Murrayfield Stadium

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Lore & Background

The SRU identified 19 acres of land at Murrayfield, purchasing this from Edinburgh Polo Club at Murrayfield, having raised money through debentures. A stand and three embankments were constructed, which took two years. Previous internationals had been played at Inverleith but it was not large enough to cope with the increasing number of spectators. Arthur Sellers was the stadium's first groundsman, having previously prepared the pitches at Inverleith. On 21 March 1925 were the first team to visit Murrayfield, with 70,000 people watching beat them to win their first Five Nations Championship Grand Slam. 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. Murrayfield's record attendance of 104,000 was set on 1 March 1975 when Scotland defeated 12–10 during the 1975 Five Nations Championship. This attendance stood as a world record until 1999, and remains a European record. The East stand was built in 1983. In October 1991 another debenture scheme was launched, to finance a more comprehensive redevelopment of the West Stand. The new West Stand was designed with a 48-metre cantilever roof. The old West Stand housed a museum, but this was not replaced and plans for a new visitor centre were shelved when the game turned professional. The first phase was completed in January 1993 with the new north and south stands opening. In February 1994 the centre section of the new West Stand opened. The work was carried out by Tilbury Douglas. In 1994, Murrayfield completed a £50-million renovation where floodlights were installed for the first time. In October 2012, SRU chief executive Mark Dodson told the BBC that it was actively seeking a name sponsor for Murrayfield. A naming rights deal with BT was agreed in May 2014, resulting in the stadium being officially named as the BT Murrayfield Stadium. Scottish Rugby and Scottish Gas agreed a new five-year partnership deal starting in July 2023. This will result in the creation of a Club & Community Net Zero Fund worth £2

In Their Own Story

The wind howled across the pitch as the clock ticked down in a freezing Edinburgh evening. The scoreboard showed a narrow lead for Scotland, but England was driving forward with relentless pressure. Suddenly, the roar of fifty thousand voices swelled into a deafening chant that shook the very foundations of the stadium. A Scottish defender made a last-ditch tackle on the try line, sending the ball loose, and in that split second of chaos, the nation held its breath before erupting in jubilation.

Reader's Guide

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 and four rugby pitches owned by the SRU which were used by teams including the amateur club Murrayfield Wanderers RFC. Wanderers 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. Wanderers moved their training base to Roseburn but continued to hire the Murrayfield pitches for some matches. The stadium is served by Lothian Bus services 12, 22, 26, 31 and the Airlink 100 along Corstorphine Road. Post-match traffic congestion is common along this route. 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 Murrayfield stations. 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. Murrayfield is used for most Scottish international rugby union matches, with all Scotland's Six Nations home games being played in the stadium. The stadium also hosted all of Edinburgh's matches between 1996 and January 2017. (For Pro14 matches, only the lower tier of the East Stand is typically used.) Since February 2018 all Edinburgh matches are once again held at Murrayfield; with work now finished on the construction of a new 7,800 capacity stadium on the back pitches to host Edinburgh Rugby from the start of the 2021/22 season. From 2007 to 2011, Murrayfield hosted the Edinburgh 7s, then the final event in the annual IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens, but that tournament was moved to Glasgow starting in 2012 due to low attendance. Murrayfield hosted select matches from the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The stadium also hosted the Heineken Cup Final in 2005, when Toulouse beat Stade Français 18–12, again in 2009, with Leinster defeating Leicester 19–16 and finally in 2017 with Saracens defeating Clermont 28–17. Murrayfield hosted

Did You Know?

• Murrayfield's record attendance of 104,000 was set on 1 March 1975 and stood as a world record until 1999.
• The stadium officially opened on 21 March 1925 with a Scotland vs England match, which Scotland won as part of a Grand Slam.
• During World War II, Murrayfield was used as a supply depot by the Royal Army Service Corps.
• The East stand was built in 1983.
• In 1994, a £50-million renovation installed floodlights for the first time.

Origins and Early Development

The Scottish Rugby Union recognized the need for a larger venue than Inverleith to accommodate growing spectator interest, leading to the acquisition of nineteen acres from the Edinburgh Polo Club in 1923. Financing this ambitious project required raising funds through debentures, which facilitated the construction of an initial stand and three embankments over a two-year period. Arthur Sellers, who had previously prepared pitches at Inverleith, was appointed as the first groundsman to ensure the turf met international standards. The stadium officially opened on March 21, 1925, hosting its inaugural match between Scotland and England in front of seventy thousand fans. This historic debut resulted in a Scottish victory that secured their first Five Nations Championship Grand Slam. The new facility immediately established itself as the premier home for national rugby, replacing the smaller grounds that could no longer cope with the surging demand from supporters eager to witness international competition.

Wartime Service and Post-War Resilience

During the Second World War, Murrayfield was offered to the nation and subsequently requisitioned by the Royal Army Service Corps for use as a vital supply depot. Despite this military occupation, rugby activity did not cease entirely; armed forces sports authorities organized two annual services internationals between Scotland and England on a home-and-away basis. For the first two years of the conflict, Scotland's home matches were temporarily relocated to Inverleith until Murrayfield was derequisitioned in 1944, allowing play to resume at the national stadium. This period highlighted the venue's dual role as both a sporting icon and a strategic asset during national crisis. The return to normalcy after the war set the stage for future growth, eventually leading to record-breaking attendance figures in the following decades.

Modernization and Record-Breaking Capacity

The stadium achieved global prominence on March 1, 1975, when a crowd of one hundred and four thousand gathered to watch Scotland defeat Wales. This figure established a world record for rugby attendance that stood until 1999 and remains the European record today. Significant structural evolution occurred in the late twentieth century, including the construction of the East Stand in 1983 and a major redevelopment of the West Stand beginning in 1991. Funded by another debenture scheme, the new West Stand featured a distinctive forty-eight-meter cantilever roof, with construction phases completed between 1993 and 1994 by Tilbury Douglas. A pivotal £50-million renovation in 1994 introduced floodlights for the first time, enabling evening matches. More recently, pitch maintenance challenges led to the installation of a Desso artificial surface in 2014, ensuring consistent playing conditions despite issues with nematodes.

Commercial Evolution and Transport Infrastructure

In recent years, the stadium has embraced commercial partnerships to drive revenue, transitioning from its traditional name to BT Murrayfield Stadium in 2014 following a naming rights deal. This strategy continued with a five-year partnership with Scottish Gas starting in July 2023, which rebranded the venue as Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium and established a fund to support club sustainability. Beyond rugby union, the grounds have historically hosted American football, rugby league, association football, and major music concerts, showcasing its versatility. Accessibility is managed through Lothian Bus services along Corstorphine Road, though congestion remains common after events. While a railway line runs adjacent to the site, Haymarket station serves as the closest rail hub, with tram connections available at nearby stops including a dedicated Murrayfield Stadium stop on Roseburn Street.

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