English rugby union is so reliant on corporate hospitality income that it needs huge investment in Twickenham for fear it might dry up, according to John Inverdale, the sports broadcaster who is chairman of the National League of semi-professional clubs.
The Times this week reported an RFU “masterplan” setting out a £663 million renovation package for the home of English rugby in southwest London, with an initial £297 million available. The report states a “strategic risk” that the wider game may prefer the money to be spent on clubs and the grassroots, and reveals a “plan B” to sell Twickenham and buy 50 per cent of Wembley Stadium.
Inverdale, however, accepts the money has to be spent on Twickenham, as the stadium provides 85 per cent of the RFU’s £221 million annual income.
“The RFU is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t,” he said. “The risk about not spending that money is that an element of the corporate market may take their custom elsewhere if the hospitality facilities are not what they expect.
“Last weekend, 13,000 hospitality packages were sold for England v Wales, and that market sustains the sport. You mess with that element of the market at your peril.”
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Inverdale said he believed it was the right decision not to go down the path of sharing Wembley, the home of English football. “Starting from scratch you would have a national stadium that was home to several sports, like the Stade de France, but history is a big factor in all of this,” he added. “It would be a very brave call to take England matches away from Twickenham.”
Alistair Bow, the chairman of the Championship side Nottingham, agrees with Inverdale, saying putting money into Twickenham is “a necessary evil for a tired facility” but that the key was for Transport for London to agree to a large programme of improvements, making it easier for spectators to get to and from matches.
Slater fast-tracks BBC exit
Barbara Slater has already stepped aside as director of sport at the BBC even though she does not officially leave until April, with Philip Bernie, the head of BBC TV Sport, in the role as an interim.
The BBC said Slater had “stepped back from operational duties” with Bernie taking over “to ensure continuity and clarity for external partners”.
Hurst’s wife has final say on book title
Sir Geoff Hurst, the last surviving member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team, is writing a book but his wife, Judith, has vetoed his suggested title of The Last Man Standing.
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The 82-year-old is on a speaking tour and told an audience in Bristol: “It’s going to be about my team-mates. It was either going to be called The Last Man Standing or The Last Boy of 66. My wife does not like The Last Man Standing and so that was vetoed.
“As you know I’ve been married for 60 years and she runs my life, totally.”
Ferdinand exchanges barbs with Arsenal fans on Ryanair flight
The sight of Rio Ferdinand on the Ryanair flight taking Arsenal fans to Porto this week was an unexpected one, and not surprisingly led to lots of catcalls from the travelling supporters.
It was not by chance, however. Ferdinand was working for TNT Sports at the match, and a video of the former England defender making an in-flight announcement to respond to Arsenal fans’ taunts in good-natured fashion was used in TNT’s No Filter episode on YouTube.
Punishing City would be a sporting tragedy, says Bernstein
David Bernstein, the former FA and Manchester City chairman, has claimed the Premier League’s financial regulations “are detrimental in many ways to the game”.
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Bernstein, who has been campaigning for an independent regulator for football, said it would be a “sporting tragedy” if City were found guilty of 115 breaches of Premier League rules.
“The way clubs are being asked to control their spending is actually anti-competitive. It is making it difficult for clubs with new money now to challenge the establishment,” he told the Blue Moon Podcast.
“If City’s amazing success and the quality of the way it’s been done both with a great manager and a wonderful team, is tarnished by this, it will be a bit of a sporting tragedy.”
