Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack has challenged Dons supporters to drive up season-ticket sales as he outlined his vision to make the club more sustainable.
He wants to increase season tickets by 1,000 to 11,000 for next season, with around £2million in income currently generated by them.
An AberDNA membership target of 8,000 has also been set, with Cormack promising to allocate 100 per cent of this revenue towards the football budget.
With the Red Shed – trialled against Dumbarton and Kilmarnock in the Merkland Stand – set to become a regular fixture during the 2020-21 campaign, the upper section of the Richard Donald Stand will also be closing to help improve the atmosphere at Pittodrie. The capacity will reduce to 15,500, including an allocation of 1,800 for away supporters.
Cormack said: “Our approach to fan engagement began with the trial of the Red Shed, dramatically improving the home atmosphere. With a concerted effort from fans, Pittodrie will once again become our fortress.
“As well as this reconfiguration, we will trial other pre‐match entertainments such as fan zones with live music, and activities for children and families in and around the stadium.”
In the next 18 months, the Dons hope to streamline club membership into one system, allocating users a unique ID number to access their season-ticket details, AberDNA membership and RedTV.
Cormack, who took over as chairman after the club’s AGM in December, is based in Atlanta and helped forge the connection with MLS franchise Atlanta United.
“We all agree that it’s been a frustrating season,” he added. “But the squad is in a much healthier position and, with our new signings, our goal is to provide consistently entertaining and exciting football. We have an excellent crop of young players coming through, having reached the finals of both the Scottish Youth Cup and Scottish Reserve Cup.
“My appeal to fans is this: support us and help us increase season tickets and AberDNA membership. In return, we will challenge everything we do to deliver the best possible fan experience. We’ve got the semi‐final of the cup to look forward to and we can still finish third in the league. It’s all to play for.”
The Dons aim is to become a “challenger club”, in constantly reviewing how it conducts business on and off the pitch.