Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium (Scottish Gaelic: Stadium Murrayfield) is a rugby union stadium located in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The stadium is owned by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) who has its headquarters based at the stadium, and is the national stadium of the Scotland national rugby union team. With a seating capacity of 67,144, it is the largest stadium in Scotland, the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, and the twenty–second largest in Europe.[1]
Location
Roseburn Street
Edinburgh
EH12 5PJ
Scottish Rugby Union
67,144
104,000 (1975 Five Nations – Scotland vs Wales)
Desso GrassMaster hybrid pitch
1925
1995
Connor Milligan
It officially opened on 21 April 1925 with a game between Scotland and England. The game was won by Scotland who came out victorious following a Grand Slam.[2] The stadium hosts most of Scotland's home test matches and the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup final, as well as URC and European Rugby Champions Cup matches.
Although primarily a rugby union stadium, Murrayfield has in the past hosted American football, rugby league and association football matches, as well as numerous music concerts. Currently, the stadium is known as Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
History[edit]
Purchase of land[edit]
The SRU identified 19 acres of land at Murrayfield, purchasing this from Edinburgh Polo Club at Murrayfield, having raised money through debentures.[3] A stand and three embankments were constructed, which took two years.[3] Previous internationals had been played at Inverleith[4] but it was not large enough to cope with the increasing number of spectators.[5] Arthur Sellers was the stadium's first groundsman, having previously prepared the pitches at Inverleith.[6] On 21 March 1925 England were the first team to visit Murrayfield, with 70,000 people watching Scotland beat them to win their first Five Nations Championship Grand Slam.[4][7]
Usage during WWII[edit]
During the Second World War the ground at Murrayfield was offered to the nation and was taken over by the Royal Army Service Corps and used as a supply depot. During the war years the armed forces sports authorities managed to arrange two Scotland v. England services internationals each year, on a home-and-away basis. Scotland's home matches were played at Inverleith for the first two years with a return to Murrayfield in 1944 after that ground's derequisition.
Location[edit]
Murrayfield is located next to Murrayfield Ice Rink, Murrayfield Curling Rink, and is close to Edinburgh Zoo. It is named after the area of Edinburgh it is located in, Murrayfield. There are two cricket pitches in the immediate vicinity at Roseburn Park used by Murrayfield DAFS CC (formed from mergers between several local teams)[19] and also four rugby pitches owned by the SRU which were used by teams including the amateur club Murrayfield Wanderers RFC - they and their predecessors had played there since 1902 but were asked to vacate in 2018 as the governing body had plans to develop the land.[20][21] Wanderers moved their training base to Roseburn but continued to hire the Murrayfield pitches for some matches.
Transport[edit]
Buses[edit]
The stadium is served by Lothian Bus services 12, 22, 26, 31 and the Airlink 100 along Corstorphine Road.[22][23] Post-match traffic congestion is common along this route.
Rail[edit]
Despite the line running adjacent to the stadium, the closest railway station to the stadium is Haymarket, which lies a mile to the East.
Interchange with the Edinburgh Trams is available at Haymarket, Edinburgh Park and Edinburgh Gateway stations. Edinburgh Waverley is a short walk from the St Andrew Square tram stop.
Tram[edit]
Murrayfield Stadium tram stop is located adjacent to the stadium entrance turnstiles on Roseburn Street. Access to the platform is by a flight of stairs or lift. As part of crowd-management measures, ticketing machines are situated at the bottom of the staircase and not the platform.