2016 Guinness PRO12 Final Fixed For Edinburgh
8th September 2015 By Munster Rugby
Edinburgh has been chosen as the host city for the 2016 Guinness PRO12 Final on Saturday May 28th 2016. The Final will be played at BT Murrayfield Stadium, the home of Scottish Rugby. Tickets will go on public sale on Tuesday 15th September.
It is the second time that the Guinness PRO12 has staged a 'destination final' providing an opportunity to celebrate the vibrant rugby on show week in week out in the Guinness PRO12. The Guinness PRO12 Final will be part of a festival of rugby throughout the whole city and will be supported by title sponsor, Guinness.
The Guinness PRO12 Final will be broadcast live on TV by Sky Sports and other broadcast partners to be confirmed once finalists are known.
Details were announced today at a media conference at Edinburgh’s iconic Castle in the city centre.
Announcing Edinburgh as the chosen host city John Feehan, CEO of PRO12 Rugby said: “Edinburgh is well known as an inspiring host city for sports, arts & cultural events. The BT Murrayfield Stadium is a super venue for the Guinness PRO12 Final. We invited offers from all 12 clubs & their regions to host the Final. The tender from Edinburgh was outstanding and was unanimously agreed as the chosen venue.
“Our competition is truly unique. 12 Clubs, 4 Unions, 1 Trophy – we are delighted to be able to work with our partners to promote the variety of fantastic international destinations that the Guinness PRO12 has to offer.
“We look forward to working with all our partners in staging a festival of rugby where fans from all four of our countries will enjoy a memorable Final and a great weekend in Edinburgh.”
Dominic McKay, Scottish Rugby’s Director of Commercial Operations, Communications and Public Affairs and Board Director of Guinness PRO12 said: “We are extremely pleased that our bid was successful and we have the privilege of hosting such a prestigious Final.
“Bringing the match to Scotland and BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh is a great way to grow the tournament and our focus will be on attracting a record crowd for a PRO12 final, which for the first time is being held outside of Ireland.
“We want to celebrate the climax to the season by welcoming fans from all PRO12 clubs to the Final, to what promises to be a fantastic sporting event.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said:“We are delighted that BT Murrayfield has been selected to host the 2015-2016 GUINNESS PRO12 Final. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and fans coming to Edinburgh in May can expect some fantastic rugby in Scotland’s national stadium right in the heart of Scotland’s unique and vibrant capital city.”
Rory Sheridan, Head of Sponsorship – Europe, Diageo commented: "Edinburgh is a dynamic exciting city that has hosted a number of showcase international events in recent years and we believe BT Murrayfield Stadium will be a fantastic venue for the Guinness PRO12 Final. As Title Sponsor of the PRO12, Guinness has been fully behind and supportive of the decision to nominate Edinburgh as host and we look forward to working with the events team and our partners in the trade to deliver a memorable event for rugby fans."
David Jordan, Tournament Director, PRO12 Rugby spoke on the choice of Edinburgh for a destination Final and stated: “We have been working with all our clubs to build the PRO12 rugby brand and the announcement today is another important step in showcasing our fantastic competition to a larger attendance. Our last 6 Finals were truly memorable rugby spectacles and, building on this success, we look forward to welcoming fans to Edinburgh for what will be a fantastic rugby weekend.”
Further news on the 2016 Guinness PRO12 Final will be continually updated on www.pro12rugby.com and also on @PRO12rugby, the PRO12 twitter page, and the PRO12Rugby page on Facebook.
Tickets for the Guinness PRO12 Final will go on general sale next Tuesday 15 September (from 12 noon) from scottishrugby.org. Tickets are priced at £20, £30, £35, £45 (Adults) and £10, £15 (U18s).