Murrayfield Stadium

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BT Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium in 2005
Murrayfield Stadium in 2005
Data
place ScotlandScotland Edinburgh , Scotland
Coordinates 55 ° 56 '32 "  N , 3 ° 14' 27.3"  W Coordinates: 55 ° 56 '32 "  N , 3 ° 14' 27.3"  W.
owner Scottish Rugby Union (SRU)
operator Scottish Rugby Union (SRU)
opening March 21, 1925
First game March 21, 1925
Scotland - England 2:11 pm
Renovations 1994
surface Natural grass with artificial grass fibers
(Desso GrassMaster)
architect Connor Milligan
capacity 67,130 seats
Societies)
Events

The Murrayfield Stadium (by a sponsorship deal BT Murrayfield Stadium ) is a rugby union - and football stadium in the Scottish capital Edinburgh . The sports facility currently offers 67,130 seats to visitors. In May 2014, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) and the British telecommunications company BT Group signed an agreement on the naming rights . The four-year contract is expected to raise £ 20million for the rugby association .

history

In 1922, the Scottish Rugby Union bought the stadium property for £ 3,800. The stadium was inaugurated on March 21, 1925 with the rugby union game between Scotland and England (14:11). It was built as a venue for the national rugby union team as part of the annual Five Nations tournament . In the year it opened, the first five nations win came in 1925 . Just two years after the inauguration, the rugby association SRU 1927 bought land around the stadium in order to expand the area with two grandstands, training grounds, parking lots and two bridges.

During the Second World War , the stadium was taken over by the Royal Army Service Corps and converted into a depot to supply the troops. After the war it was used again as a sports facility and was the venue for the Five Nations in 1947 . In 1948 the stadium grew by expanding the main stand. In order to prevent game cancellations due to bad weather conditions, the Murrayfield received an underfloor heating system in the form of an electric blanket that was placed over the field in 1959 . Due to increasing maintenance problems, the system was replaced in 1991 by a gas-heated hot water pipe system under the lawn.

In 1975 the record number of spectators was set for a rugby union game. 104,000 spectators wanted to see the Scots international match against Wales . In 1981 a new spectator tier was built on the east side. In addition, the venue was equipped with two electric display boards for the first time . The new grandstand was opened by Princess Anne .

In 1994 the stadium was extensively renovated for £ 50 million. Among other things, the Murrayfield received its first floodlight system . The ranks were renewed. After the renovations, the Murrayfield still held 67,800 spectators. The installation of two video walls reduced the capacity in 2010 to 67,144 visitors.

A new playing field was relocated for the 2014/15 season. It was the largest investment in the stadium since the renovation twenty years earlier. The pitch with underfloor heating is made up of natural turf and synthetic turf fibers woven into it . Around 20 million synthetic fibers were inserted 20 cm deep into the ground. Over time, the lawn grows together with the synthetic fibers and becomes more resistant to heavy use.

Unusually, the eight-lane 100-meter - plastic sheet between the grandstand and the field.

use

The stadium, which is owned by the Scottish Rugby Union , is mainly used for rugby games. The Scottish team's games as part of the Six Nations tournament take place in the stadium. Edinburgh Rugby plays its Pro12 home games here. Between 1995 and 2000 the Scottish Claymores played their American football games as part of the NFL Europe in the stadium before they moved to Hampden Park in Glasgow . On June 23, 1996, the World Bowl IV of the NFL Europe took place between the Claymores and the Frankfurt Galaxy (32:27) in the Edinburgh Stadium.

The Scottish runner-up Heart of Midlothian played his European Cup games in the 2006/07 season at Murrayfield Stadium. This mainly affected qualifying for the UEFA Champions League . As Celtic Glasgow was unable to play their home game of the second qualifying round for the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League against KR Reykjavík at their home stadium due to the 2014 Commonwealth Games , this game was played at Murrayfield Stadium. Celtic won the game 3-0.

Concert venue

In addition to its function as a sports facility, the BT Murrayfield Stadium is also used for open air concerts. Numerous international artists such as David Bowie , the Red Hot Chili Peppers or U2 have already performed in the stadium. In July 2005 one of the eight concerts as part of Live 8 took place here.

gallery

  • The Murrayfield 2006

  • Half-time in the game of the Scottish national team at the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup against Romania (42: 0) on September 18, 2007.

  • View of Murrayfield Stadium during the Six Nations 2008 match between Scotland and England (15: 9) on March 3, 2008.

  • The eight-lane, 100-meter synthetic track in the stadium.

See also

Web links

Commons : BT Murrayfield Stadium  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b rbs6nations.com: Scotland - BT Murrayfield (English)
  2. ↑ bbc.com: Scottish Rugby confirms deal for BT Murrayfield Stadium Article dated May 28, 2014
  3. ↑ a b c d e edinburgh.stv.tv: History of Murrayfield Stadium (English)
  4. ↑ a b stadiumdb.com: BT Murrayfield (English)
  5. ↑ scottishrugby.org: New hybrid grass pitch to be constructed at Murrayfield Article February 4, 2014 (English)
  6. ↑ dessosports.com: Installation of the Desso GrassMaster system
  7. ↑ setlist.fm: Murrayfield Stadium concert list (English)