Scottish Rugby has confirmed today that it is to reintroduce car parking on the pitches behind the West Stand at Murrayfield, an element that for some was a key part of the Six Nations experience.
It’s been more than 3 years since the area was closed to cars and a large area of the land was lost permanently due to work on the Edinburgh tram initiative and the Water of Leith flood prevention scheme.
In that time the remaining space was developed to include three high quality grass pitches and an IRB compliant all-weather pitch. These three grass pitches are used by pro, international and local teams to train and play but Scottish Rugby has managed to find a solution which allows for occasional vehicle use without overly damaging the playing surface.
The capacity of the car park will be around 700 cars. The cost of the car park pass, £25 per car, will include entertainment on the remaining space around the “back pitch” area, including on the all weather synthetic pitch area.
Dominic McKay, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, said, “ We are delighted to be able to offer supporter car parking at Murrayfield Stadium. We are planning to enhance our match day experience for all our supporters and offering car parking is another step on our journey in putting our supporters first.
“We’ll be putting on live entertainment on the back pitches and we want to get people back in the swing of using it as a place to meet up with old friends and savour the unique atmosphere at Murrayfield during the RBS 6 Nations.”
As the area is used daily by rugby teams of all levels, Scottish Rugby has committed to a significant investment in providing the covering and roadways required to minimise damage to the pitches.
Debenture holders will have a priority period in which to purchase a limited number of passes while taking up the option to purchase tickets (up to and including 31 December 2011) thereafter there will be a further limited public sale in the New Year.
Full information about the offer is available at www.scottishrugby.org