Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeen could open up Pittodrie’s Richard Donald Stand concourse as coronavirus testing site

Aberdeen FC's Community Trust is making a positive impact in many lives.
Aberdeen FC's Community Trust is making a positive impact in many lives.

Aberdeen Football Club have announced measures to support fans and the wider community during the coronavirus outbreak – including potentially opening up Pittodrie’s Richard Donald Stand concourse as a Covid-19 testing facility.

A statement on the Dons’ website, detailing a “two-pronged” approach said the club plans on “providing information to and engaging with people, particularly those in isolation, and offering practical support to those in need and, potentially, to the emergency services.”

Among the steps Aberdeen have announced is working with Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) to make deliveries of food to AFC Community Trust frequented areas of the region, in an attempt to stave off food poverty amid school closures.

The Dons have also proposed deliveries of other essentials, phone check-ins with isolated fans, an online campaign to encourage fans to support local businesses and offered the RDS concourse to the health services.

Chairman Dave Cormack said: “Aberdeen Football Club has been at the heart of our community for over 100 years. Today, we stand ready to do whatever we can to assist the community in what is a rapidly escalating, unprecedented situation.

Dave Cormack.

“Our response to the crisis facing us is one of solidarity and support. We have drawn up a battle plan which will allow us to provide practical support to those who need it most and to bring our fans and the community together in our fight against the virus.

“As the biggest club in our region with a fantastic and loyal fanbase, we have a unique platform to connect with people of all ages, from all backgrounds across all parts of the city region and beyond. With over 100,000 people on our database, over 300,000 followers on social media and, through the reach of AFC Community Trust, interactions with thousands more, we are in a position to engage with the community through content that educates, comforts, reassures and even brings a smile to all those affected, but particularly those suffering from loneliness, anxiety and fear.

“In normal circumstances, we’re a daily topic of discussion and entertainment for supporters. As we face not only an as‐yet undetermined pause on football, but a much bigger global threat, we can provide familiarity in an unfamiliar world.

“Throughout our history, we have been supported by our revered and loyal Red Army, Standing Free every step of the way. Now, we will rally behind our fans and the wider community in their time of need.

“Alfredo Di Stefano once said that ‘Aberdeen have what money can’t buy, a soul, a team spirit, built in a family tradition’. By galvanising our fans and the wider community, we aim to build a Team Aberdeen approach to winning the war against COVID 19.”

This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.