Edinburgh Rugby: Take a virtual tour of club’s new ‘mini-Murrayfield’ stadium

Edinburgh Rugby have announced the completion of their new stadium on the back pitches of Murrayfield.

The £5.7 million ground can house 7,800 supporters of which 5,800 will be seated, with room for another 2,000 in safe-standing areas.

The four stands are covered and the pitch is artificial.

It is Edinburgh’s first permanent home after 25 years as a professional club. The peripatetic team have played previously at Easter Road, Meadowbank, Myreside and Inverleith, as well as the main stadium at Murrayfield.

A view of the new Edinburgh Rugby stadium at BT Murrayfield. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

Edinburgh can practise on the pitch now after it was approved by World Rugby for contact training.

Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, fans are still not allowed to attend matches.

Richard Cockerill, the Edinburgh coach, said he hoped the new venue can eventually become “a cauldron” which will intimidate visiting teams.

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

“As a club, as players, staff and fans we now have a home that, together, we can really build something special around,” said Cockerill. “All of us are now in the privileged position to establish what this ground is going to mean to us and the outside world.

“I want it to be a welcoming place for fans but a cauldron for visiting teams, and our supporters will very much be a part of that. It’s down to them to fill this place out with their family and friends and give the players the lift they need when the chips are down.

“One of the many things Coronavirus has underscored to us all in sport is the hugely important role fans play in the home team’s performance.

“This was always a widely held view but now the difference is statistically proven by the change in away results in the absence of crowds in a number of sports. Having capacity crowds so close to the pitch and players will allow our supporters to play an even greater part in giving us that all important home advantage.”

Edinburgh boast an impressive home record under Cockerill, winning 73 per cent (33 from 45) of matches in all competitions from the 2017-18 season to date, rising to 84 per cent of the 37 home matches before the pandemic put an end to crowds.

That is despite relatively small attendances at the cavernous 67,500-capacity international stadium.

Edinburgh Rugby managing director Douglas Struth said: “Our new stadium will allow us to better connect with our fans, community, sponsors and partners; creating a deeper sense of belonging as we strive to attract more people to the club, whilst enhancing the match-day experience for our fans inside and outside the ground.

“I have always said that this is a game-changing project for us, and Edinburgh Rugby has always been a club of huge potential. Our new stadium will now go a long way to helping us realise that potential.

“The hard work really kicks on from here. The new stadium is fantastic, but it is nothing without our fans here to fill it.

“That is a magnificent target to focus the mind and we can all really look forward to that moment.”

Edinburgh said the new stadium will be open to applications for use from other rugby teams, sports and events, a well as from the wider community.

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