Featured image credit: Saracens
Premiership rugby union team Saracens has extended its deal with Tottenham Hotspur to play an annual fixture at the Premier League football club’s stadium.
Through the extended deal, Saracens said ‘The Showdown’ will continue to be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the next four years, until 2028. Taking place the week after the climax of the Six Nations, The Showdown is the first chance for supporters to see the world’s biggest stars in club action once they return from international duty.
Saracens initially agreed a five-year deal to play an annual showpiece match at the new home of Tottenham back in April 2019, pre-COVID-19. Saracens previously held its showpiece match at Wembley Stadium and London Stadium, with The Showdown eventually debuting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022.
This year’s fixture between London rivals Saracens and Harlequins was staged in front of a crowd of over 60,000 on March 23, and also attracted the highest ever average television audience in the history of Premiership Rugby. The fixture will be repeated for The Showdown 5, which will be held on March 22 next year.
Saracens’ home ground is StoneX Stadium, with naming rights to the venue being extended last month.
Saracens CEO Mark Thompson said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Tottenham Hotspur for another four years.
“Our annual match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has become one of the biggest dates of the domestic rugby calendar and it continues to go from strength to strength. Everyone from our players to our fans can’t wait to return next year for Showdown 5.”
Ryan Norys, chief revenue officer of Tottenham Hotspur, added: “Hosting ‘The Showdown’ every year is another example of how the biggest and best events in sport and entertainment are coming to London N17. This has a huge, positive impact on our local economy and creates diverse revenue streams for the club to continue investing in its football activities.”
In July, Bristol Bears announced plans to take the first Premiership game to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Dubbed the ‘Big Day Out’, the 2024-25 season fixture will take place in Round 16 on May 10, with Bath the opposition.
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