Scottish Rugby have hit another milestone as they confirmed 25,000 tickets have been sold for next week’s Women’s Six Nations visit of England to Murrayfield.
The game was already set to be the biggest women’s sporting event in Scottish sporting history, surpassing the 18,555 crowd that was at Hampden Park for the 2019 visit of Jamaica.
But Scottish Rugby have hit another milestone as they near the ambitious 30,000 target set out by women’s rugby lead Gemma Fay when the fixture was announced last summer.
“I think it's incredible,” said captain Rachel Malcolm, whose side kick off their Women’s Six Nations against Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
“We've always been about growing the game and we've been so passionate about how great it is but for a while it was just us shouting about it and nobody was listening.
“Now it feels like people are listening and people have got eyes on it."
Despite there being just 10 days to go, Malcolm – who holds the record for leading Scotland more than any other captain, male or female - admits the prospect of running out at Murrayfield remains a surreal one.
She continued: “It's so exciting to get those numbers to the game and have that iconic experience on the main stage.
“We've all been there to support our men's national team, and now that's our stage, which feels pretty surreal at this stage.”
Just 10 years ago, the national team were playing in front of just a few hundred supporters – mainly made up of family and friends – and were often warm-up acts for the men’s under-20s side.
World champions England have enjoyed total dominance in the fixture in recent years, will be heavy favourites.
While there has been growth on and off the field during the past decade, but there remains a gap to the top teams in the world.
Next week, they will take centre stage at the home of Scottish rugby against the best team in the women’s game and Malcolm knows Scotland must deliver on the day if they are to continue their upward trajectory.
“We have a responsibility to put in a performance which makes people enjoy the experience, makes us enjoy the experience and continues to grow our game,” Malcolm said.
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