Sport in Aberdeen

Sport in Aberdeen, Scotland is a major affair with Aberdeen being home to Commonwealth Games swimmers and Aberdeen Football Club

Football

Aberdeen's largest football club is Aberdeen Football Club, but there are also other senior teams, notably Cove Rangers F.C.. There was also a historic senior team Bon Accord F.C. who no longer play.

Local junior teams include Banks O' Dee F.C., Culter F.C., F.C. Stoneywood, Glentanar F.C. and Hermes F.C..

Aberdeen also hosts the Aberdeen International Football Festival as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival at Seaton Park with the finals held at the Chris Anderson Stadium.

Aberdeen FC

Aberdeen Football Club was founded in 1903. Its major success was winning the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983 and three Scottish Premier League Championships between 1980 and 1986, under the current Manchester United F.C. manager Alex Ferguson. The club's stadium is Pittodrie which was Britain's first all-seater stadium.^[1][2]

Aberdeen F.C. holds the distinction of being the last team to have won the Scottish Premier League Championship outside the Old Firm and is the only Scottish team to have won two European trophies adding to their European Cup Winners Cup success by winning the European Super Cup, also in 1983. Well known footballers who have played for the club include Gordon Strachan, Alex McLeish and club legend Willie Miller. Denis Law, the joint top scorer for the Scotland national team was also born in the city, but spent his professional career playing for English and Italian clubs.^[2]

Pittodrie Stadium from the away section of the South Stand

Golf

Public

Aberdeen is lucky to have a number of public golf courses including:

• Auchmill
• Balnagask
• Hazlehead
• King's Links.^[3]

Hazlehead Park is most famous for its two 18 hole and its pitch and putt golf courses. The courses are public owned and there are no handicap or other restrictions for those who play on them. They are excellent by public owned course standards but obviously due to their nature as public courses they are not the best around.

The No. 1 course was designed by Alistair MacKenzie, better known for designing the Augusta National and with significant private investment and upgrade of facilities, the course would be considered one of the best in the world due to its excellent design.

Private Courses

Aberdeen and the immediate areas of Aberdeenshire at the city boundaries are lucky enough to be home to a number of famous private courses, these include:

• Cruden Bay
• Deeside Golf Club
• Murcar Links
• Newmachar
• Royal Aberdeen

Royal Aberdeen Golf Club was founded in 1780 and used to play on the Queen's Links before moving to a new links at Balgownie, north of the River Don, in 1888. The club hosted the Senior British Open in 2005.^[4] The club also has a second course.

Swimming

Aberdeen also has a strong swimming team. Based at Northfield Pool, the City of Aberdeen Swim Team (COAST) have been running since 1996. The team comprises several smaller swimming clubs, and has enjoyed success on all levels from North District to international. Three of the team's swimmers have qualified for the Commonwealth Games.^[5]

Floorball

Aberdeen Oilers Floorball Club was founded in 2007. The club initially attracted a range of experienced Scandinavian and other European players who were studying in Aberdeen. Since their formation, Aberdeen Oilers have played in the British Flooorball Northern League and went on to win the league in the 2008/09 season. The club played a major role in setting up a ladies league in Scotland. The Oiler's ladies team ended up 2nd in the first ladies league season (2008/09). ^[6]

Other sports

The Chris Anderson Stadium in Linksfield has a running track and is used for athletics, hockey and football.^[7] It also has numerous boxing gyms where the WBU lightweight champion of the world, Lee McAllister trains in the Granite City boxing club. There is also St Mary's Boxing Club, Kincorth Boxing Club and Kingswells Boxing Club.

Footnotes

1. ^ "History of Pittodrie Stadium". Scottish Premier League. http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/AberdeenDetail/0,,10002~907301,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-16. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Stirling, Kevin (2002). Aberdeen: A Centenary History 1903-2003. Southend-on-Sea: Desert Island Books. 
3. ^ "Aberdeen City Golf Homepage". Aberdeen City Council. http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/web/site/Sports/spr_GolfHomepage.asp?menuid=m101603. Retrieved 2007-02-16. 
4. ^ "Golf event to swing into Aberdeen". British Broadcasting Corporation. 2006-05-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/4750395.stm. 
5. ^ "City of Aberdeen Swim Team". http://www.coastswimming.org.uk/. Retrieved 2009-04-16. 
6. ^ "Aberdeen Oilers Floorball Club". http://www.aberdeenfloorball.org.uk/. 
7. ^ Sports Venue Details