Behind SRU's deal with Scottish Gas: New stadium names, eight-figure sum, carbon footprint and bills pledge
The five-year agreement, which is worth an eight-figure sum, sees the national stadium re-branded as Scottish Gas Murrayfield with immediate effect, with the energy provider having taken over the naming rights for the venue from BT. Meanwhile, Hive – Scottish Gas’ smart energy platform – has taken over the naming rights from DAM Health for Edinburgh Rugby’s stadium on the back pitches at Murrayfield, where both the capital pro team and Scotland Women play their home matches.
Scottish Gas have also become the shirt sponsors for the Scotland Women’s squad and will support age-grade squads within the women’s development pathway. However, the aspect of the deal which both Dodson and representatives of Scottish Gas were most keen to focus on during Thursday’s official partnership launch in the international changing room at Murrayfield was the commitment to support 130 community clubs across the country in reducing their carbon footprint and energy bills by providing free energy efficiency advice and access to grants to help pay for improvements from a £2million 'Club and Community Net Zero Fund'. The stated goal is to reduce energy consumption by over 50 per cent.
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Hide AdWhilst accepting that energy companies have a bit of an image problem at the moment due to spiralling prices and anxiety over their impact on the planet, Dodson urged supporters to take a longer-term view on how the deal can help develop the game in this country at the same time as boosting his organisation’s ambitions around its ESG (Environmental, Societal and Governance) agenda.
“We couldn’t have picked a better partner to take us through this journey to 2045 [the target date set by the Scottish Government for the country to have achieved its ‘net zero emissions’ target],” Dodson said. “This is a company that is committed to becoming net zero by 2045 themselves, so they’ve actually stated what they are about and what they want to do.
“From where we stand, they are not only bringing that expertise to clubs, but also delivering the single largest commercial deal the Union has ever signed. That should be celebrated for the simple reason that that money is going to cascade right the way down through every level of Scottish Rugby. I think once our fans see this, they’ll understand it, and they’ll see that we have been responsible, and we’ve been transparent about what this journey means.”
He added: “This deal is therefore important in both a sporting and societal context. Unquestionably, it helps to future proof rugby in Scotland for the next generation through significant investment and also the contribution and impact Scottish Gas will be having within our community clubs. Our vision, at the time of cost-of-living challenges for clubs and households, is to provide meaningful support and funding to clubs and communities throughout Scotland.
Chris O’Shea, chief executive of Centrica, owner of Scottish Gas, added: “What we’re looking to do through our businesses – Scottish Gas, British Gas, Hive and Centrica Business Solutions – is drive de-carbonisation. The UK and Scotland have decarbonisation targets which essentially means that within the next 20 or so years we should have achieved a net-zero situation. Now, that doesn’t mean we should have zero carbon, we will still have carbon emissions but we’ll take that carbon out the air. So, what we are trying to do in our business is make it real – not just talk about it but actually do something about it – and we see this as a great opportunity to really make a difference.
“You have Murrayfield, which has a lot of carbon emissions – you come here on a match-day and there are hundreds of venders outside with their generators rattling away, you have a lot of electricity across the whole campus, and the best part of a couple of million pounds is the power bill – so one of the attractions for us is that there is so much we can do to help. It is an opportunity to bring our message not just to the national stadium but to all the rugby clubs across Scotland about de-carbonisation.
“Having Scottish Gas Murrayfield is great for our brand because it is an iconic stadium known globally, but if it was only good for our brand then it would be no good at all. So, it is about being able to say that we are going to de-carbonise Murrayfield, and we’re going to put £2m between us into the community fund to de-carbonise lots of community rugby clubs, because that is making a real difference. It is good for the planet, and it should also free up funds for grassroots rugby which is why we are super-excited about making this a true partnership rather than just a branding exercise.”
Mairi McAllan, the Scottish Parliament’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition, welcomed the partnership as an important step towards turning the dream of net zero by 2045 into a reality. “The race to net zero is one that we must all win,” she said. “It will continue to be driven by government, but it cannot happen without all of us – individuals, communities and businesses – taking steps as part of a national effort to tackle the climate emergency.“The sporting sector has a significant role to play within this and I welcome the leadership shown by Scottish Rugby and Scottish Gas in setting up this initiative. It’s not only great to hear plans for the home of Scottish rugby to be decarbonised; rugby clubs are an important part of our communities right across Scotland and this partnership therefore offers very exciting opportunities for thousands of people to play their part in increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs.”