By Steve Scott, rugby correspondent

SCOTTISH RUGBY is aiming to attract the NFL to Murrayfield as they seek to broaden the earning potential of the national stadium and increase revenue in what chief executive Gordon McKie believes amounts to a “brighter future” for the game in this country.

The chief executive, who was appointed three years ago to try and bring order and control to the Scottish Rugby Union’s finances, indicated that he believed the organisation was now breaking even and that the future was brighter in operational terms, if on field performance by the national team was disappointing.

In a media briefing at Murrayfield yesterday, McKie said that playing numbers across the country and revenue streams were up despite the “mediocre” performance of the national team in this year’s Six Nations.

The chief executive also backed the stewardship of national coach Frank Hadden and stressed he was happy with the objectivity of the review which had left Hadden in his post while resulting in the dismissal of his two assistants.

However it is the financial position of the union which gives most cause for McKie’s optimism.

With plans to develop parts of the Murrayfield site now on hold because of the requirements of compulsory purchase for the Water of Leith flood prevention plan and the Edinburgh Tramway Project, the SRU were seeking to maximise the stadium’s potential.

“We have a world class facility here, we have open space on each side of the stadium which can be used to stage world class events, and now we have a drinks licence again, so we can take that package to other sports.”

Negotiations and discussions had begun with Rugby League to stage a weekend of Superleague games, and there were also talks with the NFL to stage one of the American football organisation’s regular season games, as at Wembley in London last year and again later this year.

“The talks are at a delicate and early stage and I know other events are chasing the game which is scheduled for 2009,” said McKie, who is also seeking to secure a repeat visit of the footballing superstars of Barcelona to Murrayfield on their Scottish pre-season tour.

“What we want is for world class teams in many sports to come to Murrayfield on a year-by-year basis by which we can generate money to put back into Scottish Rugby.”

The majority of the extra cash will go to grassroots level, where numbers of adults playing have increased by 8% and youngsters by 17%.

McKie said the SRU’s overall debt is now below £16 million, down £8 million from the high of £23-24 million it reached only 30 months ago, and is set to fall further once revenues due from the Rugby World Cup and other competitions come in, he said.

In addition, the union had already sold 30,000 tickets for the autumn tests and for next year’s Six Nations, bringing in nearly £1 million.

“Revenue in a World Cup year is less because we don’t have autumn internationals, so to keep from losing money over this current season is quite an achievement,” said McKie.

“The future looks to be bright and I’m more optimistic than I’ve been at any time in the three years I’ve been here.”

The chief executive underlined his support for the national coach, while admitting that Hadden had played a leading role in compiling the review of the Six Nations season that resulted in the dismissal of assistant coaches George Graham and Alan Tait.

“We were all disappointed by what happened in the Six Nations, and personally I don’t accept mediocrity,” he said.

“Frank contributed to the review but the process doesn’t end with his input and we talked to a number of people in the playing squad and outwith it.

“I’m satisfied that myself and the board got a clear picture of what occurred and that the right decisions were made, and that Frank is the best man to take us forward at this point.”

The SRU now know that they will lose two of its six back pitches to the east of the stadium as a result of compulsory purchase orders made for two major projects in Edinburgh, the Tramway and the flood prevention plan, he added.

“As a result we are reassessing our plans for the ground, but I would stress that the space we have is a very important part of the proposals we put to other sporting bodies bringing events to Murrayfield,” he said.