The Scottish Rugby Union has agreed a deal to sell the naming rights for Murrayfield, the sport’s national stadium in Edinburgh, to telecommunications company BT.
Under the four-year deal, which will run from 2014-15 until 2017-18, the venue will be known as BT Murrayfield Stadium.
In addition to the naming rights, BT will also become the principal and exclusive sponsor of Scotland’s domestic league and cup competitions from the start of the 2014-15 season.
The company will also become the sponsor of the Scotland sevens side from the start of the 2014-15 Sevens World Series and a sponsor of the union’s four new academies, which have been set up to help drive forward standards for young players who have aspirations to play professionally.
The union started looking for a naming rights partner for Murrayfield more than two years ago. Last year, UK pay-television broadcaster BT Sport sealed four-year shirt sponsorship deals with the Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby clubs.
Mark Dodson, the union’s chief executive, said: “We will invest the monies that we receive from BT alongside the revenues that come from our other partners to continue our plan to grow the game of rugby throughout Scotland and deliver against our strategic plan and our recent policy paper initiatives, in particular the establishment of a robust academy structure and to enhance the standard of club rugby.”
BT joins the union’s portfolio of partners, which includes banking group RBS, Macron, Guinness and Caledonia Best.