Aberdeen F.C. - Supporters and Nicknames

Supporters and Nicknames

Aberdeen's supporters, known as the Red Army, are listed in the team squad list as wearing the number 12 shirt. In 1999, a group of supporters founded the Red Ultras group with the express aim of improving the atmosphere at Pittodrie. 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.

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.

Aberdeen are the only senior team in the third largest city in Scotland, 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, with 12,928. Important games still see Pittodrie sold out.

In the 1980s, a minority of the club's supporters had a reputation as one of Britain's most prominent casuals groups. 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.

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, 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.

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.

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".