Rugby Football Union threaten to leave Twickenham after missing out on hosting Beyoncé concerts
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has threatened to leave Twickenham over a disagreement surrounding Beyoncé concerts.
RFU’s chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has said they could relocate to Milton Keynes or Birmingham due to licensing restrictions that caused them to miss out on hosting shows for the singer’s upcoming ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour.
The ‘Cuff It’ singer’s UK leg of the tour consists of six shows at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June. See a full list of dates below and find any remaining tickets here.
Sweeney has said that Twickenham was unable to host the lucrative concerts due to restrictions that allow them to host only three non-rugby events a year, and only two on consecutive nights with a limited capacity of 55,000.
This is compared to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which can host 30 non-football events a year and Wembley, which can host 32.
The RFU added that the stadium, which has a capacity of 82,000, is empty for 340 days a year.
Now, the union is lobbying Richmond council for 15 events a year at a capacity of 75,000 but Sweeney has warned that if allowances are not made “it would be a tough call for us”, to move away from London, per documents seen by The Guardian.
The RFU previously committed to plans to revamp Twickenham, a process due to begin in 2027. This could cost up to £663m, and the union argue means they need to raise revenue by hosting more music concerts.
Beyoncé’s 2025 ‘Cowboy Carter’ UK tour dates are:
JUNE
05 – London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
07 – London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
10 – London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
12 – London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
14 – London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
16 – London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The shows will be her first in the UK since 2023’s record-breaking ‘Renaissance‘ Tour, where tickets ranged from £56.25 to £2,400 VIP packages. An average ticket cost £139, per Pollstar.
Running from May to October and hitting 39 cities in 17 countries, it was one of the highest-grossing tours of all time, taking in a reported $579million (£455.7million) in revenue.
The new tour will be in celebration of her most recent album ‘Cowboy Carter’, which scored a five-star review from NME, with Jenessa Williams writing: “Even if interpreted only on the grounds of artistic spectacle, it’s an undeniable thrill to see her swing so big on a project that dares her to be so intimate and vocal-focused, while making way for country’s up-and-comers too.”
The album clinched the seventh spot in NME‘s 50 Best Albums of 2024 list, and ’16 Carriages’ was named the eighth Best Song of 2024.
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Laura Molloy
NME
