Heriot's Rugby Club

What Heriot's Rugby Club does

Heriot's Rugby Club, founded in 1890 and headquartered at Goldenacre, Edinburgh, is a Scottish amateur and semi-professional rugby union club operating as Heriot's Rugby Club Limited (SC509653). It fields senior men's, senior women's, and youth teams, with the men's 1st XV competing in the FOSROC Super Series, Scotland's part-time professional league bridging club and professional rugby since November 2019. The club runs a youth development program, North Edinburgh Vikings, serving 218 players aged U13–U18 across 16 local schools, and is affiliated with George Heriot's School.

The club operates a diversified revenue model combining match-day ticket sales through the Citizen Ticket platform, annual membership fees, venue hire for private and corporate events (Downstairs Function Room for 90–180 guests and Upstairs Lounge for 70–100 guests), merchandise sales, preferred-catering referral revenue via Mackenzies Outside Catering, and corporate sponsorship. Main sponsors include Keegan & Pennykid (shirt sponsor since 1968), Rathbones, Golden Acre Foods, and Thistle Property Group, with secondary sponsors such as Littlejohns. Ticketing is priced at £15 adults and £10 concessions, with children under 18 admitted free.

Go-to-market is community- and event-driven, anchored by match-day attendance (approximately 500 spectators per match), a £30 Goldenacre Hospitality package, an annual dinner program (£60–£70 per ticket), and a 200 Club Prize Draw fundraising mechanism. Distribution is conducted through direct enquiries, the Citizen Ticket online platform, gate sales, and email-based sponsorship and venue-hire channels. The club has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and operates as a member-owned entity under a Board of Directors and committee structure.

Name

Heriot's Rugby Club

Legal name

Heriot's Rugby Club Limited

Website

https://heriotsrugbyclub.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heriot's Rugby Club is an Edinburgh-based amateur and semi-professional rugby union club founded in 1890, operating men's, women's, and youth teams in Scottish leagues including the FOSROC Super Series, and generating revenue from tickets, sponsorships, memberships, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Club / Rugby Union Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Rugby club services
• Community rugby programs
• Venue hire events
• Corporate sports sponsorship
• Youth rugby development

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from matchday tickets sold online via Citizen Ticket platform and at the gate. Adults £15, Concessions £10, Children under 18 free.
2. Hospitality and Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring club facilities including the Downstairs Function Room (90-180 guests) and Upstairs Lounge (70-100 guests) for events such as lunches, dinners, birthday parties, wedding receptions, corporate events, Burns Suppers, and ceilidhs.
3. Sponsorship: Revenue from main sponsors including Keegan & Pennykid (shirt sponsor), Rathbones, Golden Acre Foods, Thistle Property, and various player sponsors. Sponsors receive brand visibility on shirts, at matches, and across club communications.
4. Membership: Annual membership fees for club members providing access to facilities, priority booking for events, and member benefits.
5. Merchandise: Revenue from the club shop selling branded merchandise, clothing, and rugby equipment.
6. Event Catering: Revenue from preferred caterers Mackenzies Outside Catering for venue hire events, with the club receiving referral arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Heriot's Rugby Club is a member-owned rugby union club that operates competitive men's (FOSROC Super Series), women's (Tennent's Premiership), and youth rugby teams from its Goldenacre grounds in Edinburgh. Beyond playing rugby, it sells match tickets, club memberships, branded merchandise, corporate sponsorship packages, and hires its clubhouse function rooms and lounge for private and corporate events. The club also runs supporting programmes such as the 200 Club prize draw fundraiser and youth development through the North Edinburgh Vikings.

Product overview

Heriot's Rugby Club operates as a traditional Scottish rugby union club offering a portfolio of services including competitive rugby teams (Men's, Women's, and Youth), facilities hire for events, club merchandise, membership programs, sponsorship packages, and match ticketing. The club's primary digital presence is its website which serves as a hub for all club activities and services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Heriot's Rugby Men (FOSROC Super Series & Premiership teams) Competitive men's rugby teams competing in the FOSROC Super Series (Scotland's part-time professional league), Tennent's Premiership, and Scottish Cup, available for players to join through the club's recruitment pathways.
• Heriot's Rugby Women (Tennent's Premiership team) Competitive women's rugby team competing in Tennent's Premiership (since promotion in 2021), training at Inverleith Park, available for women players to join through the club's recruitment pathway.
• Youth Rugby Programme (North Edinburgh Vikings / Heriot's Hammers) Youth rugby participation for U13 to U18 age groups across North Edinburgh through the North Edinburgh Vikings (16 schools, 218 players) and Heriot's Hammers programmes, including age-appropriate coaching, competitive fixtures, and tour opportunities.
• Clubhouse Venue Hire (Downstairs Function Room & Upstairs Lounge) Hire of the club's function spaces at Goldenacre for private and corporate events: Downstairs Function Room (90-180 guests) and Upstairs Lounge (70-100 guests), suitable for weddings, corporate functions, lunches, dinners, Burns Suppers, ceilidhs, and birthday parties, with bar and kitchen facilities and preferred catering partner Mackenzies Outside Catering.
• Match Tickets Online ticketing for home matches at Goldenacre, sold via Citizen Ticket (adults £15, concessions £10, under 18s free), with gate sales also available on match days.
• Club Membership Annual club membership providing access to club facilities, priority booking for events, member benefits, and connection to the rugby community.
• Club Shop / Merchandise Sale of branded Heriot's Rugby Club merchandise, apparel, and rugby equipment to supporters and members.
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages Corporate sponsorship opportunities including shirt sponsorship (led by Keegan & Pennykid since 1968), player sponsorship, facility sponsorship, and award sponsorships (e.g. Littlejohns' Nail of the Month), offering brand visibility on kit, at matches, and in club communications.
• 200 Club Prize Draw Monthly prize draw fundraising programme for club members and supporters, with proceeds supporting the club's operations.
• Goldenacre Hospitality (Match Day Pre-Match Lunch) Match day hospitality package offering a 3-course pre-match lunch together with entry to the home match at Goldenacre, priced at £30 per person.
• Ferry Road Wanderers (Joint Venture Team with Stewarts Melville RFC) Joint venture rugby team with Stewarts Melville RFC, formed to allow players from both clubs to compete in league fixtures when each club had insufficient players to raise individual teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Topped 2023 Championship league by 5 points with 10 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Keegan & PennykidflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent, family-owned insurance broking business since 1968. Main shirt sponsor across the entire club. Sponsorship enables brand visibility on player shirts, at matches, and across club communications.
• Thistle Property GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProperty company and main sponsor of Heriot's Rugby Club providing financial support in exchange for brand visibility.
• Golden Acre FoodscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFood company and main sponsor of Heriot's Rugby Club providing financial support in exchange for brand visibility at matches and events.
• Stewarts Melville RFCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner in Ferry Road Wanderers team, formed when both clubs had insufficient players to raise individual teams. Allows players from both clubs to pool resources and compete in league fixtures together.
• Edinburgh RugbycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Edinburgh Rugby through the Edinburgh Rugby Partnership Player program. Players like Jamie Campbell are released through this partnership to play for Heriot's while maintaining professional connections.
• Mackenzies Outside CateringminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred catering partner for venue hire events at Goldenacre. Provides sample menus and prices upon request for private events and functions.
• LittlejohnsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEdinburgh's residential lettings and property management company. Sponsor of Nail of the Month award, backing player recognition initiatives.
• Citizen TicketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner providing online ticket sales platform for all match tickets and events. Tickets available via citizenticket.com.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Currie Chieftains: Edinburgh-area rugby club competing in the Scottish Premiership. Comparable on local community membership model, youth pathway, and venue-based non-sport revenue.
• Biggar RFC: Scottish Premiership rugby club operating a similar semi-professional, community-membership model. Comparable on youth development, sponsor mix, and match-day revenue structure.
• Ayrshire Bulls: One of the six FOSROC Super Series franchises competing alongside Heriot's. Highly comparable as a part-time professional rugby operation in Scotland with similar revenue model, talent pathway objectives, and league economics.
• Selkirk RFC: Scottish Premiership rugby club with similar community-ownership and event-venue model. Comparable as a Borders-region semi-professional/amateur rugby club competing in the same national pyramid.
• Melrose RFC: Historic Borders rugby club competing in the Scottish Premiership. Comparable as a long-established community rugby club with similar sponsorship, membership, and tournament-hosting operations.
• Watsonians FC: Edinburgh-based rugby club and direct FOSROC Super Series rival. Comparable as a competing franchise in the same semi-professional league with overlapping Edinburgh catchment, member base, and sponsor market.
• Boroughmuir RFC: Edinburgh-based rugby club competing in the Scottish Premiership with similar community-club structure, youth development, and venue-hire operations in the same local catchment as Heriot's.
• Stewart's Melville FP: Edinburgh-based rugby club and joint venture partner in the Ferry Road Wanderers team with Heriot's. Directly comparable on club structure, Edinburgh catchment, and player-pooling arrangement.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Rugby: Professional rugby club in the United Rugby Championship and Heriot's formal partner via the Edinburgh Rugby Partnership Player program. Relevant as the pro-side endpoint of Heriot's player pipeline and a broader Edinburgh rugby incumbent.
• Glasgow Warriors: Scotland's flagship professional rugby club competing in the United Rugby Championship. Comparable as a destination for Heriot's player pipeline (Glasgow Warriors A involvement) and as a broader Scottish rugby incumbent shaping sponsor economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HeriotsRugby
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeriotsRugbyClub
• Instagraminstagram.com/heriotsrugbyclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Heriot's Rugby Club