A message from Douglas Struth, Managing Director

This has already been a season of highs and lows, and I know there have been times where it’s not been easy to be an Edinburgh Rugby fan. Regardless of whatever criticism we may have received, valid or otherwise, I am proud of our players, coaches, fans, people, and partners. I am proud to be a part of this club, and I firmly believe that with your backing, there are more highs to come over the next few weeks.

On that note, it was a privilege to welcome representatives of the independent Edinburgh Rugby Fan Group to deliver the match ball against the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday lunchtime. Through some tough times, they have remained steadfast in their support and positivity, whilst still ensuring that the club is always constructively challenged to improve for a group of people that truly matter – our fans.

By beating the Vodacom Bulls, the team has earned a home EPCR Challenge Cup Semi Final against Bath – our first European Semi Final for 10 years. I have been asked whether this game will be moved into the main bowl at Scottish Gas Murrayfield or remain at Hive Stadium. I can confirm that it will remain at Hive Stadium.

A huge amount of thought and analysis went into that decision, with clear pros and cons on both sides. Ultimately, the benefits of playing such a crucial match in our own home, with the atmosphere and noise that it brings, won out. I do believe that occasions such as this are why we built our new home – and show that there is scope to expand it in the future. We will play this game in the home that we’ve built together. It’s in these stands that we’ve made unforgettable memories already – and where many more will be written.

This is also a way of saying thank you to our loyal fans who have backed the team through thick and thin, by ensuring that Season Ticket holders and Castle Club members have a priority sales window opening tomorrow. I appreciate that this may mean that not every Edinburgh fan will be able to watch this game live, which is an unfortunate downside to the decision, and that not every fan will have been able to afford a Season Ticket. However, a Castle Club membership is still a great value way to secure access to this pre-sale window, alongside a host of other great benefits. Castle Club memberships can be obtained via this link.

The Bath game will be a sell-out. It will be special. And most importantly, it will be ours, in our own home. The players wanted it. Our people wanted it. And I believe that you will embrace it.

Another question I have been asked recently is why European knock out rugby is not included within the price of a Season Ticket. To explain, these games are not owned by us as the home team and are governed by set rules on ticketing and income/cost allocations that we must follow. This therefore means these matches cannot be automatically included as part of any club’s Season Ticket offering.

At the start of each season, we carefully price our Season Tickets to reflect the exact number of games included, and the respective costs that we incur in putting on that number of games. The cumulative discount we then apply means that a Season Ticket is still by far the best value way to watch Edinburgh Rugby. For recent knock-out games, we’ve also proactively reached out to the away team involved to seek agreement to offer a discount to Season Ticket holders, but this agreement is not guaranteed and is therefore not something we can apply to every knockout game.

The Season Ticket renewal window for next season will open soon, and prices have been frozen. Please continue to back us into next season by renewing or buying a Season Ticket when the time comes. That way, we will keep progressing and achieve what we all know to be possible – being one of the very best clubs in the BKT URC and in Europe.

Ticket sales for our game against Sharks in the BKT URC this Friday night are strong and there’s now every chance that all our three remaining home games at Hive Stadium this season will be sold out. That is massive for us, because with your support, your noise, and your belief, we can write another chapter in the history of this club together over the coming weeks.

Thank you for being part of the journey.
All In
Douglas Struth – Managing Director