BT’s Murrayfield naming rights deal close

SCOTTISH Rugby and BT officials were staying tight-lipped yesterday over reports that they have are close to finalising a £20 million deal for the naming rights of Murrayfield Stadium.

The bumper deal would see the stadium renamed. Picture: Jane Barlow

It is still unclear what a branded stadium will be called, but traditionalists are sure to demand that Murrayfield is incorporated in some form.

The SRU’s current debt stands at around £11 million, and the sponsorship agreement with BT, who are already the shirt sponsors for Scotland’s two professional teams, would wipe that out in one swoop, leaving the union with substantial funds to plough into the sport.

Dominic McKay, the SRU’s director of commercial operations, communications & public affairs, said last night it would not comment on speculation, and BT also declined to comment. However, McKay did say: “Scottish Rugby is always looking to grow its revenues in order that it can reinvest any monies to help to grow the game of rugby throughout Scotland.”

SRU chief executive Mark Dodson has talked before after the possibility of renaming the iconic stadium in a bid to generate millions of pounds. “The single biggest piece of our inventory is our national stadium,” he said in a 2012 interview. “We would like to see if we can monetise that. It would be crazy for us not to look at using our single biggest piece of inventory to drive revenue. We want to get the right price for it.”