Aberdeen

150px
Full name	Aberdeen Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Dons, The Reds, The Dandies
Founded	1903
Ground	Pittodrie Stadium Aberdeen Scotland (Capacity: 22,199)
Chairman	Stewart Milne
Manager	Craig Brown
League	Scottish Premier League
2010–11	Scottish Premier League, 9th
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Aberdeen Football Club (also known as The Dons, The Dandies or The Reds) are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen. They compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the most successful teams in their country, having won four league titles and seven Scottish Cups, including a record three in a row during the 1980s, the only time a team other than Rangers has done this since 1882. They are also the only Scottish team to have won two European trophies, both in the same year, and are one of only 3 Scottish teams that have never been relegated from the Top Division. Despite competing in the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup finals, both in 2000, they have not won any silverware since 1995.

Formed in 1903 as a result of the amalgamation of three clubs from Aberdeen, they rarely challenged for honours until the 1950s, 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 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, both in 1983. Aberdeen were the last club outside of the Old Firm to win a league title, in 1984/85, and also the last Scottish team to win a European Championship.

Aberdeen have played at Pittodrie Stadium since their inception. The ground currently has a capacity of 22,199 and was the first all-seated and all-covered stadium in the United Kingdom. Pittodrie was also the first football stadium to feature a dugout, 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.

Aberdeen attract support from the city and surrounding areas, as they are the only senior team within a wide area. Aberdeen have no geographically close rivals; their nearest neighbours at the same level are in the city of Dundee.

History[link]

Formation and early struggle (1903–1939)[link]

League history of Aberdeen from their first league appearance in 1904 to 2006

The current Aberdeen F.C. was formed following the merger of three city clubs, Aberdeen, Victoria United and Orion, in 1903.^[1] The new club played its first match on 15 August 1903, a 1–1 draw with Stenhousemuir.^[2] That first season produced a win in the Aberdeenshire Cup, but only a third place finish in the Northern League. The club applied for membership of the Scottish League for the following season, and were elected to the Second Division, rather than the First.^[2]

In 1904, the club were managed by Jimmy Philip. At the end of that first season, despite having finished 7th out of 12 teams, Aberdeen were elected to the new, expanded First Division, and have been in the top tier of Scottish football ever since, a record shared with only Celtic and Rangers.^[3] From 1906, the club made steady progress, with a Scottish Cup semi-final appearance in 1908 and another in 1911.^[2] In that season of 1910/11, Aberdeen recorded their first victories over the Old Firm, and led the league for a time, but finished the season in second place.^[2]

Wartime affected the club as much as any other. Despite spending cuts and other economies, by 1917 the situation became untenable. Aberdeen dropped out of competitive football, along with Dundee and Raith Rovers. Senior football returned on 16 August 1919, and Aberdeen resumed with a fixture against Albion Rovers. Philip was still in charge, and continued to oversee a team capable of isolated good results, but never quite able to sustain a challenge long enough to win a trophy. In 1923, Aberdeen were drawn against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup, and posted their record score—a 13–0 victory.^[4] Philip retired a year later, and was replaced as manager by Paddy Travers.^[5] He presided over the team's first Scottish Cup final in 1937.^[2]

Travers' trainer (first team coach in modern parlance) was former player Donald Colman. Colman was regarded as a brilliant and innovative thinker about football, and conceived the dug-out, a covered area set slightly below the level of the playing surface to better aid his observations. Everton visited Pittodrie soon after its introduction, and exported the idea to the English leagues, from where it spread throughout the football-playing world.^[6] Travers left to become manager of Clyde in 1939, and was replaced by Dave Halliday.^[7]

Halliday went to his ex club Queen of the South to sign inside forward George Hamilton. This would be as shrewd a signing as Halliday would ever make.^[7][8] However Halliday had barely begun his work when the Second World War halted competitive football in the United Kingdom.^[7][9]

Steady rise (1945–1978)[link]

Halliday's place in the Aberdeen Hall of Fame was secured after the war when he became the first manager to bring national trophies to Pittodrie. Aberdeen, now playing in red, won the Southern League Cup in 45/46 season defeating Rangers 3–2 at Hampden. They then reached the 1947 Scottish Cup final, defeating Hibernian 2–1 with the inspirational Hamilton scoring to gain the club's first major trophy.^[7][10] From this early success, Halliday's side reached two more Scottish Cup finals, in 1953 and 1954, although both were lost.^[7] Halliday's team were not to be denied, however, and the following season, 1954/55, Aberdeen won their first Scottish League title.^[7][10] Though league winners, the club did not participate in the first European Cup competition—Scotland's place was awarded to Hibernian, who took part by special invitation.^[11]

Halliday and Hamilton left at the end of that championship-winning season,^[7] Halliday replaced by Davie Shaw. Aberdeen won the League Cup under his guidance, beating St. Mirren in 1955/56, and reached another Scottish Cup final in 1959.^[10] However, Shaw stepped aside for another former favourite player, Tommy Pearson in 1959. Pearson's time in charge coincided with a high turnover of players, and yielded no trophies. He retired in 1965, making way for Eddie Turnbull.^[5] Turnbull led Aberdeen to two Scottish Cup finals against Celtic, losing in 1967, but gaining revenge three years later.^[10]

Aberdeen first played in Europe in the 1967/68 Cup Winner's Cup, qualifying as runners-up to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final. Their first tie was a 14–1 aggregate victory over KR Reykjavik, although they lost the second round tie with Standard Liège 3–2 on aggregate. As Scottish Cup holders in 1970/71, Aberdeen once again qualified for the same competition, but were eliminated in the first round following a 4–4 aggregate tie with Honvéd. This tie, level after extra time and also level on away goals, was decided by the first penalty shootout in UEFA competition history, Honvéd winning the shootout 5–4 in Budapest.^[12]

Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager of Aberdeen, pictured at current club Manchester United

The Aberdeen side of the 1970s regularly challenged for domestic honours. However, they rarely won trophies, with the exception of the Drybrough Cup in 1971 under (Jimmy Bonthrone) and the League Cup in 1976, under Ally MacLeod. During this decade, Aberdeen had five managers, Eddie Turnbull, Jimmy Bonthrone, Ally MacLeod, Billy McNeill and Alex Ferguson.^[5] They reached two more national cup finals—the Scottish Cup in 1978 under Billy McNeill and the League Cup in the following season under the new manager Alex Ferguson.^[10]

Alex Ferguson era (1978–1986)[link]

Under Ferguson's guidance, the club won three league championships, one Drybrough Cup, four Scottish Cups, the European Cup Winner's Cup, the European Super Cup and a League Cup – all in the space of seven years.

Under Ferguson's guidance, players such as Jim Leighton, Willie Miller, Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan became the backbone of the team. Aberdeen's second League title was won in 1979/80, and this initial success was built on, with Scottish Cup wins in three successive seasons from 1982 to 1984,^[10] and two more league titles in 1983/84 and 1984/85.

In the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983 Aberdeen beat FC Sion, Dinamo Tirana and Lech Poznań to face the German Cup winners Bayern Munich. This game was won 3–2 at Pittodrie after a goalless draw in Germany, John Hewitt with the winning goal. They then faced now defunct Belgian club Waterschei in the semi-final. Aberdeen beat them 5–1 at home, and lost for the first time in the tournament, 1–0 away, resulting in an aggregate victory which sent Aberdeen to the final. On 11 May 1983, Aberdeen beat Real Madrid 2–1 (after extra time) to win the Cup and become only the third Scottish side to win a European trophy.^[2][13][14] The club released a song, "European Song", to coincide with the appearance in the final.^[15] This was followed up with the capture of the European Super Cup in December, when Hamburger SV were beaten over two legs.^[2]

Aberdeen reached the semi-finals of the 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, before losing to Porto 2–0 on aggregate.

Recent years (1987–present)[link]

After Ferguson moved south of the border to manage Manchester United in November 1986, Aberdeen struggled to compete with Celtic and a resurgent Rangers.^[16] The low point of the club's history came in the 1999/2000 season, when they finished last in the Premier division. As the SPL was being expanded to 12 teams, there was then a three team play-off. However, as Falkirk's stadium did not meet SPL requirements, Aberdeen retained their status in the top flight.^[2] Subsequent to this, and with the club in debt for the first time following the construction of a new stand at one end of the ground,^[17] a policy of trying to live within their means has meant that the club has not approached the heights of the 1980s.

Aberdeen signed new co-managers in 1989, pairing Alex Smith and Jocky Scott.^[5] A number of foreign players were signed, including Dutch internationals Theo Snelders and Hans Gillhaus. In the 1989/90 the club won both the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup. In the 1990/91 they lost the last game of the season, and the league title, to Rangers.^[10] Willie Miller took over in 1992 and presided over two seasons where Aberdeen came close to winning the title. However, he was sacked in 1995 after a bad season, and the club had to rely on a play-off victory over Dunfermline Athletic to retain their Premier League status.^[18] Aberdeen replaced him with Roy Aitken. Despite a Scottish League Cup success beating Dundee in 1996, the club continued to struggle.^[10] Alex Miller and Paul Hegarty had spells in charge in the late 1990s,^[5] but with the financial burden of a new stand putting the club into debt for the first time in its history, the directors turned to Stewart Milne, a local businessman whose firm had built the stand, to bring business acumen to the running of the club.^[19]

Aberdeen's first non-Scottish manager, Ebbe Skovdahl, was appointed in 1999,^[2] and his time in charge coincided with some of the heaviest defeats in the club's history.^[20] His replacement, Steve Paterson, lasted only two seasons. Jimmy Calderwood took over in 2004, and Aberdeen have since posted more consistent results than in previous seasons. In season 2006/07, the club finished in third place in the league and thus qualified for the 2007–08 UEFA Cup.^[21] In this competition, Aberdeen defeated Dnipro on the away goals rule in the final qualifying round, the first time Aberdeen had won on away goals in European football for 40 years.^[22] They went on to beat FC København 4–0, which was the biggest margin of victory and one of Pittodrie's biggest crowds since the 1980s.^[23] This set up a meeting with German giants Bayern Munich,^[24] which they lost 7–3 on aggregate^[25] after a very respectable 2–2 draw, which saw Aberdeen lead Bayern twice, at Pittodrie in the first leg. Calderwood was sacked by Aberdeen on 24 May 2009, hours after he took the club to a fourth place finish and back into Europe,^[26] and was replaced by Mark McGhee of Motherwell on 12 June 2009.^[27]

Aberdeen suffered a 9–0 defeat to Celtic on 6 November 2010, their heaviest ever defeat. A few results later, Mark McGhee and his assistants were sacked on 1 December 2010.^[28] Craig Brown, who was working without a contract at Motherwell, rebuffed an initial approach by Aberdeen on 8 December 2010. However, he then had a change of heart after a second approach was made on 9 December and resigned as manager at Motherwell to be announced as the next manager at Aberdeen on 10 December 2010.^[29]

Colours and crest[link]

The "Wasps" black and gold strip, worn until 1939

For the first season of the club's existence, the team played in a predominantly white strip.^[30] This is variously reported as all-white, or as white shirts with blue shorts and socks.^[31] This colour scheme was the direct descendant of the colours worn by the precursor Aberdeen club, but lasted only one season before being replaced.^[30]

For the 1904/05 season, Aberdeen adopted a black and gold striped shirt, which led to the team being nicknamed "Wasps". This strip, with only minor variations, was worn until just before the start of the Second World War. The blue shorts lasted until 1911, and then were replaced with white ones. Socks were black with gold trim, either as stripes or as a solid bar at the turndown.^[30]

A representative post-war Aberdeen strip. These colours were worn for all the trophy-winning seasons of the 1950s.

In March 1939, Aberdeen changed the black and gold colours to red and white, reflecting the silver and red colours of the official City of Aberdeen arms.^[2] The first red strips were worn with white shorts, with either red or white socks from 1939 until the 1965/66 season.^[30] In 1966, Aberdeen adopted red shorts, making the official kit all-red, similar to that of Liverpool, who made a similar change at around the same time.^[32] This arrangement has continued to the present day, with several variations in design, in common with most senior clubs as the replica shirt market has expanded. In the late 1970s an Admiral strip featured five vertical white stripes on the left side of the shirt and shorts, and the early 1980s shirts—as worn at the 1983 European Cup Winners Cup final—featured white vertical pinstripes. Later design changes included significant amounts of blue,^[30] and a one season reversion to white shorts, although the all-red scheme returned in 1997.^[30]

Shirt sponsorship began in 1987, and the initial shirt sponsor was JVC.^[30] Since then, with the club making fewer appearances on the international stage, shirt sponsors have tended to be more local—they have included one of the local commercial radio stations, Northsound.^[33] With the local economy being dominated by oil companies the Club have tended to be sponsored by oil service companies. For the next 2 years Team Recruitment will be the Club's sponsor. Change, or "away", strips have tended to be either white, often with black shorts, or a combination of yellow and black, referring back to the black and gold strips of the pre-war era, although for a time in the 1970s, Aberdeen sported an all-blue change strip with white socks.^[33] For the 2007/08 season, the change strip was all-white, with a third kit of yellow and black halves available if needed for European games, or in the event of a clash involving both red and white.^[30]

The club did not have an official crest before 1972, but several variations on the letters AFC had from time to time featured on the shirt, usually in some kind of cursive font. In November 1972,^[34] the club unveiled an official crest or logo, designed by Aberdonian graphic designer Donald Addison.^[35] The design represented a capital letter A as the side view of a football goal, with a ball forming the crossbar of the letter. This ball was crosshatched in such a way as to depict it as being inside the net, signifying the scoring of a goal. The logo was completed by the letters FC in smaller type at a level with the ball element.^[34] This badge was used on the shirts from around 1978, with no significant alterations until the mid-1980s when the words "Aberdeen Football Club" were added in a circular border, and the date of the club's founding, 1903, was added under the goal element.^[34] The current version of the crest, which retains these elements in a unified design, was introduced at the start of the 1997/98 season.^[34] Two stars signifying the winning of the two European trophies in 1983 were introduced over the badge in the 2005/06 season.^[36]

Stadium[link]

Pittodrie Stadium's granite facade viewed from outside the Merkland Road stand

Aberdeen have played throughout their existence at Pittodrie Stadium, the name of which comes from the Pictish for "place of manure".^[37] The ground was first used by the original Aberdeen F.C. in 1899, in a 7–1 win over Dumbarton;^[38] when they merged with two other teams in 1903, the new club took over the old Aberdeen ground. On 15 August 1903, 8,000 spectators turned up to watch the new Aberdeen draw 1–1 against Stenhousemuir, the first game played at Pittodrie by its amalgamated tenants.^[2] The club initially rented the ground, but subsequently bought it in 1920.^[2] The stadium contains 21,600 seats,^[38] but due to the directors' boxes, some sources place this figure at 22,000.^[39] The record attendance occurred on 13 March 1954, when 45,061 spectators turned up for a Scottish Cup match between Aberdeen and Hearts.^[38]

The stadium consists of four stands. The Main Stand, which houses the club offices and players facilities. The Merkland Road Stand is primarily for families. The South Stand is opposite the main stand and holds the largest amount of spectators. A quarter of this section is used to accommodate travelling supporters, except for Old Firm games, where half of this stand is given to the visiting fans. The newest element is the Richard Donald stand at the East, or Beach End, of the ground, and is named after former chairman Dick Donald.^[40] This is a modern, two–tier design, completed in 1993, containing hospitality suites which is significantly taller than the other structures at the ground.^[40] In 1978, Pittodrie became the first all covered, all-seater stadium in Britain.^[3][41]

The club are examining a move to a new Aberdeen Stadium, which if given the go ahead, will be placed on the Loirston Loch and will seat around 22,000 but could be increased to 30,000–35,000 should a major event require a stadium of that size in Scotland. Plans for a new stadium began when the club indicated that further development of Pittodrie Stadium was not possible due to the age of the ground and the restrictions from surrounding land.^[42][43]

The full council approved the project in May 2009, subject to planning permission.^[44] In August 2010, a planning application for the new stadium was submitted to the Council,^[45] which was approved in February 2011.^[46] It was announced in August 2011 that Barr Construction Ltd will be the contractor for the construction of the stadium, which is scheduled to begin in 2012.^[47]

Supporters and nicknames[link]

Aberdeen's supporters, known as the Red Army are listed in the team squad list as wearing the number 12 shirt—a reference to the supporters being the "12th man".^[48] In 1999, a group of supporters founded the Red Ultras group with the express aim of improving the atmosphere at Pittodrie.^[49] However it was decided that this particular group was to disband at the beginning of 2010 due to constant harassment and repression from the police and security officials both at Pittodrie and away matches.^{[citation needed]}

The group have organised coordinated displays and enormous flags and banners, particularly in the Richard Donald stand at home games, but also on occasion at away games. The group share a name with many Ultras groups elsewhere in the world, but disassociate themselves from any elements of hooliganism.^{[citation needed]}

Aberdeen are the only senior team in the third largest city in Scotland,^[50] a city which is relatively remote, geographically, from other large population centres, and as a result have a large catchment area of potential supporters. However, attendances in recent years have not reflected this situation, with the club having the fourth largest average attendance in the SPL in 2008/09,^[51] with 12,928.^[52] Important games still see Pittodrie sold out.^[53]

In the 1980s, a minority of the club's supporters had a reputation as one of Britain's most prominent casuals groups.^[54] The rise of the Aberdeen Casuals coincided with the most successful period in the club's history, and has been chronicled in more than one published account.^[55][56]

Aberdeen have rarely played in the same division as their geographically closest rivals: Peterhead, Brechin City, Montrose, Arbroath, Elgin City and Forfar Athletic, so rivalries have tended to come from further afield. Currently, Aberdeen have a minor rivalry with Inverness Caley Thistle, due to the fact both Aberdeen and Inverness are the two largest settlements in the north of Scotland. This is known as the North-East Derby and has arisen since Inverness were first promoted to the SPL in 2004. In the early 1980s, owing to the success both domestically and in Europe of Aberdeen and Dundee United, the pair were known as the New Firm; however, Dundee United have their city neighbours Dundee as close rivals,^[57] and the antagonism was not always reciprocated to the same degree. The same situation applies to Aberdeen's rivalry with Rangers, in that Rangers have their own much older and well-known rivalry with Celtic, and therefore Aberdeen supporters tend to think of game between the pair as a rivalry more than Rangers fans do, but there is nevertheless a genuinely strong antagonistic feeling between both sets of supporters, and there have been a number of incidents arising from this.^[58][59]

Aberdeen are known as "The Dons", a name that has been in use since at least 1913. This comes from the word 'Don' meaning 'teacher', given Aberdeen's history as a university town. It may also be a reference to the River Don. Before the popular adoption of "The Dons", the team were variously known as "The Wasps" or "The Black and Golds"; both names a reference to the yellow and black striped shirts of the time.^[60]

As with many teams that play in red, Aberdeen may also be called "The Reds" from time to time. They are referred to by some supporters as "The Dandy Dons" or "The Dandies".^[61]

Honours[link]

Major honours[link]

• Scottish League Premier division:
  • Champions (4): 1954–55; 1979–80; 1983–84; 1984–85
  • Runners–up (13): 1910–11; 1936–37; 1955–56; 1970–71; 1971–72; 1977–78; 1980–81; 1981–82; 1988–89; 1989–90; 1990–91; 1992–93; 1993–94
• Scottish Cup:
  • Winners (7): 1947; 1970; 1982; 1983; 1984; 1986; 1990
  • Runners-up (8): 1937; 1953; 1954; 1959; 1967; 1978; 1993; 2000
• Scottish League Cup:
  • Winners (5): 1955–56; 1976–77; 1985–86; 1989–90; 1995–96
  • Runners-up (7): 1946–47; 1978–79; 1979–80; 1987–88; 1988–89; 1992–93; 1999–2000
• European Cup Winners Cup:
  • Champions (1): 1983
• European Super Cup:
  • Champions (1) : 1983

UEFA ranking[link]

As of 17 January 2012^[62]

Rank	Country	Team	Points
139=		Montpellier HSC	11.668
139=		RC Lens	11.668
141		Vitória FC	11.502
142		Aberdeen	11.228
143=		FC Alania Vladikavkaz	10.899
143=		FC Sibir Novosibirsk	10.899
143=		FC Amkar Perm	10.899

Players[link]

Current squad[link]

As of 30 January 2012

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Jamie Langfield 2 DF Rory McArdle 3 DF Mark Reynolds (on loan from Sheffield Wednesday) 4 MF Yoann Folly 5 DF Youl Mawéné 6 DF Andrew Considine 7 MF Chris Clark 8 MF Robert Milsom 9 FW Scott Vernon 10 FW Darren Mackie 11 MF Kári Árnason 13 DF Clark Robertson 14 FW Rory Fallon 15 MF Peter Pawlett 16 MF Isaac Osbourne

No. Position Player 17 MF Fraser Fyvie 18 FW Mohamed Chalali 19 FW Michael Paton 20 MF Stephen Hughes 21 FW Josh Magennis 22 MF Ryan Jack 23 FW Mitchel Megginson 27 DF Russell Anderson (captain) 28 MF Gavin Rae 30 MF Ryan Fraser 32 GK Jason Brown 33 MF Jamie Masson 34 FW Danny Uchechi 41 MF Cammy Smith 47 FW Declan McManus

Out on loan[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 24 MF Nicky Low (at Forfar Athletic until May 2012) 25 DF Joe Shaughnessy (at Forfar Athletic until May 2012)

Notable players[link]

AFC Hall of Fame[link]

Aberdeen inaugurated the Hall of Fame as part of the club's centenary celebrations in 2003. At the launch, it was claimed that over a five-year period, around 50 players and staff would be inducted.^[63]

Six players were inducted following the initial dinner in March 2004,^[64] and a further six were included in November 2004.^[65]

Records[link]

Individual[link]

All players are from Scotland unless otherwise stated.

Managers[link]

List of full-time managers, as of 13 December 2011. Only competitive matches are counted. Caretaker managers are not listed.

From	To	Name	P	W	D	L	Win%[66]	Ref
1903	1924	Philip, JimmyJimmy Philip	644	221	172	251	34.32%	[67]
1924	1937	Travers, PaddyPaddy Travers	474	214	106	154	45.15%	[67]
1937	1955	Halliday, DaveDave Halliday	371	165	71	135	44.47%	[67]
1955	1959	Shaw, DavieDavie Shaw	148	66	20	62	44.59%	[67]
1959	1965	Pearson, TommyTommy Pearson	180	66	42	72	36.67%	[67]
1965	1971	Turnbull, EddieEddie Turnbull	216	101	43	72	46.75%	[67]
1971	1975	Bonthrone, JimmyJimmy Bonthrone	143	67	46	30	46.85%	[67]
1975	1977	MacLeod, AllyAlly MacLeod	61	24	19	18	39.34%	[67]
1977	1978	McNeil, BillyBilly McNeil	36	22	9	5	61.11%	[67]
1978	1986	Ferguson, AlexAlex Ferguson	288	167	71	50	57.99%	[67]
1986	1986	Ferguson, AlexAlex Ferguson Knox, ArchieArchie Knox	15	7	5	3	46.67%	[67]
1986	1988	Porterfield, IanIan Porterfield	71	35	27	9	49.30%	[67]
1988	1991	Scott, JockyJocky Scott Smith, AlexAlex Smith	117	63	35	19	53.85%	[67]
1991	1992	Smith, AlexAlex Smith	23	7	7	9	30.43%	[67]
1992	1995	Miller, WillieWillie Miller	124	53	45	26	42.47%	[67]
1995	1997	Aitken, RoyRoy Aitken	124	50	31	43	40.32%	[68]
1997	1998	Miller, AlexAlex Miller	43	11	13	19	25.58%	[69]
1999	2002	Skovdahl, EbbeEbbe Skovdahl	159	54	37	68	33.96%	[70]
2002	2004	Paterson, SteveSteve Paterson	68	23	13	32	33.82%	[71]
2004	2009	Calderwood, JimmyJimmy Calderwood	227	94	60	73	41.41%	[72]
2009	2010	McGhee, MarkMark McGhee	62	17	13	32	27.42%	[73]
2010		Brown, CraigCraig Brown	69	23	19	27	33.33%	[74]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Webster, Jack (2003). The First 100 years of The Dons: The official history of Aberdeen Football Club 1903–2003. Hodder & Stoughton, London. ISBN 0-340-82344-5. 
• Smith, Paul (2007). The Legends of Aberdeen. Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-575-3. 
• Stirling, Kevin (2008). Aberdeen FC on This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905411-24-5. 
• Ferguson, Alex (2000). Managing My Life. Coronet. ISBN 0-340-72856-6. 

External links[link]

• Aberdeen F.C. Official Website
• Gothenburg Greats
• Inverness Reds Online
• Aberdeen FC Supporters Trust
• Red Army 12

Coordinates: 57°09′09″N 2°06′36″W / 57.1526°N 2.1100°W / 57.1526; -2.1100

Aberdeen
Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain[1]
Scots: Aiberdeen
Granite City, Oil Capital of Europe, Silver City
250px From left to right: High rise building in Aberdeen, Skyline of Aberdeen, View of the Aberdeen City from Aberdeen Docks, a view over the Aberdeen docks, John Knox Church
Aberdeen  Aberdeen shown within Scotland
Population	220,420 (2011 Mid-Year Estimate)
- Density	1,187 /km2 (3,070 /sq mi)[3]
Language	English
	Scots (Doric)
OS grid reference	NJ925065
- Edinburgh	94 mi (151 km) [4]
- London	403 mi (649 km) [4]
Council area	Aberdeen City[2]
Lieutenancy area	Aberdeen
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ABERDEEN
Postcode district	AB10-AB13 (part), AB15, AB16, AB21-AB25
Dialling code	01224
Police
Fire
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Aberdeen South
	Aberdeen North
	Gordon
Scottish Parliament	North East Scotland
	Aberdeen Central
	Aberdeen North
	Aberdeen South
Website	aberdeencity.gov.uk
List of places: UK • Scotland •

Aberdeen ⁱ/æbərˈdiːn/ (Scots: Aiberdeen  listen (help·info); Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain [ˈopər ˈʝɛhɪn]) is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 29th most populous city, with an official population estimate of 220,420.^[5]

Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands. During the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries, Aberdeen's buildings incorporated locally quarried grey granite, whose mica deposits sparkle like silver.^[6] The city has a long, sandy coastline. Since the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s, other nicknames have been the Oil Capital of Europe or the Energy Capital of Europe.^[7] The area around Aberdeen has been settled since at least 8,000 years ago,^[8] when prehistoric villages lay around the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don.

Aberdeen received Royal Burgh status from King David I (1124–53),^[9] transforming the city economically. The city's two universities, the University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, and The Robert Gordon University, which was awarded university status in 1992, make Aberdeen the educational centre of the north-east. The traditional industries of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textiles have been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen's seaport. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world^[10] and the seaport is the largest in the north-east of Scotland.^[11]

In January 2011 Aberdeen was named one of five cities which could help the UK climb its way out of the recession because of its high levels of employment, abundance of skilled workers, and an increase in average weekly earnings. Aberdeen City and Shire was dubbed in the report by officials as the "one to watch" with its rapid growing economy, size and oil reserves.^[12]

Aberdeen has won the Britain in Bloom competition a record-breaking ten times,^[13] and hosts the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, a major international event which attracts up to 1000 of the most talented young performing arts companies. It was named the 54th most liveable city in the World.^[14]

History[link]

Aberdeen

Aberdeen Mercat Cross

The Castlegate and Union Street (c.1900)

The Aberdeen area has seen human settlement for at least 8,000 years.^[8] The city began as two separate burghs: Old Aberdeen at the mouth of the river Don; and New Aberdeen, a fishing and trading settlement, where the Denburn waterway entered the river Dee estuary. The earliest charter was granted by William the Lion in 1179 and confirmed the corporate rights granted by David I. In 1319, the Great Charter of Robert the Bruce transformed Aberdeen into a property-owning and financially independent community. Granted with it was the nearby Forest of Stocket, whose income formed the basis for the city's Common Good Fund which still benefits Aberdonians.^[15][16] During the Wars of Scottish Independence, Aberdeen was under English rule, so Robert the Bruce laid siege to Aberdeen Castle before destroying it in 1308 followed by the massacring of the English garrison and the retaking of Aberdeen for the townspeople. The city was burned by Edward III of England in 1336, but was rebuilt and extended, and called New Aberdeen. The city was strongly fortified to prevent attacks by neighbouring lords, but the gates were removed by 1770. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1644-1647 the city was impartially plundered by both sides. In 1644, it was taken and ransacked by Royalist troops after the Battle of Aberdeen.^[17] In 1647 an outbreak of bubonic plague killed a quarter of the population.

In the 18th century, a new Town Hall was built and the first social services appeared with the Infirmary at Woolmanhill in 1742 and the Lunatic Asylum in 1779. The council began major road improvements at the end of the 18th century with the main thoroughfares of George Street, King Street and Union Street all completed at the start of the next century.

A century later, the increasing economic importance of Aberdeen and the development of the shipbuilding and fishing industries led to the existing harbour with Victoria Dock, the South Breakwater, and the extension to the North Pier. The expensive infrastructure program had repercussions, and in 1817 the city was bankrupt. However, a recovery was made in the general prosperity which followed the Napoleonic wars. Gas street lighting arrived in 1824 and an enhanced water supply appeared in 1830 when water was pumped from the Dee to a reservoir in Union Place. An underground sewer system replaced open sewers in 1865.^[16]

The city was first incorporated in 1891. Although Old Aberdeen still has a separate charter and history, it and New Aberdeen are no longer truly distinct. They are both part of the city, along with Woodside and the Royal Burgh of Torry to the south of the River Dee.

Toponymy[link]

Old Aberdeen is the approximate location of Aberdon the first settlement of Aberdeen; this literally means "at the confluence of the Don [ie. with the sea]" in relation to the local river. The modern name Aberdeen literally means between the Dee (the other local river) and Don. The Celtic prefix; "Aber-" means "the confluence of" in relation to the rivers.^[18]

Some scholars believe the name came from the Gaelic prefix Aber- and da-aevi (variation;Da-abhuin, Da-awin) - which means "the mouth of two rivers". In Gaelic the name is Obar Dheathain (variation; Obairreadhain) and in Latin, the Romans referred to it as Devana. Mediaeval (or ecclesiastical) Latin has it as Aberdonia.

Governance[link]

Aberdeen is locally governed by Aberdeen City Council, which comprises forty-three councillors who represent the city's wards and is headed by the Lord Provost who is currently Provost Peter Stephen.

From May 2003 until May 2007 the council was run by a Liberal Democrat and Conservatives coalition. Following the May 2007 elections the Liberal Democrats formed a new coalition with the Scottish National Party.^[19] In May 2007 the council consisted of: 15 Liberal Democrat, 13 SNP, 10 Labour, 4 Conservative councillors and a single independent councillor.^[20] After an SNP by election gain from the Conservatives on 16 August 2007, the Lib Dem/SNP coalition held 28 of the 43 seats). In August 2009 a councillor resigned from the Liberal Democrats and became an independent. The Conservative Group split in August 2010 with two councillors forming the Aberdeen Conservatives. All four Conservatives remain recognised as Conservatives by the party nationally.

Aberdeen is represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom by three constituencies: Aberdeen North, Aberdeen South and Gordon, of which the first two are wholly within the Aberdeen City council area while the latter also encompasses a large swathe of Aberdeenshire.

In the Scottish Parliament the city is represented again by three constituencies: Aberdeen Donside, Aberdeen Central and Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, the first two are again wholly within the Aberdeen City council area, and the latter encompasses the North Kincardine ward of Aberdeenshire Council. A further seven MSPs are elected as part of the North East Scotland electoral region.

In the European Parliament the city is represented by six MEPs as part of the all-inclusive Scotland constituency.

Heraldry[link]

Aberdeen City from docks

Symbols of the city typically show three castles, such as in the case of the flag and coat of arms. The image has been around since the time of Robert the Bruce and represents the buildings that stood on the three hills of Aberdeen; Aberdeen Castle on Castle Hill (today's Castlegate); an unknown building on Windmill Hill and a church on St. Catherine's Hill (now levelled).^[21]

"Bon Accord" is the motto of the city and is French literally for "Good Agreement". Legend tells that its use dates from the 14th century password used by Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence, when he and his men laid siege to Aberdeen Castle before destroying it in 1308.^[15]

The leopard has traditionally been associated with the city and its emblem can be seen on the city crest. The local magazine is called the "Leopard" and, when Union Bridge was widened in the 20th century, small statues of the creature in a sitting position were cast and placed on top of the railing posts (known locally as Kelly's Cats).

The city's toast is "Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again"; this has been commonly misinterpreted as the translation of Bon Accord.^[22]

Geography[link]

Aberdeen Coast

Being sited between two river mouths, the city has little natural exposure of bedrock. This leaves local geologists in a slight quandary: despite the high concentration of geoscientists in the area (courtesy of the oil industry), there is only a vague understanding of what underlies the city. To the south side of the city, coastal cliffs expose high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Grampian Group; to the south-west and west are extensive granites intruded into similar high-grade schists; to the north the metamorphics are intruded by gabbroic complexes instead. The small amount of geophysics done, and occasional building-related exposures, combined with small exposures in the banks of the River Don, suggest that it's actually sited on an inlier of Devonian "Old Red" sandstones and silts. The outskirts of the city spread beyond the (inferred) limits of the outlier onto the surrounding metamorphic/ igneous complexes formed during the Dalradian period (approximately 480-600 million years ago) with sporadic areas of igneous Diorite granites to be found, such as that at the Rubislaw quarry which was used to build much of the Victorian parts of the city.^[23]

On the coast, Aberdeen has a long sand beach between the two rivers, the Dee and the Don, which turns into high sand dunes north of the Don stretching as far as Fraserburgh; to the south of the Dee are steep rocky cliff faces with only minor pebble and shingle beaches in deep inlets. A number of granite outcrops along the south coast have been quarried in the past, making for spectacular scenery and good rock-climbing.

The city extends to 184.46 km² (71.22 sq mi),^[24] and includes the former burghs of Old Aberdeen, New Aberdeen, Woodside and the Royal Burgh of Torry to the south of River Dee. In 2010 this gave the city a population density of 1,169 / km².^[25] The city is built on many hills, with the original beginnings of the city growing from Castle Hill, St. Catherine's Hill and Windmill Hill.^[26]

Location[link]

Destinations from Aberdeen

	Inverurie, Keith, Elgin	Ellon, Fraserburgh	Peterhead
	Westhill, Grantown-on-Spey		Aalborg (Denmark)
		Aberdeen    East
	Banchory, Forfar	Portlethen, Stonehaven	Groningen, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Climate[link]

Aberdeen features an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Aberdeen is far milder than one might expect for its northern location. During the winter, especially throughout December, the length of the day is very short, averaging 6 hours and 40 minutes between sunrise and sunset at winter solstice. As winter progresses, the length of the day grows fairly quickly, to 8 hours and 20 minutes by the end of January. Around summer solstice, the days will be around 18 hours long, having 17 hours and 57 minutes between sunrise and sunset, with nautical twilight lasting the entire night. Temperatures at this time of year will be typically hovering around 17.0 °C (62.6 °F) during the day in most of the urban area, though nearer 16.0 °C (60.8 °F) directly on the coast, and around 18.0 °C (64.4 °F) to 19.0 °C (66.2 °F) in the Westernmost suburbs,^[27] illustrating the cooling effect of the North Sea during summer.

Two weather stations collect climate data for the area, Aberdeen Dyce airport, and Craibstone. Both are about 4.5 miles to the North West of the city centre, and given that they are in close proximity to each other, not surprisingly exhibit very similar climatic regimes. Dyce tends to have marginally warmer daytime temperature's year round owing to its slightly lower elevation, though is more susceptible to harsh frosts. The coldest temperature to occur in recent years was −16.8 °C (1.8 °F) during December 2010.^[28] while the following winter, Dyce set a new February high temperature station record on 28 February 2012 of 17.2 °C (63.0 °F).^[29], and a new March high temperature record of 21.6 °C (70.9 °F) on the 25 March 2012. ^[30]

Demography[link]

Aberdeen demographics^[35]

In 1396 the population was about 3,000. By 1801 it had become 26,992; (1901) 153,503; (1941) 182,467.^[36] In 2001 the UK census records the Aberdeen City Council area's population at 212,125,^[37] but the Aberdeen locality's population at 184,788.^[38] The latest official population estimate, for 2010, is 217,100.^[25] Data from the Aberdeen specific locality of the 2001 UK census shows that the demographics include a median male age of 35 and female age of 38, which are younger than Scotland's average and a 49% to 51% male-to-female ratio.^[37]

The census showed that there are fewer young people in Aberdeen, with 16.4% under 16, opposed to the national average of 19.2%.^[39] Ethnically, 15.7% were born outside of Scotland, higher than the national average of 12.9%. Of this population 8.4% were born in England.^[39] 3% of Aberdonians stated to be from an ethnic minority (non-white) in the 2001 census, with 0.7% from the Indian-subcontinent and 0.6% Asian; in comparison, Scotland's overall population of non-white origin is 2%. This is a lower percentage than any of Scotland's other three main cities, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee.^[39] The most multicultural part of the city is George Street, which has many ethnic restaurants, supermarkets and hairdressers.

In the household, there were 97,013 individual dwellings recorded in the city of which 61% were privately owned, 9% privately rented and 23% rented from the council. The most popular type of dwellings are apartments which comprise 49% of residences followed by semi-detached at just below 22%.^[40] The median income of a household in the city is £16,813 (the mean income is £20,292)^[41] (2005) which places approximately 18% households in the city below the poverty line (defined as 60% of the mean income). Conversely, an Aberdeen postcode has the second highest number of millionaires of any postcode in the UK.^[42]

Religion[link]

Allenvale Cemetary

St Machar's Cathedral

Traditionally Christian, Aberdeen's largest denominations are the Church of Scotland (through the Presbytery of Aberdeen) and the Catholic Church. The last census revealed that Aberdeen is the least religious city in Scotland, with nearly 43 % of people claiming to have no religion^[39] and several former churches in the city have been converted into bars and restaurants.^[43]

In the Middle Ages, the Kirk of St Nicholas was the only burgh kirk and one of Scotland's largest parish churches. Like a number of other Scottish kirks, it was subdivided after the Reformation, in this case into the East and West churches. At this time, the city also was home to houses of the Carmelites (Whitefriars) and Franciscans (Greyfriars), the latter of which surviving in modified form as the chapel of Marischal College as late as the early 20th century.

St Machar's Cathedral was formed twenty years after David I (1124–53) transferred the pre-Reformation Diocese from Mortlach in Banffshire to Old Aberdeen in 1137. With the exception of the episcopate of William Elphinstone (1484–1511), building progressed slowly. Gavin Dunbar, who followed him in 1518, completed the structure by adding the two western spires and the southern transept.

St. Mary's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Gothic style, erected in 1859.

St. Andrew's Cathedral is the Scottish Episcopal Cathedral, constructed in 1817 as Archibald Simpson's first commission. It is notable for having consecrated the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

The Salvation Army citadel dominates the east end of Union Street.

There is a Unitarian Church, established in 1833 and currently located in Skene Terrace, close to the city centre by Union Terrace.

Christadelphians have been present in Aberdeen since at least 1844. Over the years, they have rented space to meet at a number of locations: the West Room of the Music Hall (for over 120 years); the Cowdry Club; the YWCA in Bon Accord Crescent.^[44] Today they meet in the Inchgarth Community Centre in Garthdee.^[45]

There are two meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

There is also an Islamic Mosque in Old Aberdeen and an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue established in 1945. There are no formal Buddhist or Hindu buildings. The University of Aberdeen has a small Bahá'í society.

There is also a Quaker meetinghouse on Crown street, the only purpose built Quaker House in Scotland that is still in use today.

Economy[link]

Donside Paper Mill under demolition, 15 February 2006

Oil and gas drilling rig

The Aberdeen coast

Belmont Street Farmers Market

Traditionally, Aberdeen was home to fishing, textile mills, shipbuilding and paper making. These industries have been largely replaced. High technology developments in the electronics design and development industry, research in agriculture and fishing and the oil industry, which has been largely responsible for Aberdeen's economic boom in the last three decades, are now major parts of Aberdeen's economy.

Until the 1970s, most of Aberdeen's leading industries dated from the 18th century; mainly these were textiles, foundry work, shipbuilding and paper-making, the oldest industry in the city, with paper having been first made there in 1694. Paper-making has reduced in importance since the closures of Donside Paper Mill in 2001 and the Davidson Mill in 2005 leaving the Stoneywood Paper Mill with a workforce of approximately 500. Textile production ended in 2004 when Richards of Aberdeen closed.

Grey granite was quarried at Rubislaw quarry for more than 300 years, and used for paving setts, kerb and building stones, and monumental and other ornamental pieces. Aberdeen granite was used to build the terraces of the Houses of Parliament and Waterloo Bridge in London. Quarrying finally ceased in 1971.

Fishing was once the predominant industry, but was surpassed by deep-sea fisheries, which derived a great impetus from improved technologies throughout the 20th century. Catches have fallen due to overfishing and the use of the harbour by oil support vessels,^[46] and so although still an important fishing port it is now eclipsed by the more northerly ports of Peterhead and Fraserburgh. The Fisheries Research Services are headquartered in Aberdeen, and there is a marine research lab in Torry.

Aberdeen is well regarded for the agricultural and soil research carried out at The Macaulay Institute, which has close links to the city's two universities. The Rowett Research Institute is a world-renowned research centre for studies into food and nutrition located in Aberdeen. It has produced three Nobel laureates and there is a high concentration of life scientists working in the city.^[47][48]

There is also a dynamic and fast growing electronics design and development industry.^{[citation needed]}

With the discovery of significant oil deposits in the North Sea during the late 20th century, Aberdeen became the centre of Europe's petroleum industry. With the second largest heliport in the world and an important service ship harbour port serving oil rigs off-shore, Aberdeen is often called the Oil Capital of Europe.^[49]

There is now a concerted effort to transform Aberdeen's reputation as the Oil Capital of Europe into the Energy Capital of Europe as oil supplies may start to dwindle in coming years, and there is considerable interest in the development of new energy sources; and technology transfer from oil into renewable energy and other industries is under way. The "Energetica" initiative led by Scottish Enterprise has been designed to accelerate this process.^[50]

The city ranks third in Scotland for shopping. The traditional shopping streets are Union Street and George Street, now complemented by shopping centres, notably the St Nicholas & Bon Accord and the Trinity Shopping Centre. A new retail £190 million development, Union Square, reached completion in late September/early October 2009. Major retail parks away from the city centre include the Berryden Retail Park, the Kittybrewster Retail Park and the Beach Boulevard Retail Park.

In March 2004, Aberdeen was awarded Fairtrade City status by the Fairtrade Foundation.^[51] Along with Dundee, it shares the distinction of being the first city in Scotland to receive this accolade.^{[citation needed]}

Landmarks[link]

Granite terrace in central Aberdeen

Aberdeen's architecture is known for its principal use during the Victorian era of granite, which has led to its local nickname of the Granite City or more romantically the less commonly used name the Silver City, since the Mica in the stone sparkles in the sun. The hard grey stone is one of the most durable materials available and helps to explain why the city's buildings look brand-new when they have been newly cleaned and the cement has been pointed. Unlike other Scottish cities where sandstone has been used, the buildings are not weathering and need very little structural maintenance on their masonry.

Amongst the notable buildings in the city's main street, Union Street, are the Town and County Bank, the Music Hall, the Trinity Hall of the incorporated trades (originating between 1398 and 1527), now a shopping mall; the former office of the Northern Assurance Company, and the National Bank of Scotland. In Castle Street, a continuation eastwards of Union Street, is the new Town House, a very prominent landmark in Aberdeen, built between 1868 and 1873 to a design by Peddie and Kinnear.^[52]

The West Tower of the new Town House, 1868-73

Alexander Marshall Mackenzie's extension to Marischal College on Broad Street, opened by King Edward VII in 1906, created the second largest granite building in the world (after the Escorial, Madrid).^[53]

Union Terrace Gardens

On Union Terrace, Robert Burns, 1892 bronze by Henry Bain Smith

In addition to the many fine landmark buildings, Aberdeen has many prominent public statues, three of the most notable being William Wallace at the junction between Union Terrace and Rosemount Viaduct, Robert Burns on Union Terrace; above Union Terrace Gardens, and Robert the Bruce holding aloft the charter he issued to the city in 1319 on Broad Street, outside Marischal College.

Parks, Gardens and Open spaces[link]

Johnston Gardens

Duthie Park Winter Gardens

Aberdeen Beach

Aberdeen has long been famous for its 45^[13] outstanding parks and gardens, and citywide floral displays which include two million roses, eleven million daffodils and three million crocuses. The city has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom 'Best City' award ten times,^[13] the overall Scotland in Bloom competition twenty times^[13] and the large city category every year since 1968.^[13] However, despite recent spurious reports, Aberdeen has never been banned from the Britain in Bloom competition.^[54] The city won the 2006 Scotland in Bloom "Best City" award along with the International Cities in Bloom award. The suburb of Dyce also won the Small Towns award.^[55][56]

Duthie Park opened in 1899 on the north bank of the River Dee. It was named after and gifted to the city by Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie of Ruthrieston in 1881. It has extensive gardens, a rose hill, boating pond, bandstand, and play area as well as Europe's second largest enclosed gardens the David Welch Winter Gardens. Hazlehead Park, is large and forested, located on the outskirts of the city, it is popular with walkers in the forests, sports enthusiasts, naturalists and picnickers. There are football pitches, two golf courses, a pitch and putt course and a horse riding school.

Aberdeen's success in the Britain in Bloom competitions is often attributed to Johnston Gardens, a small park of one hectare in the west end of the city containing many different flowers and plants which have been renowned for their beauty. The garden was in 2002, named the best garden in the British Islands.^[13]

Seaton Park, formerly the grounds of a private house, is on the edge of the grounds of St Machar's Cathedral. The Cathedral Walk is maintained in a formal style with a great variety of plants providing a popular display. The park includes several other areas with contrasting styles to this.

Union Terrace Gardens opened in 1879 and is situated in the centre of the city. It covers 2.5 acres (10,000 m²) in the centre of Aberdeen bordered on three sides by Union Street, Union Terrace and Rosemount Viaduct. The park forms a natural amphitheatre located in the Denburn Valley and is an oasis of peace and calm in the city centre. A recent proposal to build a three storey concrete and steel superstructure in place of the gardens, part of which will provide a commercial concourse, has proved highly controversial.

Situated next to each other, Victoria Park and Westburn Park cover 26 acres (110,000 m²) between them. Victoria Park opened in 1871. There is a conservatory used as a seating area and a fountain made of fourteen different granites, presented to the people by the granite polishers and master builders of Aberdeen. Opposite to the north is Westburn Park opened in 1901. With large grass pitches it is widely used for field sports. There is large tennis centre with indoor and outdoor courts, a children's cycle track, play area and a grass boules lawn.

Theatres and concert halls[link]

Aberdeen has hosted several theatres throughout its history, some of which have subsequently been converted or destroyed. The most famous include:

• His Majesty's Theatre (HMT), on Rosemount Viaduct^[57]
• The Tivoli, on Guild Street^[58]
• Capitol Theatre, on Union Street
• The Palace Theatre, on Bridge Street^[59]
• The Lemon Tree on West North Street

The main concert hall is the Music Hall on Union Street, built in 1822.

Transport[link]

Aberdeen Railway Station, main concourse

Aberdeen Airport (ABZ), at Dyce in the north of the city, serves a number of domestic and international destinations including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Scandinavian countries. The heliport which serves the oil industry and rescue services is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world.^[10]

Aberdeen railway station is on the main UK rail network and has frequent direct trains to major cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, including the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train. The station is currently being updated to bring it into the modern age. In 2007 additions were made and a new ticket office was built in the building.

Until 2007, a 1950s-style concrete bus station at Guild Street served out-of-the-city locations; it has since transferred to a new and well-presented bus station just 100 metres to the east off Market Street as part of the Union Square development.

There are six major roads in and out of the city. The A90 is the main arterial route into the city from the north and south, linking Aberdeen to Edinburgh, Dundee, Brechin and Perth in the south and Ellon, Peterhead and Fraserburgh in the north. The A96 links to Elgin and Inverness and the north west. The A93 is the main route to the west, heading towards Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms. After Braemar, it turns south, providing an alternative tourist route to Perth. The A944 also heads west, through Westhill and on to Alford. The A92 was the original southerly road to Aberdeen prior to the building of the A90, and is now used as a tourist route, connecting the towns of Montrose and Arbroath and on the east coast. The A947 exits the city at Dyce and goes on to Newmachar, Oldmeldrum and Turriff finally ending at Banff and Macduff.

Aberdeen Harbour is important as the largest in the north of Scotland and as a ferry route to Orkney and Shetland. Established in 1136, it has been referred to as the oldest business in Britain.^[60]

FirstGroup operates the city buses under the name First Aberdeen, as the successor of Grampian Regional Transport (GRT) and Aberdeen Corporation Tramways. Aberdeen is the global headquarters of FirstGroup plc, having grown from the GRT Group. First is still based at the former Aberdeen Tramways depot on King Street,^[61] soon to be redeveloped into a new Global Headquarters and Aberdeen bus depot.

Stagecoach Group also run buses in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, under the Stagecoach Bluebird brand. Other bus companies (e.g. Megabus) run buses from the bus station to places north and south of the city.

Aberdeen is connected to the UK National Cycle Network, and has a track to the south connecting to cities such as Dundee and Edinburgh and one to the north that forks about 10 miles from the city into two different tracks heading to Inverness and Fraserburgh respectively. Two particularly popular footpaths along old railway tracks are the Deeside Way to Banchory (which will eventually connect to Ballater) and the Formartine and Buchan Way to Ellon, both used by a mixture of cyclists, walkers and occasionally horses. Four park-and-ride sites serve the city: Stonehaven and Ellon (approx 12–17 miles out from the city centre) and Kingswells and Bridge of Don (approx 3–4 miles out).

Education[link]

University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Hall

King's College, Old Aberdeen

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Faculty of Health and Social Care at Garthdee

Universities and Colleges[link]

Aberdeen has two universities, the University of Aberdeen, and the former polytechnic The Robert Gordon University, often referred to as RGU. Aberdeen's student rate of 11.5% is higher than the national average of 7%.^[62]

The University of Aberdeen began as King's College, Aberdeen, which was founded in 1495 by William Elphinstone (1431–1514), Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland. Marischal College, a separate institution, was founded in "New" Aberdeen by George Keith, fifth Earl Marischal of Scotland in 1593. These institutions were merged by order of Parliament in 1860 to form the University of Aberdeen. The university is the fifth oldest in the English speaking world ^[63] and offers degrees in a full range of disciplines. Its main campus is in Old Aberdeen in the north of the city and it currently has approximately 14,000 students.