Edinburgh Rugby

What Edinburgh Rugby does

Edinburgh Rugby is a professional rugby union club founded in 1872, headquartered at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, and operating as a professional team within the Scottish Rugby Union structure. The club fields three squads - Edinburgh Men (senior professional team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR Champions/Challenge Cup), Edinburgh Rugby Women (Celtic Challenge), and Edinburgh Men Academy (development pathway) - and plays home fixtures at Hive Stadium (formerly Scottish Gas Murrayfield). Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of season ticket memberships (with Adult, Senior, Student, U16, and £99 Player Pass tiers), single-match ticketing via the Scottish Rugby Ticketing platform, merchandise sales through the Scottish Rugby Store, premium hospitality offerings including The Captain's Lounge, and a multi-tier sponsorship portfolio led by principal partners Scottish Building Society, Macron, and Hive Home.

Distribution is omnichannel: ticketing is handled through eticketing.co.uk and the Scottish Rugby Ticketing App, merchandise via the Scottish Rugby online store and stadium retail, and corporate hospitality direct-sold through the Murrayfield Experience platform. The go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer fan monetization (season tickets, group bookings with tiered 10-20% group discounts, replica merchandise), event-driven matchday economics, and a sales-led commercial sponsorship function. The technology stack is conventional third-party infrastructure (Tixserve-based ticketing, standard e-commerce, no proprietary platforms). Community engagement is structurally embedded via the official It's Good 2 Give charity partnership, grassroots programmes (Tackle Maths, School Kicks, Summer Sessions), and the Scottish Building Society Player of the Month initiative, which has distributed £2,500 to five grassroots organisations in 2025/26.

Name

Edinburgh Rugby

Legal name

Edinburgh Rugby

Website

https://edinburghrugby.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Edinburgh Rugby is a professional rugby union club founded in 1872, competing in the United Rugby Championship and European competitions from Hive Stadium in Edinburgh under the Scottish Rugby Union, serving fans, corporate partners, and the East of Scotland rugby community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Rugby Club / Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Professional rugby club
• Live sports entertainment
• Rugby match tickets
• Rugby season tickets
• Rugby corporate hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Match ticket sales for URC, European Cup fixtures, Celtic Challenge, and pre-season matches. Tickets sold through eticketing.co.uk platform and Scottish Rugby Ticketing App.
2. Season Ticket Memberships: Annual season ticket memberships providing entry to all BKT URC home games, European pool matches, pre-season friendly, with priority access to playoff tickets and member events. Includes buy-now-pay-later direct debit options over 3-4 instalments.
3. Merchandise Sales: Official merchandise including replica shirts, training wear, accessories sold through Scottish Rugby Store. Multiple branded partners including Bawbags (underwear), Gilbert (balls), Glenmuir (knitwear), Oak & Black (homeware).
4. Hospitality & Events: Premium hospitality experiences including The Captain's Lounge. Corporate packages for business clients. Matchday hospitality at Thistle Suite public bar.
5. Sponsorship & Partnerships: Principal partners (Scottish Building Society, Macron, Hive), on-kit partners (Galbraith, Breadalbane Finance, UniSport, Generation, Arnold Clark), and Business Club membership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Edinburgh Rugby is a professional rugby union club that fields men's senior, women's, and academy teams competing in the United Rugby Championship and European competitions. It sells live matchday entertainment at Hive Stadium through individual match tickets, season ticket memberships (Adult, Senior, Student, U16, ER Player Pass tiers), premium corporate hospitality packages, and official replica merchandise. The club also operates community and youth development programs and runs corporate sponsorship and Business Club partnership offerings.

Product overview

Edinburgh Rugby is a professional rugby union club competing in the United Rugby Championship and European competitions. The organization operates as a unified product portfolio centered around live rugby entertainment at Hive Stadium, supported by ticketing products (match tickets, season memberships, group bookings), hospitality services (The Captain's Lounge premium hospitality, Thistle Suite public bar), official merchandise through the Scottish Rugby Store, and community engagement programs including youth camps, school initiatives, and the 1872 Cup derby against Glasgow Warriors. The club fields Edinburgh Men (senior professional team), Edinburgh Men Academy (development pathway), and Edinburgh Rugby Women (women's team), with all teams competing across BKT URC, EPCR Challenge Cup, Investec Champions Cup, and Celtic Challenge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Match Tickets Individual match tickets granting single-match stadium entry to Edinburgh Rugby home fixtures in the BKT URC, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, Celtic Challenge, 1872 Cup, and pre-season friendlies at Hive Stadium. Sold directly to individual fans.
• Season Ticket Memberships Annual subscription membership providing guaranteed entry to all Edinburgh Rugby home BKT URC league games, European Cup pool matches, and pre-season friendlies, with priority access to playoff and 1872 Cup tickets, digital matchday programmes, prize draw entries, and member events. Tiered Adult, Senior, Student, U16, and ER Player Pass (£99 for registered rugby players on the SCRUMS database) pricing, with interest-free direct debit over 3-4 instalments.
• The Captain's Lounge Hospitality Premium matchday hospitality package at Hive Stadium offering exclusive access, premium viewing, food, and beverages. Sold primarily to corporate clients and premium individual fans through the Murrayfield Experience platform.
• Thistle Suite Public Bar Matchday public bar facility at Hive Stadium offering food, drinks, and entertainment to ticketed fans, including player signing sessions and live coverage of other matches on big screens.
• Edinburgh Rugby Official Merchandise Official Edinburgh Rugby-branded merchandise including home, away, and European replica shirts (£53.90), training jerseys, hoodies, beanies, caps, and accessories, sold directly to fans through the Scottish Rugby Store online (24/7) and physical retail at Hive Stadium on match days. Branded partners include Macron (kits), Gilbert (balls), Bawbags (underwear), Glenmuir (knitwear), SLANJ (tartan), and Oak & Black (homeware).
• Group Bookings Discounted group ticket packages for rugby clubs, schools, universities, and community groups of 10+ attendees, with tiered discounts: 10% off for groups of 25+, 15% off for groups of 50+, and 20% off for groups of 100+. Booked through an online form with dedicated customer service support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £70,000 raised for It's Good 2 Give charity through Change the Game campaign
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered principal partner, on-kit partner, core and minor.

• Scottish Building Societyprincipal partnerOthersMain Club Partner of Edinburgh Rugby. Sponsors the Player of the Month initiative where winning players donate £500 to grassroots clubs. Partnership has seen £2,500 donated to five organizations across the 2025/26 season.
• Macronprincipal partnerOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerKit supplier providing all playing and training apparel for Edinburgh Rugby. Italian sportswear brand specializing in team kits for professional sports clubs.
• Hive (Hive Home)principal partnerOthersSponsor and stadium naming rights partner. Hive Stadium is the home venue of Edinburgh Rugby.
• Galbraithon-kit partnerOthersOn-kit sponsor featuring on Edinburgh Rugby teamwear.
• Breadalbane Financeon-kit partnerOthersOn-kit sponsor featuring on Edinburgh Rugby teamwear.
• UniSporton-kit partnerOthersOn-kit sponsor featuring on Edinburgh Rugby teamwear. Partnership with Edinburgh University sport.
• Generationon-kit partnerOthersOn-kit sponsor featuring on Edinburgh Rugby teamwear.
• Arnold Clarkon-kit partnerOthersOn-kit sponsor featuring on Edinburgh Rugby teamwear. Automotive partner.
• It's Good 2 GivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Charity Partner of Edinburgh Rugby. Supports young cancer patients and their families in Scotland. Edinburgh Rugby has backed the charity through dedicated matchday fundraising at Hive Stadium, including the Change the Game campaign raising over £70,000.
• The Black Bull (Official Away Match Hub)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial Away Match Hub providing 20% off total bill for Edinburgh Rugby supporters on away match days. Features big screens showing all Edinburgh away matches. Partnership includes special Edinburgh Rugby menu.
• Edinburgh TramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership unveiled 'Tram Bell Turnover' at Hive Stadium. Edinburgh Trams provides transport to Murrayfield stadium stop.
• Gulliver's TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial away travel partner providing travel packages for Edinburgh Rugby away fixtures.
• Dalmahoy Hotel & Country ClubminorOthersNew women's team on-kit partner announced December 2025.
• BawbagsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOfficial underwear partner selling Edinburgh Rugby branded underwear through bawbags.com.
• GilbertminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOfficial rugby ball partner selling Edinburgh Rugby replica balls.
• GlenmuirminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOfficial knitwear partner selling Edinburgh Rugby branded knitwear.
• SLANJminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOfficial tartan/ kilts partner selling Edinburgh Rugby branded tartan products.
• Oak & BlackminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOfficial homeware partner selling Edinburgh Rugby branded home products.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Munster Rugby: One of Ireland's two URC professional teams owned by the IRFU. Same league (URC), similar provincial-club structure, comparable sponsorship and stadium economics to Edinburgh.
• Leinster Rugby: Ireland's flagship URC professional side (IRFU). Same league and tournament set; benchmark for elite URC squad and commercial operations Edinburgh measures itself against.
• Glasgow Warriors: Edinburgh's direct Scottish rival and the other URC team under Scottish Rugby Union, contesting the 1872 Cup annually. Same league, same governing body, same fan archetype.
• Ulster Rugby: One of four Irish URC provincial teams. Direct URC competitor with similar provincial-federation governance model and comparable fan-base and revenue scale.
• Connacht Rugby: Fourth IRFU professional URC team, smaller market than Edinburgh. Direct URC opponent and structurally similar provincial-club franchise.
• Cardiff Rugby: Welsh URC professional side based in Cardiff. Direct URC and European competition opponent with similar mid-tier commercial scale and WRU-affiliated governance.
• Scarlets: Welsh URC professional team based in Llanelli. Direct league opponent and WRU-affiliated franchise with similar stadium-based revenue model to Edinburgh.
• Ospreys: Welsh URC professional franchise based in Swansea. Direct URC rival with similar WRU governance, regional sponsorship, and matchday-driven revenue profile.
• Benetton Rugby: Italian URC franchise based in Treviso. Direct URC competitor representing a smaller rugby market but with a similar privately-embedded operational structure under the Italian federation.
• Zebre Parma: Italian URC franchise based in Parma. Direct league opponent, comparable in scale and federation governance, useful baseline for Edinburgh's mid-tier positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EdinburghRugby
• YouTubeyoutube.com/EdinburghRugbyTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/EdinburghRugby
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edinburgh-rugby
• Instagraminstagram.com/edinburghrugby
• TikToktiktok.com/@edinburghrugby

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Edinburgh Rugby