Aberdeen FC

Aberdeen. The Granite City. Home to grey stone that sparkles in the sun, 45 parks and gardens, one of the oldest universities in the English-speaking world – and a football club whose badge tells the story of a city and a golden era.

Before the clean, minimalist “A” you see today – an ‘A’ doubling as the frame of a goal –(very clever - designed by a local artist in 1972). Before this Aberdeen FC’s shirts carried the old city coat of arms. Red shield, three silver towers: Aberdeen Castle on Castle Hill, the city gate on Port Hill, and a chapel on St Catherine’s Hill. Two of those buildings – and the hill itself – are long gone, but the towers still speak to a medieval city on three hills. And their colours, red and white, came from the city arms and still define the Dons.

The new badge arrived in the 1960s/70s, stripping away heraldry for a crisp, modern mark. The stylised “A” sits above a ball, the uprights of the letter forming a goal frame – clean, confident, instantly recognisable.

Why the Dons? The nickname’s origins are debated. One theory shortens “Aberdonians”; another nods to the River Don to the north of the city; yet another claims it came from an early team with teaching professionals – “Dons” in academic slang. There’s even the chant theory: “C’mon the Donians!” Whatever its source, it’s stuck, and now it’s inseparable from the club’s identity.

Aberdeen FC’s history is full of strong chapters, but one year is written in gold: 1983. Under a young Alex Ferguson, the Dons did what Scottish clubs simply weren’t supposed to do – conquer Europe. They battled past Bayern Munich in the Cup Winners’ Cup and, on 11 May in Gothenburg, beat Real Madrid 2–1 after extra time. Eric Black and John Hewitt got the goals; Ferguson got his springboard to greatness; Aberdeen got immortality.

That wasn’t the end. Days later they lifted the Scottish Cup against Rangers, and in December they added the UEFA Super Cup, beating Hamburg 2–0 at Pittodrie. Three major trophies in one calendar year. For a club outside Glasgow, it was almost unthinkable.

Pittodrie itself has made history. It’s credited with inventing the dugout, and in 1978 it became one of the UK’s first all-seater stadiums. On cold North Sea afternoons, it’s hosted the best of Scottish football – and, occasionally, the best in Europe.

The club’s fortunes are tied to a remarkable city. Aberdeen’s granite, quarried at Rubislaw, built parts of the Houses of Parliament and Waterloo Bridge. Its harbour was once Scotland’s top fishing port. In WWII the city was bombed as a key shipbuilding and supply hub.

Then, in the 1970s, the offshore oil boom roared into Aberdeen, turning the Granite City into Europe’s energy capital. Engineers from Texas with funny accents and a habit of flashing the cash arrived and shook up the more modestly minded locals. The harbour filled with towering rigs, supply ships, and the whine of helicopter rotors from one of the world’s busiest heliports, ferrying crews to the North Sea. Oil wealth poured into the city, reshaping its skyline, filling certain streets with expensive wine bars and fuelling an era of prosperity unlike anything in its history.

Aberdeen's other economic powerhouse has long been its University, founded in 1495, has long been the city’s academic anchor. The city’s motto, Bon Accord, harks back to Robert the Bruce’s 14th-century siege password – “Good Agreement” – still seen everywhere from street signs to shopping malls.

And for all the industry, Aberdeen blooms: Duthie Park’s riverside lawns, Hazlehead’s woodland, Seaton’s cathedral-edge greenery. The floral displays have won “Britain in Bloom” and “Scotland in Bloom” titles again and again.

From granite towers on medieval hills to a minimalist ‘A’ on a modern shirt, Aberdeen’s badge reflects a club and a city that have rebuilt, redefined, and risen to great heights. In 1983 they conquered Europe; and today they continue, very quietly, achieve remarkable things on the pitch, in their garden city and on and under the waves.