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Back in August we at Time Out covered the news that Twickenham, the ‘home of English rugby’ in west London, would be getting a new name. For the first time in its 117-year history, the legendary rugby venue has been renamed the Allianz Stadium as part of a new sponsorship deal.
The reasoning behind the new name? The Rugby Football Union needed cash to protect the future of Twickenham. But that was only part of the RFU’s plans for the ground. It’s now been revealed that the west London stadium intends to host a whopping 15 concerts a year, making it a music venue to rival the likes of Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and London Stadium.
The new gigs are part of a ‘masterplan’ for Twickenham, and they’ll help fund a £500 million revamp. The RFU wants to modernise the stadium, much of which hasn’t been upgraded since the ’90s.
However, Twickenham’s plans to become bigger player in London’s large-scale music venue scene are far from set in stone. For one, Twickenham will need a new events license. Currently, the venue is allowed to put on three gigs a year, each with a capacity of 55,000. Expanding this to 15 gigs with 82,000 capacity will require permission from Richmond borough.
By contrast, other London venues have much more permissive licences. The Times reports that Tottenham can host 30 non-football events per year, while Wembley is allowed 24.
The RFU told the Times: ‘This is our own aspiration, based on what additional revenue we think we need over the coming years to make a range of necessary improvements into the stadium, while still investing in the game of rugby across England.
‘Our focus is on attracting the world’s biggest international artists for concerts, although we are open to a range of different performances and events. Ultimately the more competitive we are against other stadia, the more selective we can be about who and what these are.’
But there could be other obstacles to Twickenham getting more (and bigger) gigs. City AM reckons backlash against the stadium’s plans is ‘inevitable’ and that councils will likely block the bid, leading to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan potentially having to step in.
So, what’ll happen with Twickenham? Will it turn into one of London’s biggest regular music venues, or will the RFU’s ‘masterplan’ be thwarted? Watch this space for updates.
Time Out and London’s sports venues
Twickenham isn’t the only London stadium changing. One of the capital’s major tennis courts is being renamed after Andy Murray following his retirement from the game, and Arsenal has hinted at major renovations to the Emirates Stadium in north London.
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