The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced that Twickenham Stadium, the historic home of England rugby, will be renamed Allianz Stadium starting from September, as part of a lucrative sponsorship deal with the insurance giant.
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The agreement, reportedly worth over £10 million annually for at least the next ten years, will bring the RFU more than £100 million over the next decade.
This deal means Allianz now holds the naming rights to eight stadiums worldwide, including Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena in Germany.
Explaining the decision, RFU boss Bill 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.
‘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.’
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.’
STATEMENT: Major law changes confirmed for International rugby
SANZAAR has confirmed the roll out of several Law Variations that will be implemented in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship 2024 (TRC). The rationale behind the variations is to speed up the game by reducing the amount of unnecessary stoppages and to clarify law interpretations.
2024 LAW VARIATIONS: THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
1) RED CARD
In the event foul play is determined to be deliberate and with a high level of danger it will result in a full red card for the offending player who will not return to the field nor be able to be replaced.
All other Red Cards that do not meet the above threshold will be 20 min Red Cards in which the offending player will be removed from the match but will be entitled to be replaced by another player after 20 minutes. The offending team will then be able to replace the red carded player with one of their available replacements.
Rationale: the individual, not the game, punished for red card offences.