EDINBURGH Rugby Chief Executive Nic Cartwright believes attracting sponsorship from businesses in the Capital is the key to the next phase of building on the club's recent progress and creating a side capable of matching the big guns of European rugby.
Cartwright has pointed to the matches against Leinster, Ulster and Munster – each of them attracting crowds of more than 5,000 – as evidence of the burgeoning fan base. And he sees corporate investment as a vital ally to success on the field.
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rlining the strides Edinburgh have made since the club returned to central ownership under the auspices of the SRU, he said: "The ongoing development of Edinburgh Rugby Club is still a work in progress, but we are proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years.
"On the pitch, we have achieved back-to-back record finishes in the Magners League with a young and predominantly Scottish squad."
Although his pronouncement came the day after Edinburgh had produced their poorest Magners League performance of the season in losing to Newport Gwent Dragons, and some supporters were seen walking away after confusion at the turnstiles, Cartwright, pictured, believes that there has been progress on both fronts.
With Rob Moffat's side having topped the league earlier in the season and now sitting three points adrift of leaders Leinster as one of four teams sharing second spot, there is some evidence that supporters are being offered an attractive product.
"Where we need to show a further step forward is the generation of high-level corporate support," he added. "We plan to proactively interact more with Edinburgh's substantial corporate marketplace with a view to both aiding and speeding up the club's development."
Rugby fans will have an opportunity to gauge the progress that has been made towards achieving Cartwright's objective of parity with the major European clubs when Edinburgh welcome Bath on Heineken Cup duty next month.
With the hosts still harbouring aspirations of progressing to the knock-out phase of the competition, Cartwright hopes to attract a crowd of more than the near 8,000 who attended last year's clash with London Wasps.
And he has announced plans to open both East and West stands to cater for anticipated demand to see the former champions in action on December 19.
