Growing crowds
Over ten years ago, Scotland Women found their first consistent home at Broadwood. In 2015, playing as curtain-raisers in a double-header with the U20 Men’s side, performed in front of a crowd of just a few hundred.
By 2016, a home fixture against England at Broadwood drew 1,306 spectators but it was in 2018 the team began playing matches at Scotstoun, where the audience for the England clash grew to 3,278. The momentum shifted to the capital in 2021 as Hive Stadium became the team’s new home.
After years of rapid growth at Hive Stadium, culminating in the 2024 sell-out crowd of 7,774, moving this fixture to the national stadium was a must. As Scottish Rugby Chief Executive Alex Williamson noted, this record-breaking turnout proves that women’s rugby belongs on the world’s biggest stages.
What the trailblazers are saying…
Scotland captain, Rachel Malcolm:
“We are incredibly excited to play this match at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. We have all dreamed that one day our fan base would grow to the point where we would have the opportunity to run out, cheered on by our supporters, on this iconic pitch. We always talk about leaving the shirt in a better place, and the fact that young girls playing in the National Youth Cup Finals can now look around and think, ‘One day, I want to run out here for Scotland Women,’ is so special. It shows how far we have come and how many ways we can inspire the next generation. There have been some incredible trailblazers before us, and right now it’s our turn to make moves and keep pushing things forward with Scottish Rugby.”
Scotland fullback, Chloe Rollie:
“I know how much pride people back home take in seeing Scottish rugby succeed. The Women’s Rugby World Cup last year was a momentous occasion for us in so many ways, including record attendances and some of the loudest Scottish supporters I’ve ever heard. To hear that this game will break the national attendance record in women’s sport, and that our team is the one making that history, is massive. We’re so grateful to everyone who has already bought a ticket.”
Head of Women and Girls’ Strategy, Gemma Fay:
“We launched our Women & Girls strategy in 2022. By 2024 we had already achieved our target of 7,000 fans when we played England in a sold-out Hive Stadium. Our next target had to be a new record crowd and that has to be in Scottish Gas Murrayfield. The growth in fans, combined with increase in girls and women participation to over 9,000, we know that now is the time to make the move with our women’s national team. We are extremely excited that moving forward we are able to provide fans and players alike the opportunity to experience match days in either Hive Stadium or Scottish Gas Murrayfield and of course, that first match in the main bowl had to be England in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.”
Francesca McGhie scored a hat-trick of tries in Scotland’s opening WRWC game against Wales
