- The home of English rugby will be renamed the Allianz Stadium next month
- Mail Sport revealed the deal will be worth around £100m to English rugby
- RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has defended the controversial decision
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has defended the controversial decision to rename Twickenham to Allianz Stadium and insisted it was not one the governing body took lightly.
Mail Sport revealed the deal will be worth £100million to English rugby with the insurance giants set to invest £10m-a-year over the course of the next decade.
But the move to entirely remove the name Twickenham from a venue with more than a century of sporting history has been criticised in some quarters.
In a video message to RFU Council members, which has been seen by Mail Sport, Sweeney said: ‘We fully understand why there may be some concerns for the traditionalists.
‘They’ll question why we are granting naming rights to a stadium as iconic as Twickenham.
The Rugby Football Union has taken the controversial decision to rename Twickenham
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney says it was a decision not taken lightly but said it will ‘generate a lot of investment’ and that it is being done for ‘all the right reasons’
‘It’s not an unusual thing to do. There’s lots of examples of this happening elsewhere. It’s something that’s been on our radar for quite some time.
‘But we don’t take the subject of issuing naming rights for an iconic stadium like Twickenham lightly, so it was important for us to make sure it was the right partner.
‘And with Allianz, we’ve got someone who satisfy a lot of criteria. They’re very passionate about rugby. Their senior management are avid followers of the game.
‘They’ve got a real commitment not just to their branding on the stadium itself but to use their investment to inject that into the community and grassroots game. It’s not simply the naming rights of the stadium. There’s a number of components which make them an ideal partner.
‘Clearly it generates a lot of investment for us. The funds that are being generated by granting those naming rights to Allianz are going to be spent in areas we want to invest in as strategic priorities. For those people who love the game despite maybe some initial concerns, please understand we’re doing this for all the right reasons.’
England’s 2003 World Cup-winning coach and columnist Sir Clive Woodward described the removing of the Twickenham name as ‘an almighty blow’ and a ‘very sad and poignant day.’
But Newcastle boss Steve Diamond on Tuesday described the Allianz deal as ‘magnificent’, heralding the much-needed financial impetus it will bring.
The money from the Allianz deal will support English rugby at both the elite and grassroots levels and the RFU has insisted the partnership will be ‘transformative.’
The name change to the Allianz Stadium will be effective from the start of next month
Twickenham’s name change to Allianz Stadium will be effective from September 1.
Sweeney has also indicated the Allianz deal will help the RFU with their plans to redevelop Twickenham although the money from the naming rights won’t pay for that specifically.
No long-term plans to improve the Twickenham infrastructure have been agreed as yet.
Sweeney added: ‘Commercial partners are critical to allow us to invest back into the game. It’s been well documented times are tough coming out of Covid.
‘It hasn’t been an easy journey with increasing costs, rising inflation and the impact that’s had on us in terms of our financial challenges. It’s about how they (Allianz) can help us with the redevelopment of the stadium.
‘It’s been well documented that starting in 2027, we’re going to be investing a lot of money in the upgrading of the Twickenham facilities. They’re a good strategic partner to help us do that.’
