Scottish Rugby address Newcastle United 'temporary home' rumours after Murrayfield friendly
SRU send clear message after speculation around English Premier League club returning to Edinburgh
Wednesday’s pre-season friendly match between Newcastle United and Everton appears to have fuelled speculation around a temporary move to Murrayfield for the North East football club.
The Magpies took on the Toffees at the Home of Scottish Rugby in Edinburgh with the Blues running out 3-1 winners on the day. The match ignited online rumours that Newcastle had used the fixture as something of a test case to see if they could hold future Premier League fixtures at the 67,000 plus capacity stadium.
St James’ Park in the heart of Newcastle, which seats around 15,000 spectators less, has been home to the club since 1892. With major plans to redevelop the stadium reportedly under consideration, their may come a point where they have to temporarily vacate their historic home.
Scottish Rugby confirm ‘no conversations’ have taken place with Newcastle United regarding future Murrayfield use
However, at this particular moment in time, it appears there are no plans in any shape or form to use Murrayfield as a short-term alternative. This was confirmed in a statement from the Scottish Rugby Union.
An SRU spokesperson said: “Whilst we are always open to conversations, as it currently stands there have not been any conversations with Newcastle United regarding them using Scottish Gas Murrayfield' as a temporary home.”
Rumours of Newcastle considering Murrayfield as a temporary home, should the need to leave St James’ Park arise, date back to early 2025. However, given the two venues are around 130 miles apart and a roughly 90 minute train journey, Edinburgh is certainly far from an ideal option.
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light and Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, which have capacities of around 49,000 and 34,000 respectively, are closer geographically. However, the fierce rivalry that exists between the clubs, particularly with the Black Cats, would certainly make a deal for United to occupy their home highly unlikely.
Murrayfield was around one third full for Wednesday’s friendly match with an attendance figure of 22,982. However, selling out St James’ Park for competitive matches is not a problem for United which means finding a suitably large alternative venue as a potential temporary home does tend to point those who speculate on these things in the direction of the Home of Scottish Rugby.
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