England may be forced to relocate from Allianz Stadium to Milton Keynes or Birmingham because of licence restrictions over staging concerts, according to Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney.
The RFU views major events such as Beyonce concerts as a key revenue stream to help fund the planned £663million redevelopment of Twickenham, which is due to start in 2027.
However, Richmond upon Thames Council imposes limitations on the number of non-sporting events that can be held at the 82,000-capacity ground, which is almost exclusively used for rugby purposes including hosting all home fixtures for the England men’s team.
The local authority will not currently permit more than three a year with a maximum crowd of 55,000 in attendance – prompting Sweeney to issue his threat to move the home of English rugby from the site it has occupied since 1909.
“There are plenty of places that would like to have us. Birmingham and Milton Keynes would love to have us there,” Sweeney told the Business of Sport podcast.
“Part of the renovation from 2027 means we are in discussions with Richmond borough council to stage more non-rugby events. For us it is three and we are only allowed one on a Friday.
“We have had the Rolling Stones. We could have had Beyonce but she wanted three nights and we are only allowed two nights consecutively.
“We are saying that if we are going to invest £600million into the Allianz — and we have a study which shows how much economic value it contributes to the borough — you are going to have to work with us in terms of an increase in the number of events we can stage in order to monetise the stadium.
“It would be a tough call for us. It would be very difficult. I don’t know how we would justify the investment in the stadium if we can’t get the increase in the event licences.”
The RFU revealed last year that it looked at moving to Wembley and a greenfield site in the Birmingham area before opting to remain at Twickenham and upgrade the existing stadium.
