The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has opened talks with the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) over the possibility of establishing Murrayfield as the new home for the country’s national football team.
Hampden Park currently serves as the home for Scottish football, but the SFA’s lease on the 52,000-capacity stadium is due to expire in 2020, and the national governing body is believed to be keen on exploring its options as it seeks to expand the sport’s audience in Scotland.
Murrayfield, which has a larger capacity of 67,000, is home to Scottish rugby and the SFA has now invited the SRU to put forward a proposal as to how the venue could stage national football team matches in the future, according to various reports.
SRU chief operating officer Dominic McKay told the BBC: “We think we’ve got a very special stadium. We’ve been given the opportunity by our friends at the SFA to put our best foot forward and bid for major events and those major events include Scottish international games but they also include cup finals and semi-finals.
“Largest venue in Scotland, 67,000 – it’s got outstanding transport links, it’s got outstanding broadcast and media facilities and importantly it’s got the space and the flexibility around the stadium to put on a very special match day.
“If we can help the SFA in the longer-term get more people to watch Scotland games then we’re up for that by hosting here at Murrayfield.”
Hampden Park has hosted national team football matches since 1906 and has also been selected to stage games during the Uefa 2020 European Championship.
According to the Scotsman newspaper, McKay also said: “We’re completely respectful of the fact Murrayfield is 40 miles away but over the last few years we have spend a great deal of money around the stadium to make sure supporters have a great experience. We hope they enjoy the experience beyond the match and we’re keen to offer that to football.
“We have the biggest stadium in Scotland so it’s quite a big commercial opportunity for the SFA to drive money into football.”
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