%
Don't Know: 15%

24 - Would you be convinced to move from where you usually sit to a different section of the ground in order to be part of a new singing section? (803)

Yes: 46%
Depends what area of the ground it was: 25%
No: 22%
Don't know: 7%

25 - How often do you think you would get tickets for a new singing section if it was in the Merkland stand? (786)

Never/very rarely: 40%
Every game you attended: 29%
Most games you attended: 21%
Only the big games: 11%

26 - How often do you think you would get tickets for a new singing section if it was in the Richard Donald Stand? (789)

Never/very rarely: 39%
Every game you attended: 25%
Most games you attended: 23%
Only the big games: 13%

27 - How often do you think you would get tickets for a new singing section if it was in the South Stand? (789)

Every game you attended: 35%
Never/very rarely: 30%
Most games you attended: 26%
Only the big games: 9%

28 - If there was a singing section, what would you like to see in that section? (794)

An Ultras style section: 47%
Just normal singing section: 39%
A drum/band: 7%
Don't know: 7%

29 - What other ideas (if any) would you suggest for improving the atmosphere at Pittodrie?

250 responses

30 - Anything else you would like to add about your Pittodrie experience, or ideas to get the fans back, please include them here.

241 responses.

Full results, including all comments, have been forwarded to the club.

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