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The Bill Sweeney defence for RFU selling Twickenham naming rights
By PA
Bill Sweeney has denied the Rugby Football Union “sold out” after insurance giants Allianz bought the naming rights to Twickenham for over £100million. From September 1, the 82,000-capacity home of English rugby will be known as Allianz Stadium in its first rebrand since it opened in 1909 with the deal injecting cash into the elite and grassroots levels of the game.
RFU chief executive Sweeney has revealed that the decade-long partnership will provide in excess of £10million a year at a time when the sport is facing significant financial challenges. The response to the agreement has been mixed with many supporters voicing their discontent at the name change online, particularly at the exclusion of Twickenham from the new title.
Other treasured English sporting arenas such as Wembley, Lord’s and Wimbledon still retain their historical names, but Sweeney insisted this was the right direction for the RFU to take. “I really don’t believe we have sold out. It’s an iconic stadium, it’s the home of rugby. Experiences here are incredible, people love coming here,” Sweeney told the BBC.
“But we believe this will help us build on the legacy of the stadium and will take us into the future decades from here. The investment from Allianz will enable us to make Twickenham an even better experience for fans and players.
“We believe this is an investment into the future with the sort of partner we need to go on that journey. It’s money that we need to invest back into the game. It’s a multi-year commitment and it’s well over £100m, so it’s a fair value for what you’d expect for stadium naming rights these days.”
Twickenham is now the eighth sporting venue around the world to carry the Allianz branding and the RFU is the last of the four home unions to sell the naming rights to its home ground, in the process negotiating a more lucrative deal than its rivals. The PA news agency understands that retaining Twickenham in the title was not an option if an agreement with Allianz was to be reached, with an RFU insider stating “it’s a really good deal for rugby”.
“The new name aligns with our approach to other stadium partnerships across the globe and over time it will mean the Allianz Stadium name is adopted more fully,” an Allianz spokesperson said. “We recognise that Twickenham has an extraordinary heritage and we look forward to helping develop this iconic venue for the future.”
The partnership has received the approval of Newcastle director of rugby Steve Diamond, who recently worked for the RFU in a consultancy capacity. “Selling the naming rights of Twickenham is magnificent for rugby, which has been through its worst period. But we are not out of the water yet,” Diamond said.
The RFU in February revealed plans to begin a £300million upgrade of Twickenham in 2027 after rejecting a proposal to make Wembley the new home of English rugby. Buying a 50 per cent share in Wembley from the Football Association was considered by the RFU’s board in March last year before the idea was discounted without a formal approach to the FA being made.
The first fixture to be played at Twickenham under its new name is the Red Roses’ clash with New Zealand on September 14.
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Latest Comments
And Scott Robertson not going so well is he.
Not a bad effort but a correction. McKenzie was not born in NSW so is not a Tah. He was born in Victoria. Played for the Brumbies and coached Qld and also played and then later coached NSW, until the self entitled Tah players decided to stab him in the back. And who was the captain of the Tahs at the time leading the back stabbing. Well, well it was none other than Phil Waugh, current Rugby Australia CEO. Who recently tried to deny he had met Suallii at Hamish McLennan's house pre signing, until McLennan outed him recently as a bald faced liar as he was in fact there.
I doubt very much if McKenzie, who was also assistant coach to Eddie Jones in Jones first stint coaching Australia, would appreciate being labelled a Tah, given it was the Tahs Hooper and Beale and Cheika who stabbed him in the back again when he walked away thru lack of support from Hooper and Rugby Australia.
Schmidt might have theoretically better credentials, even tho he dumped Ireland in the brink but he had to start somewhere. You can't argue if you think he is great that Schmidt should never have been given an opportunity.
Schmidt lacks a crucial ingredient. He's not Australian. It does matter, which as a Bokke you would well know.
Go to commentsBecause the two guys primarily in charge of hiring a new coach for Rugby Australia Peter Horne and Phil Waugh, are Tahs. The Chairman of Rugby Australia Daaniel Herbert is from Qld but he's not that bright and weak.
Horne was good friends with Schmidt and they knew if they hired him on a million dollars a year they would own him and he would select Tah players who shouldn't be there . Like Jake Gordon (4th or 5th best halfback in Australia) and similarly for Donaldson). The Tahs are all about being able to brag how many Wallabies they have, even if the Wallabies keep losing because of it. Michael Hooper, the worst Wallaby captain in decades a prime example. He made Taine Randall look great.
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