Allianz Stadium – stadium description

Before English rugby union bought a plot i Twickenham borough, cabbage field was situated here. In 1907 executives decided that having a privately-owned stadium may bring profits and a year later first stands were raised. Until 1920 it could already take up to 20,000 people just to be used for cattle, horse and sheep grazing a year later, because of World War I.

In its history it went through 7 significant revamps. Their effect is an 82,000-capacity venue with fans on three tiers of covered seating. Thus, from 2006, Twickenham is the 2^nd largest stadium in England and 4^th in Europe for any football code. When it comes to rugby – there’s no match. After the 2006 redevelopment it comprises the English rugby headquarters, a museum and a 4-star hotel.

Ruled by the rugby union from the start, it’s got a huge history behind it with almost all England international played here and many other of the largest rugby games also being hosted by the London venue. There’s also a story for the fan-culture enthusiasts. Ever since an amazing England-Ireland game in 1988, the song “Swing Low, Sweet Charriot” became almost an alternative anthem for rugby fans. Of course there’ve also been a lot of other events organized here with a whole list of top music performers . However, due to logistics (location and capacity constraints for concerts – only around 55,000 people allowed) it never became as successful as Wembley in bringing various events.