There was a large crowd for the friendly between Hibs and Barcelona

Scottish Rugby has been praised for making better use of Murrayfield, which contributes more than �100m to the economy according to a new study.

Edinburgh Central MSP Sarah Boyack also highlighted the range of youth rugby initiatives in local schools.

"These figures show that a co-ordinated effort is being made by Scottish Rugby to ensure better use of Murrayfield," she said of the stadium.

The economic impact study was conducted by Napier University.

It found that matches at Murrayfield were expected to be worth more than �100m during the 2008-09 season, some �50m of that total being spent in the Edinburgh area alone.

Those calculations were based not only on Scotland international rugby matches, but also Edinburgh's Magners League and Heineken Cup games, as well as the Barcelona v Hibernian friendly football match.

But the projections do not include the Heineken Cup final or Rugby League's Murrayfield Magic weekend - both taking place in May - which Scottish Rugby says should also produce a cash bonanza.

The governing body used the figures to also claim that the Scottish Government's relaxation on the sale of alcohol and its own decision to invest in the biggest permanent screens at a sports ground in Scotland have also boosted the stadium's impact.

SRU chief executive Gordon McKie added: "We're massively proud of our stadium and the contribution it makes to the economy of Edinburgh and Scotland.

"Our intention, working with partners from both the public and private sector, is to bring more world-class events to our stadium and extend the benefits for rugby and the wider community."