Following our first home match of the Ladbrokes Premiership season, we would like to outline some of the changes that have been made over the summer to Pittodrie Stadium and also clarify some key issues which have been raised by supporters in recent months.

Cash turnstiles at Pittodrie

Towards the end of last season the club took the decision to complete the final stage of a long term plan to remove cash turnstiles for all competitive matches at Pittodrie. A growing percentage of supporters are now using our online ticketing service (afc.co.uk/etickets) and we would encourage any supporter who has not tried the process yet to give it a go.

The service is available 24 hours a day and offers supporters the opportunity to avoid the queues by purchasing a ticket on the way to the ground and collecting from our ticket collection point at AFC Reception. Tickets can also be ordered over the phone from the Pittodrie Ticket Office and collected prior to the match.

It is our intention to create a separate collection point for supporters approaching the ground from King Street, this will be located at the back of the Merkland Stand and will service ticket collections for the Merkland and South Stands home support sections. Finally, we are hoping to re-introduce a print at home option for supporters over the next couple of weeks. One designated turnstile in each stand will be clearly identified for print at home tickets.

By purchasing a ticket, supporters get the chance to build up Loyalty Points which are used to determine access to tickets for high priority matches such as semi-finals or finals. We would also recommend that supporters attending away matches purchase tickets from Pittodrie where possible to make sure that they receive their Loyalty points. Purchasing a ticket also allows supporters the flexibility to select the best available seat, cash turnstiles do not offer this option.

We have, and will continue to, explore new services which may improve our offering for supporters as we aim to be leaders both on and off the pitch. Mention has been made of installing ticket kiosks often found in cinemas however, these are cost prohibitive for the club. Similarly, members cards are something we are investigating and we are looking in to how this software may be established within our Stadium.

We would always encourage supporters to purchase in advance where possible.

Season ticket exchange scheme

In order to give something back to season ticket holders who cannot attend every match it is our intention to introduce a season ticket exchange scheme.

Please be alert for an announcement regarding our season ticket exchange scheme ahead of the match against Dundee.

Official capacity of Pittodrie

The official capacity of Pittodrie now stands at 20,961. Due to a number of Physical & Safety factors a number of seats have to remain unsold for the club to be able to keep playing in Pittodrie. To comply with the regulations the club has decided to not sell any seats with a restricted view. The seats at the front of Section Y in the South Stand are also unavailable for this reason.

Official attendances at Pittodrie

Our official attendance is always based on the number of people who have attended the match. Season ticket holders who do not turn up for the match are not automatically included.

Removal of Segregation Fence

The removal of the segregation fence in the South Stand between sections T and V now means that supporters in that area of the ground will enjoy an unrestricted view of the pitch. The removal of the fence has also made room for the installation of 66 seats which offer an excellent view of the action from the heart of the South Stand.

Singing Section

To help improve the atmosphere and encourage greater vocal support for Derek McInnes and his side an official singing section will operate in the middle section of the Richard Donald Upper.

This section started up unofficially towards the end of last season and after taking on board feedback from supporters it will be a permanent fixture for 2015/16.

We would like to encourage supporters to contact the Ticket Office if they have an interest in relocating their season ticket to this section