Murrayfield Stadium

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Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium as viewed in 2017, with the Flag of Scotland (Saltire) depicted in the stand

Map
LocationRoseburn Street
Edinburgh
EH12 5PJ
Public transit
Edinburgh Sevens (2007–2011)
Scottish Claymores
(1995–2002)

Murrayfield Stadium is a rugby union stadium located in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The stadium is owned by the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) who has its headquarters based at the stadium, and is the national stadium of the Scotland national rugby union team. With a seating capacity of 67,144, it is the largest stadium in Scotland, the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, and the twenty–second largest in Europe.[1]

It officially opened on 21 March 1925 with a game between Scotland and England.[2] The game was won by Scotland who came out victorious following a Grand Slam.[3] The stadium hosts most of Scotland's home test matches and the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup final, as well as URC and European Rugby Champions Cup matches.

Although primarily a rugby union stadium, Murrayfield has in the past hosted American football, rugby league and association football matches, as well as numerous music concerts. Currently, the stadium is known as Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium for sponsorship reasons.

History

Purchase of land

The SRU identified 19 acres of land at Murrayfield, purchasing this from Edinburgh Polo Club at Murrayfield, having raised money through

Grand Slam.[5][8]

Usage during WWII

During the

armed forces
sports authorities managed to arrange two Scotland v. England services internationals each year, on a home-and-away basis. Scotland's home matches were played at Inverleith for the first two years with a return to Murrayfield in 1944 after that ground's derequisition.

Recent history

Exterior of Murrayfield under its sponsorship branding with BT
Interior of Murrayfield pre–match, 2018

Murrayfield's record attendance of 104,000 was set on 1 March 1975 when Scotland defeated Wales 12–10 during the 1975 Five Nations Championship.[9] This attendance stood as a world record until 1999, and remains a European record.[5] The East stand was built in 1983.[10]

In October 1991 another debenture scheme was launched, to finance a more comprehensive redevelopment of the West Stand.[11] The new West Stand was designed with a 48-metre cantilever roof.[12] The old West Stand housed a museum, but this was not replaced and plans for a new visitor centre were shelved when the game turned professional.[13] The first phase was completed in January 1993 with the new north and south stands opening.[12] In February 1994 the centre section of the new West Stand opened.[10] The work was carried out by Tilbury Douglas.[14]

In 1994, Murrayfield completed a £50-million renovation where floodlights were installed for the first time.

In October 2012, SRU chief executive Mark Dodson told the BBC that it was actively seeking a name sponsor for Murrayfield:

BT was agreed in May 2014, resulting in the stadium being officially named as the BT Murrayfield Stadium.[18]

Scottish Rugby and

Scottish Gas agreed a new five-year partnership deal starting in July 2023. This will result in the creation of a Club & Community Net Zero Fund worth £2 million to ensure Scottish clubs can save on energy bills and carbon emissions. Scottish Gas will also invest in the women's game through shirt and stadium sponsorship, resulting in an official name change for the stadium to Scottish Gas Murrayfield.[19]

Location

Murrayfield is located next to

Murrayfield Wanderers RFC. Wanderers and their predecessors had played there since 1902 but were asked to vacate in 2018 as the governing body had plans to develop the land.[20][21]
Wanderers moved their training base to Roseburn but continued to hire the Murrayfield pitches for some matches.

Transport

Buses

The stadium is served by Lothian Bus services 12, 22, 26, 31 and the Airlink 100 along Corstorphine Road.[22][23] Post-match traffic congestion is common along this route.

Rail

Despite the line running adjacent to the stadium, the closest railway station to the stadium is Haymarket, which lies a mile to the East.

Interchange with the

Edinburgh Gateway stations. Edinburgh Waverley is a short walk from the St Andrew Square
tram stop.

Tram

Murrayfield Stadium tram stop
is located adjacent to the stadium entrance turnstiles on Roseburn Street. Access to the platform is by a flight of stairs or lift. As part of crowd-management measures, ticketing machines are situated at the bottom of the staircase and not the platform.

Preceding station   Edinburgh Trams   Following station
Haymarket
towards Newhaven 		  Newhaven - Edinburgh Airport  
Airport

Uses

Rugby union

Murrayfield Stadium in 2002.
Interior of Murrayfield

Murrayfield is used for most Scottish international rugby union matches, with all Scotland's Six Nations home games being played in the stadium. The stadium also hosted all of Edinburgh's matches between 1996 and January 2017. (For Pro14 matches, only the lower tier of the East Stand is typically used.) Since February 2018 all Edinburgh matches are once again held at Murrayfield; with work now finished on the construction of a new 7,800 capacity stadium on the back pitches to host Edinburgh Rugby from the start of the 2021/22 season.

From

Heineken Cup Final in 2005, when Toulouse beat Stade Français 18–12, again in 2009, with Leinster defeating Leicester 19–16 and finally in 2017 with Saracens defeating Clermont 28–17.[24]

Rugby World Cup

Murrayfield hosted matches of the 1991, 1999 and 2007 Rugby World Cups.

1991
Date Competition Home team Away team Attendance
5 October 1991 1991 Rugby World Cup Pool 2  Scotland 47  Japan 9 40,000
9 October 1991 1991 Rugby World Cup Pool 2  Scotland 51  Zimbabwe 12 35,000
12 October 1991 1991 Rugby World Cup Pool 2  Scotland 24  Ireland 15 54,000
19 October 1991 1991 Rugby World Cup Quarter-final 2  Scotland 28  Western Samoa 6 54,000
26 October 1991 1991 Rugby World Cup Semi-final 1  Scotland 6  England 9 54,000
1999
Date Competition Home team Away team Attendance
3 October 1999 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool A  Scotland 29  South Africa 46 57,612
8 October 1999 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool A  Scotland 43  Uruguay 12 9,463
10 October 1999 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool A  South Africa 47  Spain 3 4,769
16 October 1999 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool A  Scotland 40  Spain 0 17,593
20 October 1999 1999 Rugby World Cup Quarter-final play-off 3  Scotland 35  Samoa 20 20,000
24 October 1999 1999 Rugby World Cup Quarter-final 3  Scotland 18  New Zealand 30 59,750
2007
Date Competition Home team Away team Attendance
18 September 2007 2007 Rugby World Cup Pool C  Scotland 42  Romania 0 31,222
23 September 2007 2007 Rugby World Cup Pool C  Scotland 0  New Zealand 40 64,558

Rugby league

Although primarily a

Rugby League Challenge Cup Finals of 2000 and 2002. The stadium hosted rugby league's Super League Magic Weekend
in 2009. The record for a rugby league attendance at the stadium is 67,247 for the 2000 Challenge Cup Final.

Association football

Murrayfield has also hosted

Tynecastle did not meet the minimum criteria for European matches from the 2004–05 season.[26] Hearts used Murrayfield as their home venue for European matches for three years[27] until Hearts made adjustments to Tynecastle that made it compliant with UEFA regulations.[28] Additionally, both Hearts and Edinburgh neighbours Hibernian have played preseason friendlies against FC Barcelona at Murrayfield.[29][30] Almost 58,000 people attended to watch Hearts play Barcelona in July 2007, recording the largest crowd at an association football match in Edinburgh for 51 years.[31]

In 2014, Glasgow club

1989 Scottish Cup Final.[35] On 19 July 2023, Manchester United faced Olympique Lyonnais at Murrayfield in front of a crowd of 48,484.[36] On 20 March 2024, it was announced that Manchester United would return for the second successive year to play a pre-season match at Murrayfield, taking on Rangers on 20 July 2024.[37]
in front of 56,574

American football

Murrayfield has played host to

NFL Europa between 1995 and 2004, the other being Hampden Park in Glasgow. Additionally, it hosted World Bowl '96 on 23 June 1996. It has been mentioned[by whom?] as a potential future host site for the NFL International Series, should the National Football League add future games outside the series' current permanent home, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Two other London stadiums, Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadium, are the only other grounds in Britain to host NFL matches.[38]

Music

James Brown, Texas and The Proclaimers. Oasis played a sold-out show on 17 June 2009, as part of their world tour. Some antisocial behaviour at this event affected the stadium's licensing arrangements when they were reviewed a few months later.[43] This was the last time Oasis would play a concert in Scotland[44] and the second time they had played the stadium, the first being on their Standing on the Shoulder of Giants Tour in 2000.[45]

Spice World tour, it was their first Scottish concert in 21 years. Taylor Swift broke the all time Scottish concert attendance record 3 times when The Eras Tour
came to Murrayfield for 3 nights on 7, 8 and 9 June 2024, playing to 73,000 people each night, and nearly 220,000 people over the 3 nights.

Date Performer(s) Opening act(s) Tour/Event Attendance Notes
28 June 1983 David Bowie Thompson Twins, Icehouse Serious Moonlight Tour 47,444
1 August 1987 U2 The Pogues, Runrig, The Mission, Love and Money The Joshua Tree Tour
27 July 1995 R.E.M. The Cranberries, Belly, Spearhead Monster Tour 46,796 / 46,796
30 June 1996 Tina Turner Wildest Dreams
4 August 1996 Eagles Kenny Wayne Shepherd Hell Freezes Over Tour 49,312 / 49,312
2 September 1997 U2 The Seahorses PopMart Tour 50,439 / 50,439
4 June 1999 The Rolling Stones Sheryl Crow No Security Tour 44,283 / 44,283
8 July 1999 Celine Dion The Corrs Let's Talk About Love World Tour 53,013 / 60,000
29 July 2000 Oasis Happy Mondays, Doves Standing on the Shoulder of Giants Tour
28 & 29 June 2003 Robbie Williams Ash Weekends of Mass Distraction Tour
14 June 2004 Red Hot Chili Peppers N.E.R.D., Ash Roll on the Red Tour
6 July 2005 Various Acts Live 8 Scotland
21 July 2007 Bryan Adams Anthology Tour
17 June 2009 Oasis Kasabian, The Enemy, Reverend and the Makers Dig Out Your Soul Tour
22 June 2011 Bon Jovi Vintage Trouble Bon Jovi Live 53,043 / 53,043
26 June 2011
Kings Of Leon
 Zac Brown Band, White Lies, The Walkmen Come Around Sundown World Tour
21 July 2012 Madonna Alesso The MDNA Tour 52,160 / 52,160
3 June 2014 One Direction 5 Seconds of Summer Where We Are Tour 64,623 / 64,623
8 September 2015 Foo Fighters Royal Blood, Honeyblood Sonic Highways World Tour
9 June 2017 Robbie Williams Erasure The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour
9 June 2018 The Rolling Stones Richard Ashcroft No Filter Tour 54,221 / 54,221
8 June 2019 Spice Girls Jess Glynne Spice World – 2019 Tour 55,211 / 55,211
22 June 2022 Eagles Little Big Town Eagles 50 Years Tour
20 May 2023 Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour 55,834 / 55,834[48]
26 & 27 May 2023 Harry Styles Wet Leg Love On Tour
30 May 2023 Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen and E Street Band 2023 Tour
7–9 June 2024 Taylor Swift Paramore The Eras Tour 219,000 / 219,000[49]
31 May 2025 Robbie Williams The Lottery Winners Robbie Williams Live 2025
8,9 & 12 August 2025 Oasis Richard Ashcroft, Cast Oasis Live '25 Tour
21 August 2025 AC/DC The Pretty Reckless Power Up Tour

See also

References

  1. ^ Tomas, Fiona (10 February 2020). "England thrash Scotland in freezing temperatures at Murrayfield to ensure Six Nations Grand Slam pursuit marches on". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Rugby review". The Glasgow Herald. 23 March 1925. p. 14. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh – Rugby". www.visitscotland.com. Visit Scotland. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Changed days as the home of Scottish rugby takes on world of big business From cricket pitch to a cash jackpot". The Herald. 4 March 1995. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "Scottish Flashback: Murrayfield in the snow, 1963". The Scotsman. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  6. ISBN 0904966348
    .
  7. ^ The man who prepares the pitches. Edinburgh Evening News. 27 February 1932. p. 17
  8. ^ 1925 - Scotland’s first Grand Slam win, Raeburn Place Foundation
  9. ^ "Edinburgh, Roseburn Street, Murrayfield Stadium". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 13 December 2015 – via Canmore.
  10. ^ a b "How Murrayfield is growing great". The Herald. 5 February 1994. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  11. ^ "The debenture scheme delivers delight". The Herald. 5 February 1994. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Murrayfield is entering a bright new era". The Herald. 13 January 1993. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Return of Murrayfield museum remains beyond SRU's pocket". The Scotsman. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  14. ^ "18Feb93 UK: TILBURY SCORES TRY - £20M STADIUM REDEVELOPMENT CONTRACT". constructionnews.co.uk/. 18 February 1993. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Murrayfield could be renamed for right price – Scottish Rugby". BBC Sport. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  16. ^ "SRU chiefs seek Murrayfield stadium name change sponsor to help pay off debts". The Scotsman. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  17. ^ "Scots to install hybrid pitch at Murrayfield". Bangkok Post.
  18. ^ "Scottish Rugby confirms deal for BT Murrayfield Stadium". BBC Sport. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  19. ^ Gould, Caitlin (13 July 2023). "Scottish Gas teams up with Scottish Rugby for a greener Scotland". Scottish Rugby. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  20. ^ SRU send Wanderers on their way – despite club's significant investment in Murrayfield estate, The Offside Line, 30 July 2018
  21. ^ History, Murrayfield Wanderers RFC
  22. ^ "Getting to BT Murrayfield from Edinburgh City Centre" (PDF). Lothian Buses. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Getting to BT Murrayfield from Edinburgh Airport and Ingliston or Hermiston Park & Ride" (PDF). Lothian Buses. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Leicester 16–19 Leinster". BBC Sport. 23 May 2008.
  25. ^ "Hearts get go-ahead for ground switch to Murrayfield". The Scotsman. 4 December 2003. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Tynecastle not fit for Europe". BBC Sport. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  27. ^ "Hearts 0-2 Sparta Prague". BBC Sport. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  28. ^ "Tynecastle Stadium: 1981-present". heartsfc.co.uk. Heart of Midlothian FC. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013. 2005: Plans were produced for a new Main Stand that could take the capacity of the stadium up to 25,000. In the meantime, the removal of 280 seats from the front of the Gorgie and Roseburn Stands allowed the club to extend the length of the playing pitch to meet UEFA Cup requirements. The capacity of the ground is now 17,400.
  29. ^ "Classy Barcelona toy with Hearts". BBC Sport. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  30. ^ Grahame, Ewing (25 July 2008). "Hibernian handed six of the best by rampant Barcelona at Murrayfield". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  31. ^ Bean, Graham (5 September 2013). "Champions League: Celtic to play at Murrayfield". The Scotsman. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  32. ^ a b "Liverpool to play friendly against Napoli at Murrayfield in July". BBC Sport. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  33. ^ Anderson, Barry (3 August 2017). "Hearts to stage games at Murrayfield due to main stand delay". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  34. ^ Wales, Peter (28 October 2018). "Hearts-Celtic semi-final is second largest football attendance in Edinburgh". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  35. ^ Lindsay, Matthew (28 July 2019). "Liverpool 0 Napoli 3: Champions League winners slump to heavy defeat at Murrayfield". The Herald. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  36. ^ "United 1 Lyon 0". www.manutd.com. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  37. ^ Cruickshank, Sarah (20 March 2024). "Manchester United and Rangers to face off at Scottish Gas Murrayfield". Scottish Rugby. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  38. ^ "The NFL International Series | NFL Football Operations". operations.nfl.com. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  39. ^ "Acclaim in the rain". The Glasgow Herald. 29 June 1983. p. 1. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  40. ^ The Q Encyclopedia of Rock Stars by Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton, Dorling Kindersley 1999, page 910
  41. ^ "U2 criticised for holding Murrayfield concert". The Herald. 3 September 1997. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  42. ^ "The Stones (and the years) roll on". BBC News. 4 June 1999. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  43. ^ "Murrayfield ordered to bid for booze licence before every gig". The Scotsman. 18 August 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  44. ^ "Supersonic: The inside story of Oasis at Loch Lomond". HeraldScotland. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  45. ^ "BBC News | SCOTLAND | Oasis roll with the punches". BBC News. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  46. ^ "Bon Jovi Live 2011 Tour Page". Island Records. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
  47. ^ Dingwall, John (8 September 2015). "Review: Foo Fighters at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh". Daily Record. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  48. ^ "Year-End Top 300 Concert Grosses" (PDF). Pollstar. 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  49. ^ Cruickshank, Sarah (12 June 2024). "Swift smashes records at Scottish Gas Murrayfield". Scottish Rugby. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Murrayfield Stadium.
Preceded by
None
 Rugby World Cup Sevens
host venue
1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
final venue
2004–05
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
final venue
2008–09
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
2016–17
 Succeeded by
European Rugby Challenge Cup
Final Venue
2016–17
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