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Edinburgh Rugby’s stadium sponsor to offer healthcare benefits

Scottish United Rugby Championship (URC) club Edinburgh Rugby has signed healthcare company DAM Health as the naming rights partner of its new stadium.

Edinburgh said the five-year contract is worth a “significant seven-figure” sum, with the venue to be known as the DAM Health Stadium from today (Thursday). The announcement comes just two days from Edinburgh’s first ever competitive fixture at the venue against Scarlets, in the opening round of the newly rebranded URC on Saturday.

DAM Health is one of the UK’s leading providers of COVID-19 testing and will soon embark on a broad range of healthcare solutions, including medical supplies and a wider range of diagnostic services.

The partnership will see one of the businesses’ test laboratories installed on the BT Murrayfield campus, with all testing for the club and Scottish Rugby teams conducted by DAM Health on their doorstep.

The laboratory will also aim to offer a suite of private tests to the public – including Fit to Fly RT-PCR, Lateral Flow Antigen and Test to Release – from the central site in the Scottish capital, with discounted services forthcoming for season ticket members, business club members, and wider partners.

The company continues to expand rapidly across the UK with over 45 clinics, plus many more in Europe and further afield, and will soon announce how it will diversify as a healthcare firm.

Edinburgh Rugby managing director, Douglas Struth, said: “We’re delighted to announce this partnership with DAM Health and take another significant step forward towards ensuring the sustainability of this club, with another major commercial partner joining our growing sponsor and supporter base.

“To secure a deal of this magnitude means a huge amount to the club and is a major vote of confidence in what we’re trying to build and achieve here at Edinburgh Rugby.

“We’re still so early in this journey with the new stadium and I’m delighted we continue to attract growing interest from local and international business, who believe in our vision of winning together.”

Edinburgh Rugby announced the completion of its new purpose-built stadium, which will have a capacity of around 7,800, back in February. The ground has been built adjacent to the 67,000-seat BT Murrayfield, the home of Scottish Rugby and where Edinburgh Rugby had previously played some of its home games.

The new venue is the club’s first permanent home since its inception as a professional side in 1996. The new stadium will have around 5,800 seats and capacity for a further 2,000 through safe standing. The stadium has been built at a cost of £5.7m (€6.67m/$7.83m).

Scottish Rugby chief medical officer, Dr James Robson, said: “This is fantastic news for the club and stadium but also a hugely exciting partnership from a medical perspective, providing an extremely important service for Edinburgh and all Scottish Rugby teams.

“PCR Coronavirus testing remains a priority need in the current climate, to enable us to continue with our sport, so it’s fantastic we have a long-standing partner secured in that regard, while the capacity to develop near-patient testing through the on-site laboratory in the future is magnificent.”

Image: Edinburgh Rugby