Hearts' Euro drive to begin at Murrayfield

HEARTS have abandoned plans to play their Champions League qualifiers at Tynecastle, and will now play their entire European campaign at Murrayfield, due to supporters' demands.

As the club prepare for their first flirtation with the continent's most prestigious competition, they had intended hosting their preliminary knockout matches in Gorgie and then moving to the home of Scottish Rugby should they qualify for the lucrative group phase.
However, a rethink has been forced by the number of fans who are already inquiring about ticket availability for the qualifying rounds.

Hearts have already had more than 5000 supporters register for their new European travel scheme and believe playing at Murrayfield in the Champions League is now necessary to satisfy the demands of their fans.

Roman Romanov, chairman and acting chief executive, said today: "One of our main considerations has been how we accommodate so many supporters, and give them the continuity that is so important when they are planning for our European campaign.

"Despite the natural attractions of Tynecastle, we do believe that our fans will come out in large numbers for our first European match this season at Murrayfield and there is certain to be a great atmosphere in the stadium. The facilities at Murrayfield are also much more appropriate for European football, and we are delighted to have negotiated a suitable deal with Scottish Rugby to showcase Hearts, Edinburgh, and indeed Scotland to the rest of the world.

Gordon McKie, chief executive of Scottish Rugby, said: "We are delighted to offer our first-class facilities here at Murrayfield for Hearts' European matches and are keen to utilise Murrayfield as a venue of excellence for sporting, leisure and entertainment in Scotland."

Hearts will announce ticket details and prices for the second qualifying round of the Champions League next week.

The draw for the first and second qualifiers takes place on June 23, with the Edinburgh club entering the competition in the second qualifier.

The first leg of the second qualifying round will be played on July 25/26, with the second leg taking place on August 1/2, and with Murrayfield as the venue the club are hoping for attendances to exceed 30,000.

Demand for tickets from Hearts fans at Tynecastle for SPL matches and for the semi-final and final of the Scottish Cup vastly outstripped supply, which has prompted the decision to go to Murrayfield for the European ties.

The club will have a total of 13,500 season ticket holders for next season, which is a modern-day record for Tynecastle.

Taken from the Scotsman