Hampden Park to stage rugby fixture yet again as email confirms national stadium agreement

Glasgow Warriors will face Edinburgh Rugby again at Hampden. | SNS Group

Glasgow Warriors have confirmed that they will once again use Hampden Park as their stadium for the home leg of next season’s 1872 Cup against Edinburgh Rugby.

Warriors decided to switch from their traditional ground at Scotstoun this season in favour of football’s national stadium in Glasgow in a groundbreaking move aimed at expanding the fixture and generating revenue.

Glasgow won that match 33-14 in front of a crowd of 27,538 and in an email to supporters, the club’s managing director Al Kellock revealed that they will once again play at Hampden after the success of last year.

Glasgow Warriors will face Edinburgh Rugby again at Hampden. | SNS Group

The dates for the inter-city double-header - which also serve as United Rugby Championship matches - are yet to be set, with Edinburgh very likely to stage their leg at Murrayfield, as has been tradition of late.

In his email, Kellock explained: “Back in December, we took our home 1872 Cup fixture to Hampden Park for the first time, and the occasion was one that will live long in the memory both for the result on the field and the atmosphere you helped to create,.

“I would like to thank every single one of the 27,538 supporters for blowing our pre-game hopes for ticket sales out of the water, and atmosphere at the game is something I’ll always remember.

“I can reveal that we will be returning to Hampden Park for next season’s home 1872 Cup fixture with the target of making the event even bigger and better than year one.

Al Kellock is delighted with how Glasgow Warriors first experience of Hampden Park played out. | SNS Group

“Thank you to everyone who provided feedback about the event and for making us aware of the challenges some supporters experienced with queue times at bars and catering kiosks. We have since had some extremely productive meetings with Sodexo, the catering company at Hampden, and can confirm that the next time we take a game there the following adjustments will be made to improve the customer experience:

“Additional kiosks in the East Stand and the West Stand will be open to take volume from North Stand with the dispersion of crowds significantly reducing queue times.

“There will be specific kiosks for food or drinks only, a streamlined offering to speed up service and additional ‘Beer on Tap’ services again to reduce queue times.

“We are also exploring the option to create a Fan Zone at the stadium.”