01 Oct 2014
Chelsea potentially planning Twickenham move
BY Tom Anstey
Chelsea Football Club is reportedly looking into the possibility of temporarily moving to Twickenham rugby stadium while the club’s home of Stamford Bridge is redeveloped.
The Rugby Football Union has confirmed it has been in contact for the Premier League club to move to the home of the England national rugby union side, though the 82,000-capacity stadium has never previously hosted a football match in its history.
"We have had an enquiry from Chelsea FC but have not had any discussions of any substance,” said a statement from the RFU.
Chelsea revealed in June that it had appointed Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands (LDS) as lead architects to explore how the club can increase stadium capacity at Stamford Bridge after failing to find a new home in London – including a bid to move into Battersea Power Station, which was rejected in favour of a housing and leisure development.
Any possible move could not take place before the 2016-17 season as Twickenham is the main host venue for the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
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