Brands and organisations align themselves with football clubs for their unique reach and engagement with a wide cross-section of their communities. For years, local, national and international brands have built affinity and awareness with Dons’ fans through their support of Aberdeen Football Club.

With over 150,000 followers on social media, a database of over 100,000 and over 2 million visits to our website annually, not to mention around 350,000 attendances at Pittodrie each season, AFC’s impressive reach guarantees businesses high profile, targeted exposure.

But not every business has the budget to become a Club sponsor or partner. This is why we created our first business to business initiative – By Official Appointment (BoA) – which connects local businesses with our loyal fanbase at an affordable price point.

As a family Club at the heart of our community, we wanted to create a powerful B2B programme that would generate more sales for local businesses, boost the local economy, while offering our supporters great, and regular, exclusive deals.

Businesses are able to create special offers which are tailored to the Club’s extensive fan base in a targeted way through our range of media channels.

Over 100 businesses have signed up to BoA and are benefiting from increased market share, high profile exposure, along with the prestige of being linked to Aberdeen Football Club and a unique platform from which to build loyalty and affinity among our supporters.

There are categories of BoA to suit all business objectives and budgets, from Premier Partner Exclusive and Premier Partner to Partner, Affiliate or Member.

Our goal, excuse the pun, was to become the go-to B2B programme in the region by bringing a family of businesses together under one common banner with a range of benefits and networking opportunities. During lock-down, these face-to-face networking events have had to be paused but, instead, we’re turning to virtual events to keep in touch, share learnings, brainstorm ideas and deliver value.

Like every business up and down the country, our BoA members are struggling during this period and need the support of our fans more than ever. Some of them have diversified or reinvented themselves to make it through the crisis, while others are offering free or discounted services to key workers.

New BoA premier partner, The House of Botanicals, is offering 10% off their full range with free hand sanitiser provided with purchases of their Old Tom gins and Pietro Nicola Range.

Stock up on beer with BoA partners, Beer 52 and Fierce Beer, while supporting our #StillStandingFree campaign. Beer 52 is offering a free case to all Dons’ fans and will donate £5 to AFCCT for every free case claimed, while Fierce Beer is giving fans a 15% discount online, using the code “StillStandingFree.”
And if you want a whisky chaser with your beer, Inverurie Whisky Shop is offering 10% off their entire range when ordering on-line.

Working from home may be taking its toll on your body as well as your mind. BoA affiliate member, Greenwell Equipment, is offering 10% discount on its stock of quality used ergonomic chairs to alleviate those sore backs. In addition, they’re offering a whopping 50% discount to NHS staff and contactless delivery to your doorstep.

Allan Panthera, a BoA affiliate, are specialists in business growth and will provide advice and some services pro-bono to help local businesses navigate through this crisis.

BoA premier partner, DJ Autos, are offering key workers and NHS staff a 15% discount on labour for all work needed to keep cars safe. While MOT expiry dates are being extended by six months, key workers will be able to get free health checks to ensure their cars still meet MOT standards and can be driven safely to work.

Every Friday, BoA member, Chaophraya, is sharing recipes you can follow at home through its social channels. Like other establishments in the hospitality industry, they are selling gift vouchers online which can be redeemed once they are able to re-open. This is a great way of supporting local restaurants now, when they desperately need income, and to have something to look forward to when the restrictions are lifted.

BoA now represents some of the region’s most popular brands: Maryculter House, Jamieson & Carry, Central Coaches, Gary Walker Wealth Management, AIS Training-Survivex, Morrison Motors, Pro Player Plan, Aberdeen Framing, Fresh Mex, Paint Technic, GD Pest Control, The Ashvale, Flexistore, Decidedly Dogs, Four Mile, Maggies Grill, Siberia, Skyline, Aberdeen Whisky Shop, Malmaison, McWilliams Butcher and Mackies of Scotland.

Even in these difficult times, local businesses are seeing the value of BoA and we’ve just signed up new BoA partner, Westhill Boiler Services.

For an alternative way of marketing your business cost-effectively with a tangible return on investment, it’s worth finding out more about AFC’s By Official Appointment programme. You won’t be disappointed.