The Rugby Football Union (RFU) would be open to ground sharing Allianz Stadium Twickenham with Chelsea if the Premier League club redevelop Stamford Bridge.
RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said such a plan would need to overcome the sizeable hurdle of getting sign-off from the local council.
The RFU has spoken openly about its eagerness to stage more non-rugby events at Twickenham and Chelsea have previously mentioned the 82,000-capacity ground as an option for a temporary home if they opt to refurbish and expand Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea referenced the home of English rugby as a possible option in 2017 amid talks over whether they were going to redevelop Stamford Bridge, or look to an alternative venue for a new home.
If they opted to use Twickenham as an interim base, such a ground-share would bring a welcome cash windfall to the RFU who made a record loss last year. But Sweeney said the whole arrangement would need to be rubberstamped by the council, who would be sympathetic to “sensitive” local residents.
Firstly, the RFU would need to change the existing rules around the number of non-rugby events it’s allowed to stage at Twickenham. Currently that stands at three a year, with capacity limited to 55,000. If they can expand that, it would open the possibility of other sports using the stadium as a temporary home.
“It would allow it to happen, there have been conversations previously about possible Premiership [sic] clubs coming here,” Sweeney told reporters on Monday. “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 have a conversation about that though.”
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