Scotland aiming for record when England visit in Women's Six Nations
The Scots have played their home matches at Edinburgh's 7,800-capacity Hive Stadium since 2021.
However, Scottish Rugby, encouraged by growing interest in the women's game, announced that next April's showpiece fixture against England will be staged at the 67,000-capacity national stadium.
The organisation's head of women and girls' strategy, Gemma Fay, is hoping they can drum up an even a bigger crowd than the 18,555 that watched Scotland's women's football team in a pre-World Cup friendly at Hampden in May 2019.
'We know the current record exists with Scottish football right now, and I was there,' said Fay, a former Scotland footballer. 'It was a wonderful day, an amazing atmosphere, and we want to replicate that out here.
'We want to do even better. And if other teams want to challenge us to get that highest standalone women's sporting event in Scotland, please do, because we want to push everybody together.
'For us, this is not just about raising the standard, the awareness and the visibility of Scottish women's rugby in a Rugby World Cup year. This is about everybody in women's sport in Scotland raising that together, because we know ourselves that we can only do this together with the other sports.
'We've got just under a year to sell this fixture, that was purposeful. We've got a wonderful World Cup to look forward to that's happening in England. That's already record-breaking (in terms of ticket sales) and we want to use that momentum to push us forward.'
Scotland Women have played at Murrayfield only twice before – but never on the scale anticipated next April. Full-back Chloe Rollie is relishing the chance to represent her country in front of a big crowd at the national stadium.
'Over the years I've been to Murrayfield a lot to support the men's team and I wished I could run up and down that pitch, be there catching a high ball with the team that I'm with just now and making memories like that,' said the 29-year-old.
'I didn't think this would ever happen, I played at Broadwood, my first cap (in 2015), there were maybe not even 200 people there and 75 per cent of that was family and friends, so it was almost like you played the game and that was it, there were no fans there wanting autographs or wanting pictures.
'To see where it is now, you're taking an hour to get through the tunnel because you've got people asking for autographs, asking for pictures, asking for your boots, your socks etc, it's really amazing to see that change and to have that opportunity again to raise those numbers is massive.'
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
4 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Rangers transfer target who opted for Serie A move could be out for entire SEASON after horror training ground injury
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS have already snapped up eleven new signings this summer, and are in the market for more. But for one of their ex-targets who didn't end up moving to Ibrox, it's looking like it'll be a long season on the sidelines. 3 Russell Martin has been busy in the transfer market at Rangers Credit: Getty 3 One of the signings he's missed out on has suffered a serious injury at his new club 3 Gers were beaten to his signing out of Belgium by a Serie A club Credit: AFP Rangers were linked with then-Westerlo striker Matija Frigan earlier in this window. Gers were even preparing to table a bid of £6million to the Belgian side for the forward. He even went on to reveal later that month that the move would interest him due to the nature of Scottish football. Frigan said: "That style of league would suit me, I think I'm a player for that type of football." Gers were eventually beaten to the signing when Serie A side Parma stumped up close to €10million for his services. He made his debut for the Italians at the weekend, coming off the bench in a 2-0 victory over Pescara in the Coppa Italia. But now, Frigan looks set for a lengthy spell on the sideline, as his new club announced in a statement that the striker has suffered a dreaded ACL injury. They said: "Parma Calcio's medical staff announces that this morning, during a training session at the Mutti Training Center in Collecchio, Matija Frigan was interrupted due to a sprain to his left knee. "Following tests performed this afternoon, the striker has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. "The team, the coaching staff, and everyone at Parma Calcio wish Matija a strong return to the field! Nobel Mendy timeline and what he brings revealed, and Dessers' injury impact "Come on, Matija, we're with you!" Meanwhile, another missed transfer target for Gers has signed for a new club - just days after his Ibrox move collapsed. Nobel Mendy had been set to swap Real Betis for Rangers, with a medical arranged for the defender after a £2.5million deal had been agreed. But a reported issue with the medical saw the deal fall through, and Mendy has now signed for Rayo Vallecano on loan. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Glasgow Times
4 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Archaeologists probe Kelvingrove Park to uncover lost skateboard arena
But now archaeologists are hoping to uncover what remains of the once-radical facility more than three decades after it disappeared, both through physical surveys and the recording of people's memories of the concrete slopes and ramps which entertained a generation of boarders, our sister title The Herald reports. A Kelvin Wheelies high jumper in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine) Kelvin Wheelies skatepark opened in May 1978 in Kelvingrove Park with a full suite of obstacles for skateboarders to show off their skills and tricks. Unique in Scotland, it contained bowls, a slalom run and a half-pipe - and was initially hugely popular with kids taking up the boarding craze, which had arrived from America. The park hosted several competitions, including the first national skateboarding competition in Scotland, the 1978 Scottish Skateboard Championships, where Glasgow dominated the Bowl Riding competitions. The slalom run in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine) However, growing concerns about maintenance costs and safety led to the park's closure by 1983, and it was buried over – vanishing beneath the ground and from the city's landscape. Elements of the original site remain visible adjacent to the modern skatepark in Kelvingrove Park today, but there is currently no information available to explain the significance of this site to Kelvingrove Park visitors, or users of the modern skatepark. Experts at the University of Glasgow, working with volunteers and students, will undertake a probe at the site from 25 to 29 August to learn more about the current condition of the skatepark, and ensure that 'a central part of modern Glasgow's sporting heritage' is recorded. The archaeological fieldwork is being supported by Scotland's oldest antiquarian society, and will help to preserve the legacy of the park. As part of a broader program of research into the site, the team has been funded through a £1,102 grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to enable the work to take place. The remains of the slalom run today (Image: Dr Kenny Brophy, FSAScot)The University of Glasgow team have also partnered with Archaeology Scotland's New Audiences programme to invite volunteers from asylum seeking and refugee communities to participate in the fieldwork, to continue the programme's efforts engaging marginalised communities in uncovering Glasgow's sporting heritage. READ NEXT: North Glasgow girl, 12, wants everyone to enter our community awards - here's why READ NEXT: Primark to celebrate 50th birthday of first Scottish store Former Scottish skateboard champion Jamie Blair, owner of Glasgow-based skateboarding shop Clan Skates and a former member of the Kelvingrove skateboard team, said: 'When Kelvin Wheelies opened in 1978, skaters from all over the UK flocked to this radical new facility. 'A park team was formed and for the next few years Glasgow was the dominant force in Scottish skateboarding. 'Sadly, a dip in skateboarding's popularity in the early 1980s and the construction of a rival skatepark in Livingston saw the decline of Kelvin Wheelies, with the main bowlriding area buried in time. I'm thrilled that through this project we have a chance to rediscover it.' The public are invited to contact the project to share memories, video and photographs of the original Kelvin Wheelies, which will form part of an online archive for the skatepark and help with future fieldwork. Dr Kenny Brophy FSAScot, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and project leader, said: 'There is a very real danger that this skatepark, a place that was so special for hundreds of young people just decades ago, will become forgotten and lost. 'Contemporary archaeology allows us the opportunity to explore even fairly recent events and places to jog memories, combining traditional archaeological fieldwork techniques with interviews and documentary research. 'In the case of Kelvin Wheelies, this is a unique opportunity for a generation of skateboarders to relive the excitement of their youth and excavate their own memories of a place that was so special to them.' The 'Jaws' bowl in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine)) To share memories, please contact or use #KelvinWheelies when posting on X and Bluesky. Assessing what remains of the 'Jaws Bowl' today (Image: Dr Kenny Brophy, FSAScot) The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland supports high-quality research and publication relating to Scotland's past by making several grants and awards twice each year. This round awarded a total of £17,478 to 11 projects researching an aspect of Scottish history or archaeology, including 19th-century Scottish tea merchants and the global interactions in China, female emigration from Shetland and Skye to Australia during the Great Famine of 1845-51, and the dating of Viking ship stems from the Isle of Eigg. Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: 'As a charity, we are especially grateful to our thousands of Fellows across the globe, whose subscription fees enable us to distribute these grants each year.
Belfast Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Crusaders boss hails hat-trick hero: ‘He had three chances and scored three goals'
Crusaders boss Declan Caddell paid a warm tribute to hat-trick hero Fraser Bryden after the Scottish hitman proved the difference in his side's 3-1 victory at Bangor on Tuesday night.
