Twickenham to be renamed in sponsorship deal

England rugby’s Twickenham home is to be renamed as the Allianz Stadium in a new sponsorship deal, say the Rugby Football Union.

The change will take place from September as the insurance company expand their portfolio of world class stadia, which includes Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena in Germany.

Twickenham has hosted England men’s games since 1909.

The 82,000-seater stadium also hosts international women’s matches, key domestic games, community events and music concerts.

The RFU have been looking for additional investment and, in a document seen by the BBC, were considering selling their south west London home and buying a 50% share in Wembley.

The Twickenham Stadium Masterplan Programme (TSMP) revealed that the RFU board discussed the proposal in March last year but no formal approach was made to the Football Association (FA).

Those plans were shelved in favour of redeveloping the stadium and the RFU say the move will provide a “significant, long-term investment in the game”.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate our stadium’s proud legacy while developing it for the future,” said RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.

“This partnership will support us in moving the game in a direction which serves all rugby, from minis to the elites, from club coaches to our national coaches and everything in between.”

The venue will host the final of the 2025 Women’s World Cup, while the first international fixture under the new name will see England’s women play world champions New Zealand on 14 September.

It remains to be seen what impact the partnership will have on the RFU’s plans to redevelop the stadium, which were quoted at a cost of £663m in the TSMP.