Canopies UK helps Aberdeen FC cover up for disabled fans

Posted on 16th June 2014 | Posted in Commercial, Latest News

Canopies UK has helped Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen improve their Pittodrie ground ahead of the new season by installing a canopy that will provide protection for visiting disabled supporters.

Aberdeen prides itself as being an integral part of the local community and constantly looks for ways to improve itself in order to not only keep existing home and visiting supporters happy but also improve the experience of those new to visiting the club.

The area for disabled visiting fans has been previously uncovered and open to the elements but by improving standards around the ground, Aberdeen are setting a precedent for other clubs to follow in not only ensuring grounds are up-to-scratch but also by trying to ensure that all fans can enjoy games at Pittodrie.

Maintaining Pride in History 

Pittodrie has been home for The Dons since 1903 and is famed for being the first all-seated stadium in Britain. The club have had plans to move to a new stadium for several years but whilst they remain firmly in the pipeline, they are committed to improving the match-day experience at their current home whilst they remain there.

How did Canopies UK come into this? 

Canopies UK was contacted by Aberdeen about their plans to improve the away end of the ground for disabled fans. As Adam Stevenson, a member of the Commercial Sales Team at Canopies UK, said: “We got a call from Aberdeen to say that they were looking to get a cantilever canopy to cover their disabled area as an extra part of a programme of improvements they were looking to do.

“Due to our expertise in this area, as well as some of the big selling points we offer such as our ability to obtain permission from Building Control, we were able to move on the project quite quickly.”

What did we do? 

As well as liaising with Aberdeen in terms of the plans for the site and also in terms of the location, time was spent designing the canopy in order to ensure that it was adequate for the needs of the customer.

The best-suited product for the project was the cantilever Connekt style canopy, which has been made for many uses and is suitable for a wide variety of outdoor areas. It is made out of glass reinforced plastic (GRP), which ensures that it does not require maintenance.

This was manufactured within a few weeks in Aberdeen’s red colour and installed over the course of two days.

Improvements improve experiences 

For sporting clubs, a more enjoyable experience can result in new fans coming to the club, old fans returning and ultimately a bigger, better community club. Aberdeen recognised that the disabled area was something that they could improve in order to attract more visiting fans and to enhance the experience they offered.

“As a community organisation ourselves, we recognise that clubs such as Aberdeen are constantly striving to improve the enjoyment spectators and families can get and we are all too happy to oblige in helping to facilitate this,” explains Adam. “Disabled away supporters will be able to go to Pittodrie and sit in comfort directly out of the elements and enjoy their trip to the coast.”

All clubs should be striving to improve their facilities in order to enhance the experience of fans going to games and Canopies UK is a huge supporter of this.