Premier League giants Chelsea ‘allowed’ to host games at Twickenham after Beyonce debacle

RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has said the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham could play host to Premier League side Chelsea should they seek a temporary home. 

Chelsea’s interest in Twickenham initially began in 2017, after previously eyeing up a move to Earl’s Court.

RFU chief confirms Chelsea could play at Twickenham

The Blues have long been contemplating redeveloping Stamford Bridge, which would mean they would have to play their games elsewhere, and the home of English rugby is considered a possible destination should they need to find alternatives.

The RFU have been plunged in talks with Richmond Council over the use of the stadium though, with it limited to just three non-Rugby events a year; however Sweeney has confirmed the license would allow them to host Premier League games at the stadium.

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“It would allow it to happen,” Sweeney told reporters. “There have been conversations previously about possible Premiership [sic] clubs coming here. Richmond council, Richmond borough is more concerned about that. I just think in terms of impact on local residents, numbers of fans, and so on, they’re a little bit more sensitive.

“It may depend on which club it is. It would be a big financial number, I know Richmond borough would definitely have a conversation about that, though.”

Sweeney also revealed the RFU have been making positive progress with the local authority.

“We’re making really good progress with Richmond,” he said. “The conversations with them have been positive, it’s a cooperative process. They see the value that we bring to the area, and they understand why we need to have more non-rugby events when you compare it to Tottenham, Wembley, the O2, they can see why we need those non-rugby events to make the thing viable.”

Relations between the RFU and the council became tense following Twickenham missing out on hosting Beyonce’s world tour, with the singer now set to host six nights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Things also came to a head when Sweeney threatened to relocate English rugby to Milton Keynes, however the new £660 million redevelopment of the stadium suggests they will stay put at the historic home of English rugby.

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