Exclusive: RFU in talks over back of shirt and short sponsor deals Sport Business The question that hangs over rugby union always seems to be a financial one: how can a sport with successful World Cups, a strong women’s game and a generally affluent audience struggle so much to commercialise itself effectively? That doesn’t seem to be an issue for England and its governing body, the Rugby Football Union. [...]
England rugby chiefs axe bonus scheme that led to coup attempt on CEO Sweeney Sport Business The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has scrapped the controversial long-term incentive plan (LTIP) that led to a major rebellion against CEO Bill Sweeney earlier this year. Sweeney faced and survived a vote of no confidence in February after it emerged that he had been paid £1.1m in 2023-24 despite the RFU making a loss of [...]
England Rugby should buy London Stadium and flog Twickenham land Sport Business How do you solve a problem like increasing the revenues for England Rugby? Up sticks and buy the London Stadium, suggests Ollie Phillips Given the obstacles being thrown towards Allianz Stadium and England Rugby from local residents relating to the number of concerts the home of rugby wants to stage, it is no surprise that [...]
Allianz Stadium Twickenham can be hub for global overseas sport October 3, 2025 On Saturday Argentina and South Africa will play a regular season Rugby Championship match at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham. But this is not out of the ordinary for the capital; next month the Springboks will take on Japan at Wembley and an All Blacks XV will face the Barbarians in Brentford. Looking back, too, there [...]
Allianz Stadium: What could Twickenham rugby arena look like after facelift? April 17, 2025 We’ve all been there, kettled into Twickenham station after a day out at Allianz Stadium watching England Rugby take on top international opposition. The 82,000-seat national stadium is the biggest purpose-built rugby arena in the world and sits behind only Wembley Stadium’s 90,000 in terms of UK capacity. But Allianz Stadium and its surrounding area [...]
England could ditch Twickenham for Milton Keynes over council row March 19, 2025 England could quit Twickenham and play their rugby internationals in Milton Keynes because of Richmond upon Thames Council, chief Bill Sweeney has warned. The Rugby Football Union needs to fund a £663m redevelopment of Allianz Stadium in Twickenham but has previously admitted that some of the financing for this would need to come from non-rugby [...]
Dear developers, no one actually wants all these retail units February 4, 2025 Big retail units may appeal to developers' fantasies about what towns could be. But they need to focus on actual demand, writes John Andrews.
Fortress Twickenham breached: England in a dark, dark place November 18, 2024 England’s 29-20 loss to South Africa was their fifth defeat on the bounce. Fortress Twickenham has been breached and Eddie Jones is up next for Steve Borthwick. If deep-pocketed disruptors really were to tempt more than 100 players away from their clubs to form a LIV Golf-style rugby competition as mooted last week, they’d be [...]
Exclusive: Argentina and South Africa in talks to host Rugby Championship match in London November 12, 2024 World champions South Africa and World Cup semi-finalists Argentina are in talks to play a Rugby Championship fixture at London’s Allianz Stadium in 2025, City AM can reveal. Discussions have taken place about Twickenham hosting a match from the southern hemisphere’s equivalent of the Six Nations next autumn. It would be the first time that [...]
Mayor Khan bound to need to step in against NIMBYs over Twickenham plans October 8, 2024 London won against the capital’s NIMBYs when the GLA approved plans for Wimbledon’s expansion. And they’ll probably need to do the same when councils inevitably block the Rugby Football Union’s bid to host more events at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. “London is the sporting capital of the world and this decision will not only ensure Wimbledon [...]