Edinburgh Rugby really are changing, not least in ditching the black and red synonymous with the club for the last decade and beyond. The club’s colours will return to the original palette of the Edinburgh district side which traditionally played in blue and white. There is also a flash of burnt orange, allegedly representing the burnt orange of volcanic Arthur’s Seat but really just because blue and orange are complementary colours, if you remember your school Art lessons.
The new club badge is of course inspired by Edinburgh Castle but also draws from the original district badge and the city’s flag and coat of arms. The only new addition to the crest is the year in which representative rugby was established in Edinburgh – 1872, while the word “Rugby” seems to have gone altogether. The new hashtag (got to have one) is #AlwaysEdinburgh so you can see the organisation are trying hard to put the focus right back on the city in a bid to win fans.
Not coincidentally, the new brand was launched on the day that the club’s planning application for a new playing venue was submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council.
The new ground will be based on “flexible” infrastructure which presumably means semi-permanent stands on at least some of the four sides and an intended capacity of up to 7,800. It is hoped that allowing other sports or teams to use the facility could help with the application. The transport links already in place at BT Murrayfield means the plan is less likely to cause disruption than the brief sojourn at Myreside. Residents local to Roseburn know the score…
Edinburgh will play home matches on the international pitch at BT Murrayfield for the coming season, with the aim of settling in to the new ground for the 2019/20 campaign.