Ex-Scotland captain take Calcutta Cup experience indoors - 'like darts without the fancy dress'

Andy Nicol, who won 23 caps between 1992 and 2002, is launching it at this season’s Scotland v England Calcutta Cup match and is hoping to create an atmosphere that is akin to “darts without the fancy dress”.

It will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) which will be rebranded ‘Andy Nicol’s Clubhouse’ for the occasion and the former scrum-half hopes the event on February 14 next year will be the first of many.

Nicol, 54, said the idea came to him in Australia during the summer while he was hosting supporter events during the British and Irish Lions’ tour. He believes there is a market for people who want to watch Scotland but cannot get their hands on tickets for Murrayfield, or simply can’t afford them.

“A lot of people can't get access to Murrayfield, it only holds 67,000,” said Nicol, who captained the national side to a famous Calcutta Cup win in 2000. “Scotland have been doing quite well recently, so a lot of people want to go. If you're not a member of a rugby club, you’re going to struggle to get tickets, as very few go on public sale.

“The idea was bubbling away and then in the summer, in Australia, I was hosting the Lions’ Den in convention centres like the EICC in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, and there were around 6,000 Lions fans gathered for three hours before we went to the game.

England fans welcome too

“Now, it wasn't to watch the match like we're doing with the clubhouse, but that is kind of the final piece of the jigsaw.

“People love coming to Edinburgh for the international weekends and a lot of them don't have tickets. So, this gives them an environment to come together indoors, in the middle of winter, wearing their Scotland shirts, and watch the match with like-minded people with full commentary on three large screens in a fun, happy, exciting, vibrant environment.”

Tickets will go on sale on Monday and are priced at £60 which includes a drink on arrival and a pie at half-time. There is also a premium hospitality area called the Captains’ Lounge where a table of 10 costs £1500. The Scotland v England game kicks off at 4.40pm and entertainment is planned around the main event..

“The Ireland-Italy Six Nations game is on before Scotland v England, so we'll have that on the screens as people are arriving,” added Nicol. “And then, at about 20 minutes before kick-off at Murrayfield, myself and some of the legends will do pre-match analysis.

“We'll then stop for the anthems and they can all sing Flower of Scotland and God Save the King - because we've got some England fans coming as well. A lot of them come to Edinburgh without tickets so rather than being crammed into pubs, they can come to an environment where there's a bit of space. So we've got trestle tables for 600 people, so think darts without the fancy dress.

“What we're trying to do is create a match-day experience for people who can’t get to the match. There will also be analysis at half-time and post-match and a band or a DJ playing the usual anthems.”

Nicol is putting on the event in collaboration with hospitality entrepreneur Marshall Dallas, the former CEO of the EICC. The My Name'5 Doddie Foundation is their charity partner and they will be raising funds on the day.

Tickets are available from Monday at www.andynicolsclubhouse.com.