Twickenham Chiefs considered moving their rugby home to the Midlands last year, but ultimately decided to stay and renovate their stadium.
The RFU put forward three proposals last spring, one of which was to move to a greenfield site near Birmingham.
It was recently revealed that another proposal was being put forward to sell Twickenham and buy a 50% stake in Wembley Stadium as part of a radical ‘exit’ option.
But RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has revealed the union would consider staying at the current stadium and moving from south-west London to central England before refurbishing it.
Work on the headquarters facility upgrades is not scheduled to begin until 2027, when there will be no autumn international matches due to the World Cup being held in Australia.
“We looked at a number of different options,” Sweeney said. “There was the merger with the Wembley option, there were conversations, and there was the move to a greenfield site that would give us better access to the country, which was the Birmingham area, and they were keen to work with us.
CEO: Bill Sweeney
“At the end of the day, all the numbers came down to staying at Twickenham and redeveloping the stadium here. It was partly to do with the hospitality market in London from a commercial perspective, and partly the traditional aspect of having rugby at Twickenham, which you can’t ignore.”
Work at the stadium includes upgrading all four stands and relocating the RFU offices, with England’s World Cup warm-up matches and women’s internationals set to be played elsewhere. Sweeney is also determined to host more non-rugby events at the stadium.
Sweeney added: “Conferences are booming. It’s really important we have flexibility with local councils in terms of events. If we look at non-sporting events at places like Wembley and Tottenham, it’s important that that’s part of our future thinking. Work won’t start until 2027.”
When a new partnership for the men’s professional game was announced at Twickenham last week, Premiership chief executive Simon Massey-Taylor appeared to have dashed hopes for an Anglo-Welsh league.
Sweeney has given Wasp fans hope by saying he would welcome a return to the Championship if the team’s financial situation improves following the team’s collapse in 2022.
An interior view of the Allianz Stadium (formerly Twickenham Stadium) in Twickenham, London.Cardiff’s recent European fixtures with Bath and Harlequins drawing full houses suggest there is a desire for an Anglo-Welsh league, but Massey-Taylor insists it is an empty dream.
“There is a lot of speculation about him,” he said.
“We’ve just gone through a process of establishing what is best for the English Premiership and that’s the absolute focus. I think we have a lot to be really proud of in the Premiership.
“I think it’s a great product, so if you’re going to change the club system in Europe or elsewhere, it has to be something that vastly surpasses it and gives confidence to the British system and the existing clubs. I’m not sure what that is.”
The RFU is aiming to expand the Championship to 14 clubs by 2025-26, with Wasps, currently owned by Chris Holland, Worcester and London Irish all set to join the competition if they meet the criteria.
Sweeney said: “We would welcome them back. We are in talks with Wasps. Chris Holland has talked about the plans around Swanley and developing a stadium there. It’s a great catchment area and when we did the audit in terms of the catchment area it was the most likely area to come up.
“The idea of Wasps, London Irish and Worcester returning to Division 2 is really appealing. If you want to talk about a sustainable Division 2, you have three great clubs with a great history from a commercial, fan and game marketing perspective.
“You talk about the Wasps academy, London Irish had a fantastic academy. Look at the players that have come from there, so we will welcome them back. That’s been the conversation that Simon and I and the people involved in that club have had.”
