In what is shaping up to be a great summer for sport, the decision to rename Twickenham to the Allianz Stadium feels like a huge blow. I was shocked and saddened to learn of this. The reason for this is clear: money.
The RFU desperately needs cash. It needs it to support the community game, fund new elite player contracts, provide the women’s game with the support it deserves, mobilise the rugby sevens programme to win Olympic gold, lead England’s age-group teams, provide a talent pipeline, create more coaches, better support players off the pitch and much more.
Steve Borthwick’s England side showed great promise in the second half of the just-concluded season, but English rugby as a whole and the RFU are lagging behind both in world rugby and when compared to other domestic and global sports.
With the RFU facing a number of challenges, the board have decided to sell the club’s spirit and remove the name ‘Twickenham’ from their historic stadium altogether.
I and many others want to know why and how this happened. As an England player, you are the guardian of the shirt. It is not yours. It is your responsibility to fill it with pride and leave it in a better place than when you found it. The same goes for the manager and the RFU board. I wonder how the RFU board or whoever approved this will reflect in the years to come if the replacement of Twickenham with the Allianz Stadium is to be their lasting legacy.
The Rugby Football Union has made the controversial decision to change the name of Twickenham.
Sir Clive Woodward said the decision was a ‘blow’ but the RFU was ‘desperately in need of cash’ to support community games, fund elite player contracts and support the women’s game.
Twickenham represents over 100 years of history, heritage and tradition in English rugby.
Australia already has Allianz Stadium, so it won’t be the only one for rugby.
In retrospect, this deal sadly seems inevitable. I take no comfort in the fact that Ireland, Wales and Scotland have already sold their stadium naming rights. England should not be proud of following their example. I fully understand that Covid has hit rugby hard and the need to increase revenue, but I do not accept that as an excuse because all sports are facing the same difficulties.
Australia already has Allianz Stadium so we are not alone in rugby! Some may think the name is meaningless. But I totally disagree. Twickenham represents over 100 years of history, heritage and tradition of English rugby. Those who question this decision are labelled ‘traditionalists’ by the RFU, which is a cheap gimmick and no different from calling them ‘old punks’ as Will Carling famously did many years ago. Nothing could be further from the truth. The history and tradition that Twickenham represents should be sacrosanct.
I wanted Twickenham to be a fortress when I was a coach. A stage where we could take on the world, inspire the nation and show the fans rugby they had never seen before. Twickenham meant everything to us and to me it means everything. I always look for Twickenham when I come home on the west London flight path and I still get goosebumps when I see it. It may be sentimental but it is a connection that many people feel, whether they are playing in England or cheering at the stadium.
I was recently fascinated and impressed by how much money Wimbledon makes each year. They could sell a lot more sponsorship packages, especially the Championships or the naming rights to Centre Court. But they don’t because they understand the value of what Wimbledon represents as a brand.
Imagine Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz playing on the Allianz Centre Court. What will it be like when Scotty Scheffler arrives at Allianz Augusta? Would you rather see the Ashes’ first ball at Allianz Road? Or would you rather see England line up at Allianz Wembley?
This is not to criticise Allianz in any way. They are huge supporters of sport worldwide and it is fantastic that they want to continue to support English rugby as they have supported Saracens in recent years. However, it is important that the RFU get it right and show that there is something truly valuable in rugby. Unfortunately, that simply has not happened.
So what to do now? Well, the RFU will have to open their mouths to tell you where the new money is. But how much will the reported £10 million a year go to? On the surface, it doesn’t look like much.
If tennis continues in the same direction in the future, it would be hard to imagine Carlos Alcaraz playing Novak Djokovic on the Allianz Centre courts.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said the partnership would be a huge benefit to rugby.
Bill Sweeney was quick to say the proceeds would go to community games, and rightly so, but how much exactly will be generated? How will the deal rejuvenate the artificial, dull atmosphere at Twickenham and draw fans’ attention to the stadium rather than the next cup?
While the RFU questioned the strategy of moving the game, what about the Olympics? It is incredible that Team GB did not field a men’s sevens team in Paris or that the women’s players did not have regular contracts. This is a missed opportunity that the RFU board is greatly underestimating and misunderstanding. I hope some of the Allianz money is invested in areas such as sevens.
There are still a lot of hurdles for the RFU to overcome if they want to get England back to where it used to be – at the pinnacle of world rugby and global sport. It will take money and I understand that. But this naming rights deal is not a panacea and for me it was a very sad and heartbreaking day to see Twickenham completely removed from the game.
