Search on to find new home venue for Edinburgh

A NEW home is being sought for Edinburgh Rugby to play their matches, new Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Mark Dodson has confirmed.

Last week it was announced that Glasgow have served notice on their tenancy at Firhill Stadium, home of Partick Thistle FC, where matches are currently played. From the start of next season, the Warriors will play their games at Scotstoun Stadium, which is already in use as the team’s training base.

Murrayfield Stadium is not a popular venue for Edinburgh matches because the vast arena has a flat atmosphere when a crowd of just a few thousand is present. There have been recent efforts to improve the situation, with supporters moved closer to the action, but this does not solve the problem. Attempts have been made in the past to identify an alternative venue, without any success.But Dodson has acknowledged the need to provide a better matchday experience for the existing Edinburgh supporters and a greater incentive to attract new fans along – which means getting the team out of Murrayfield and into a more suitable venue, if practically possible.

“This is something we need to look at urgently because when I talk about the pro franchises clearly where they play is massively important,” said Dodson.

“Look at what’s happened in Scotstoun. They (Glasgow) are going to a new place to play. That’s a statement of intent and is a new birth for Glasgow Warriors, and we can’t find a solution for one and not for the other. We are going to try and find a place.”