The new Premiership season is two weeks away and, as clubs adjust to the hike in the salary cap, a number of them are relocating matches to bigger grounds as a way of increasing revenue.
On 8 April two matches will be played in London with a potential audience of 170,000. Bath will play Leicester at Twickenham, in an encounter that is being marketed as The Clash, while Saracens face Harlequins at Wembley in what has become an annual fixture. In 2015 it attracted a record crowd for a club match of 84,068.
The following week Northampton will switch their fixture against the champions, Saracens, from Franklin’s Gardens to Stadium MK in Milton Keynes where the capacity is almost double that of their own ground at 30,000. The two clubs played each other there in 2015 when 27,411 spectators watched the Saints win.
“That match showed we are capable of hosting a big occasion,” said the Northampton chief executive, Allan Robson. “The stands were packed with black, green and gold shirts and the atmosphere was fantastic. Stadium MK is a top venue [it was used during last year’s Rugby World Cup] and the players and coaches are comfortable playing there and consider it a home from home.
“In an era when clubs are becoming increasingly competitive and the salary cap is being raised significantly, a 30,000 attendance at a game like this once a season generates a significant increase in revenue.
“This in turn helps us maintain our investment in the playing effort and improve our chances of bringing success to Northampton.”
What has become the traditional London double-header returns to Twickenham on the opening weekend on 3 September after being moved back in the calendar last season because of the World Cup. It features the champions, Saracens, facing Worcester and promoted Bristol taking on Harlequins who return to the ground before Christmas to take on another west country club, Gloucester.
Bath are looking to turn their Twickenham encounter with Leicester into a family day out. Ticket prices start at £15 for adults and £5 for children and a “three-zoned mini-city” will be set up in the stadium’s precincts with stage acts and Bath players past and present among the attractions, while there will be music acts and pyrotechnics inside the ground closer to the kick-off.
“We are putting on a superb, affordable family day out that will have fun and entertainment for all ages with the added bonus of a fantastic game of rugby as the centrepiece,” said the Bath chief executive, Tarquin McDonald. “It will allow our wider supporter base the chance to see a game that they would not ordinarily get.”
There will be no repeat of last year’s American adventure in which London Irish took on Saracens in New Jersey, the first of an anticipated three matches in the US for the Exiles. Their relegation from the Premiership last May has left the initiative in limbo, although it would likely be revived if Irish secured promotion at the first attempt.
London Irish were a rarity in the Premiership last season in being tenants at a football ground, something that was once commonplace. It meant that, unlike other clubs who used to be in that position, such as Saracens and Wasps, they were unable to exploit commercially where they played outside match days.
Irish will remain at the Madejski Stadium this season, although one half of the ground will be closed to save costs, and their lease there runs for another 10 years, but they are considering a move closer to their home in Sunbury with Brentford Football Club planning a new 20,000 stadium.
Irish’s stay in the top flight ended when they lost at Wasps, who have appointed the England second-row Joe Launchbury as their captain.
