Sir Clive Woodward 'selling their soul' in Twickenham renaming : Planet Rugby

Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward has said the RFU have ‘sold their soul’ following the renaming of Twickenham Stadium.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed the historic venue would be renamed to the Allianz Stadium from September, in a multi-million-pound deal between insurance giants Allianz and the RFU.

RFU sells its soul

Taking to LinkedIn, the World Cup-winning boss blasted the RFU board for the name change.

“In a wonderful summer of sport, the decision to rename Twickenham to Allianz Stadium is an almighty blow,” he wrote. “The reason is obvious: money. The RFU badly needs cash to support the community game, fund elite player contracts, support the women’s game, and mobilise a rugby sevens programme for Olympic gold.”

“It’s needed to drive England’s age group sides, generate coaches, and support players. Steve Borthwick’s England showed great promise in the 2nd half of this season, but English rugby and the RFU has fallen off pace in world rugby and compared to other domestic and global sports.”

He added: “The RFU board sold its soul by renaming this historic stadium. Many, including myself, question why and how it has come to this? As an England player, you are a custodian of the jersey, responsible for filling it with pride and leaving it in a better place. This applies to the head coach and the RFU board. Will the board reflect if replacing Twickenham with Allianz Stadium is their legacy?”

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Comparisons with fellow home nations

England aren’t the only country to have sold their naming rights away to sponsors. Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium is called Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Wales’ stadium is called the Principality Stadium and Ireland play at the Aviva Stadium as well.

Despite this though, Woodward feels ‘no comfort’ from this either.

“I take no comfort that Ireland, Wales, and Scotland sold their stadium naming rights. England should not feel proud. All sports faced challenges post-Covid. Australia already has an Allianz Stadium, so we’re not unique!”

“Some say a name means nothing, but Twickenham represents 100+ years of heritage. Those questioning this are called ‘traditionalists’ by the RFU which is a cheap shot and no different than calling people ‘old farts’ as Will Carling did years ago.”

“Twickenham was a fortress during my tenure, we took on the world and showed fans rugby as they had never experienced it before. It meant everything to us. When I fly over West London, I eagerly look for Twickenham and still get goosebumps. Many feel this, whether they played for England or supported from the terraces.”

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Wimbledon model

Despite other stadiums opting to give away their naming rights, Tennis venue Wimbledon has never given sponsors any rights to its name.

A large part of this is due to the ‘unique image’ of the Championships, and Woodward was keen to highlight the comparisons to this.

“It’s impressive how much money Wimbledon leaves on the table each year. They haven’t sold the naming rights to The Championships or Centre Court, they understand the brand value Wimbledon represents. Can you imagine Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz playing on Allianz Centre Court?

“How would Scottie Scheffler feel arriving at Allianz Augusta? Do we want to see the first ball in the Ashes at Allianz Lord’s? Or see England at Allianz Wembley?”

Despite his opinion surrounding the name, he said this was no ‘dig at Allianz’ and called for the RFU to invest the new money wisely.

“This is not a dig at Allianz in any way, who support sport globally,” he said.

“The RFU must now put their mouth where their new-found money is. How far will a reported £10 million a year go? On the face of it, it doesn’t seem like much. Will this regenerate the atmosphere at Twickenham and get fans’ eyes back on the field instead of the next pint?”

“Also, what about the Olympics? Team GB failed to field a men’s sevens team in Paris and the women’s players were not on full-time contracts. Missed opportunities by the RFU board. Hopefully, some of the Allianz money will go to this.

“The RFU must restore England to the pinnacle of world rugby. Money is needed, but this naming rights deal is no silver bullet, the total removal of Twickenham from the venue represented a very sad and poignant day.”

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