|
|
|
|
Murrayfield Stadium
|
| |
|
| |
Murrayfield Stadium (usually just known as Murrayfield) is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. At present its all-seater capacity is 67,800, making it the largest stadium in Scotland and one of the largest in the United Kingdom overall.
The stadium is the home of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), and is primarily used as a venue for rugby union and hosts most of Scotland's home test matches, as well as the Edinburgh Sevens, the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup final, as well as Magners League and Heineken Cup matches.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Murrayfield Stadium' Start a new discussion about 'Murrayfield Stadium' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Murrayfield Stadium (usually just known as Murrayfield) is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. At present its all-seater capacity is 67,800, making it the largest stadium in Scotland and one of the largest in the United Kingdom overall.
The stadium is the home of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), and is primarily used as a venue for rugby union and hosts most of Scotland's home test matches, as well as the Edinburgh Sevens, the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup final, as well as Magners League and Heineken Cup matches. The stadium is considered an icon of Scottish rugby.
Although mainly a rugby union stadium, Murrayfield has in the past hosted rugby league and football matches. In addition, it has in the past been a venue for music concerts, the most notable of these being the Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push concert as part of Live 8.
It once held the record for the largest ever attendance for a rugby union match, with 104,000 watching Scotland play Wales in 1975.
Location
Murrayfield is located in the west-end of Edinburgh, just off Corstorphine Road, right next door to the Murrayfield Ice Rink, and close to the Edinburgh Zoo. It is named after the area of Edinburgh it is located in, Murrayfield.
It has good public transport links, being particularly well-served by bus links along the Corstorphine Road. However, its nearest railway station is Haymarket, which is a 10-15 minute walk from the stadium.
History
The SFU bought some land and built the first Murrayfield which was opened on 21 March 1925. Previously internationals had been played at Inverleith. The first visitors were , whom beat to win their first Five Nations Championship Grand Slam.
During the Second World War the ground at Murrayfield was offered to the nation and was taken over by the Royal Army Service Corps and used as a supply depot. During the war years 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. In 1994 Murrayfield completed a 50 million pound renovation where floodlights were installed for the first time in its history.
Present
Currently Murrayfield is used for most Scottish international rugby union matches, with all Scotland's Six Nations home games being played here. The stadium also hosts Edinburgh Rugby, one of Scotland's two professional sides in the Magners League that also features teams from Ireland and Wales. (For Magners League matches, only the lower tier of the West Stand is typically used.) Since 2007, Murrayfield has hosted the Edinburgh 7s, the final event in the annual IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens. Murrayfield has also host select matches from the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The stadium also hosted the Heineken Cup Final in 2005, when Toulouse beat Stade Français by 18 points to 12, and will host the final again in 2009.
Murrayfield also hosts football matches. The first football match played on Murrayfield was played between the local Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian F.C. (Hearts) and the Portuguese Sporting Braga in September 2004. In 2006, Hearts selected Murrayfield as their home venue for their European campaign in the 2006/2007 season, as Tynecastle did not meet the UEFA criteria for hosting European football matches. This has seen clubs such as Ferencvaros, Schalke 04 and AEK Athens playing at Murrayfield. Additionally, Hearts hosted a preseason friendly on July 28, 2007 against FC Barcelona in front of a crowd of nearly 58,000.
Although a union stadium, Murrayfield hosted the rugby league Challenge Cup finals in 2000 and 2002. The stadium will host the Super League Magic Weekend in 2009, taking over from the Millennium Stadium.
Murrayfield has also played host to American football and was one of two home venues for the now defunct Scottish Claymores in the NFL Europa between 1995 and 2004, the other being Hampden Park in Glasgow. Additionally, it hosted World Bowl IV on 23 June 1996.
The stadium has also seen performances from artists like David Bowie, U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In July 2005, Murrayfield hosted the final Live 8 concert, Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push, with performances from the likes of James Brown, Texas, The Proclaimers and Travis. British rock group Oasis is scheduled to play a sold-out show some time in the summer of 2009.
It has a 100m running track by the main stand.
The seats incorporate the letters "SRU" as well as a tartan pattern. This tartan is the official tartan of the SRU.
See also
External links
- on the SRU website
- on the SRU website
- on the SRU website
|
| |
|
|
