The future of Allianz Stadium

Allianz Stadium has been the home of England Rugby for over a century, becoming a cornerstone of the sport and a highlight for fans each year.

As the governing body for rugby union in England, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) reinvests all profits into the game to support its growth at every level. Like all businesses though, we face financial challenges, which ultimately impact our ability to sustain rugby’s growth. With Allianz Stadium generating around 85% of our revenue, maximising and investing in this key asset is essential.

To address this, we’ve developed a vision to enhance the stadium as a world-class venue for sport and entertainment, and in turn generate more income all while becoming a valued local asset.

As a first step in achieving our ambitions, we have now submitted an application for a new premises licence to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. This follows wide reaching consultation over the past eight months.

WHY RUGBY MATTERS 

All profit the RFU makes is reinvested into the game of rugby – with 85% of revenue coming from Allianz Stadium events

The RFU invests £30 million a year into the community game

We contribute £181 million annually in Gross Value Added to the UK economy and £91 million of that directly benefits the boroughs of Richmond and Hounslow

Rugby adds over £2 billion a year in social value to the UK:

£823.5 million – to improve physical and mental health

£707 million – to enhance social and community benefits

£502 million – to boost the economy

The challenges we face

We are currently limited to 3 major non-sporting events per year, with a capacity of 55,000 attendees each.

By comparison Tottenham can have 30 events per year and Wembley can host 32 events per year with higher attendance

This means the stadium and bowl remain empty for as many as 340 days a year

The stadium also requires significant and costly ongoing investment and upgrades

A vision for the future

In developing a plan for the future, we have established five core principles that will drive everything we do:

Ensuring the stadium remains a secure source of income

Delivering a world-class fan experience

Improving local transport services

Being sustainable now and in the future

Making the stadium work better for local communities

We have applied for a maximum of 15 event days per year by 2028, with these mostly happening in weekends over the summer season, at an attendance of 75,000.

The 15 events days would be grouped into smaller numbers of show/concert runs

The rise in events would be incremental over three years and subject to Council approval

All events planned to end by 10:30pm

Our commitments

To support the events, we would improve transport services, including looking at how people arrive and leave the stadium by improving connectivity and crowd management

We will also expand the residents ticket access by increasing locals’ allocation from 250 to 1,000 for non-sporting events with a 24-hour advance ticket window

In addition will introduce of a fee on all concert ticket sales to introduce a Community Enhancement Fund – money ringfenced to fund projects within the local community

Next Steps

Following submission of our licensing application to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, you can now comment on the proposals.

You can view the application by visiting the Council’s licensing applications page, under the reference number WK/202497933.

To make a comment, please email licensing@merton.gov.uk quoting the application reference number. Your email must also include the grounds for the representation, whether supporting or objecting, and your full name and postal address.

Please note the @merton.gov.uk email is correct – Richmond shares its licensing services with Merton through a joint service, so your message will reach the right team.

For further guidance on how to comment, please visit the Council’s licensing application guidance page.

Our Stadium Consultation