RFU has not 'sold out' by renaming Twickenham - Sweeney

Twickenham has hosted England men's games since 1909

The Rugby Football Union has not "sold out" by renaming Twickenham the Allianz Stadium in a sponsorship deal worth more than £100m, says the organisation's chief executive Bill Sweeney.

Twickenham has hosted England men's games since 1909 and the name change to that of the insurance company will take place from September.

The 82,000-seater stadium also hosts international women's matches, key domestic games, community events and music concerts.

Former England coach Sir Clive Woodward said the RFU has "sold its soul" and it was a "very sad day" for English rugby.

"Some say a name means nothing, but Twickenham represents 100 plus years of heritage. Money is needed, but this naming rights deal is no silver bullet," Woodward said.

However, Sweeney said the investment from Allianz will "enable us to make Twickenham an even better experience for fans and players".

He said: "I really don't believe we've sold out. It's an iconic stadium, it's the home of rugby, experiences here are incredible, people love coming here.

"But we believe this will help us build on the legacy of the stadium, this will take us into the future, into decades from here.

"We believe this is an investment into the future with the sort of partner we need to go on that journey."

The RFU had been looking for additional investment and, in a document seen by the BBC, was considering selling their base in Twickenham and buying a 50% share in Wembley.

Those plans were shelved in favour of redeveloping the stadium, which had been quoted at a cost of £663m by the Twickenham Stadium Masterplan Programme (TSMP).

Woodward said Twickenham should be considered in the same breath as other iconic sporting venues such as Lord's, Wimbledon and Wembley whose names are untouched by commercialism.

"They haven’t sold the naming rights to The Championships or Centre Court, they understand the brand value," said the 68-year-old, who coached England between 1997 and 2004.

"I take no comfort that Ireland, Wales, and Scotland sold their stadium naming rights. England should not feel proud."

Asked how much the deal with Allianz was worth, Sweeney said: "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."

London Irish, Wasps and Worcester all went into administration in the 2022-23 season.

Sweeney added: "It's money that we need to invest back into the game.

"We've had a tough time coming out of Covid, the game's under pressure - we saw three professional clubs go out of business [and] that was extremely painful.

"So, this is money we need to generate, to invest back into the community game so we keep that pipeline going."

The inclusion of Twickenham increases Allianz's portfolio to eight stadiums around the world.

The venue will host the final of the 2025 Women's World Cup, while the first international fixture under the new name will see England's women play world champions New Zealand on 14 September.