Edinburgh extend Myreside stay
● Capital side to play home games at Watsonians ground for next three years subject to planning consent
Edinburgh Rugby will continue to play at Myreside for the next three seasons, it was confirmed yesterday.
Following a consultation with local residents, supporters and the playing squad it has been decided to stay on at the ground of George Watson’s College.
The capital side played a sixgame trial period from January in a bid to find a more rewarding matchday experience than the cavernous BT Murrayfield.
The club will continue to be based at the national stadium for training and play selected matches there but Myreside will be the main home ground under new head coach Richard Cockerill.
The original planning permission obtained for the trial expires in December but an extension will now be sought with a continuing consultation process.
In the six games Edinburgh played at Myreside last season, they won two and lost four.
Edinburgh will play a minimum of nine home matches at Myreside next season – subject to planning permission – with select fixtures, including the annual home 1872 Cup clash against Glasgow Warriors, being played at BT Murrayfield.
Edinburgh managing director Jonny Petrie said: “I’m thrilled to be able to confirm that Myreside will continue to be our home, which allows Richard cock er ill and his team to plan ahead for the forthcoming Guinness Pro12 and European Cup campaigns.
“We feel we have created solid foundations for a truly special fan experience at Myreside, but also appreciate that we still have work to do in order to make the ground a home for our club and our supporters; the feedback has told us that.
“We’ll continue to work alongside local residents, supporters and our various stakeholders, to keep improving the matchday experience, making the ground a fitting home for our loyal and deserving fans.”
Cockerill added: “We as a team feel that the intimacy of Myreside will bring the supporters closer to the action and provide the best atmosphere to help drive the players forward on the park.
“Having a home for the club is vital, and the team are fully supportive and excited by the chance to play at Myreside for the foreseeable future.”
It was announced in February that former England hooker and Leicester coach Cockerill would take over as head coach this season as Edinburgh desperately look to break a run of lowly placings in the Pro12 standings.
It had long been felt that playing in the soulless environment of Murrayfield, which imposed no home-ground hostility on opposition teams, was a major factor in the Edinburgh malaise.
It was decided last year to use Myreside on a trial basis in an attempt to find a solution to this problem and there is no doubt that the Watsonians ground, where temporary stands were placed behind each goal, increasing the capacity to 5,500, provided an improvement in atmosphere.
The first match in January resulted in a thumping European win over Romanian minnows Timisoara Saracens but the experiment then hit a bit of a sticky patch.
A run of four successive depressing losses in the Guinness Pro12 played in dreadful weather conditions took a bit of shine off the “Myreside Experience” as Edinburgh’s season fizzled out badly before a spirit-raising home win over Dragons and triumph at Scotstoun to end the campaign.
The consultation process has clearly received enough positive ticks to convince the Scottish Rugby Union and Petrie to press on but, as the MD said in his comments, there remains work to do.
Toilet facilities, the tented supporters bar and lack of big screen visibility are some of the bugbears that have been articulated and Edinburgh have vowed to iron out these concerns.
Although the initial commitment is for nine home games at Myreside next season, more could be added to the arrangement once the fixtures for the Pro12 and European Challenge Cup are confirmed.
Taking away the 1872 Cup match, Edinburgh will have ten home games in the Pro12 and a minimum of three in the Challenge Cup, which Myreside is compliant to host.
Last season they took the home quarter-final tie with French side La Rochelle to BT Murrayfield, drawing a crowd of just under the Myreside capacity of 5,500, but that was because it had not been included in the six-game trial period.
Myreside remains very much a work in progress but a winning Edinburgh side playing attractive rugby is the main ingredient required to make it a success.
“We as a team feel that the intimacy of Myreside will bring the supporters closer to the action and provide the best atmosphere”
RICHARD COCKERILL