Wembley Stadium played host to the Barbarians and Australia in December last year attracting a crowd of 50,000 © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

News: Sarries recruitment drive snares Nieto

News: Farrell calls time on playing career

News: Saracens play down "revolution" fears

News: Wray talks up South African involvement

Tournaments/Tours: Guinness Premiership

Teams: England | Saracens

Saracens are set to confirm that they will play two fixtures at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium next season and are confident that they can fill the iconic venue.

The Daily Mail reports that the Guinness Premiership club are close to finalising a deal to switch two matches to the home of English football - one in November and a second in April.

Sarries' chief executive Edward Griffiths told the newspaper, "It might sound ambitious but we are absolutely convinced it can be done. We are very close to confirming the terms of our agreement and have pencilled in two dates for next season.

"We believe that the combination of an iconic stadium, imaginative pre-match entertainment and a first-class rugby match, all at competitive prices, makes this a realistic ambition. The aim is to make it a family day out in a full house and give them the Wembley experience at a fraction of what they would otherwise pay.

"There are enough people and enough rugby clubs out there in north London, Essex and Kent to make this work. We are not doing this to make a quick buck. We are doing it as a brand-building exercise to put Saracens back on a different level."

The club will also need to agree suitable fixtures to be switched with Premier Rugby, the umbrella organisation for England's leading clubs. The move follows Harlequins' successful decision to stage their Premiership clash with Leicester this season at Twickenham that saw the game achieve a 50,000-limited sell-out.

Such marketing methods have also been used in the French Top 14 where Stade Francais president Max Guazzini has hired the 80,000-capacity Stade de France for his club's big matches and sold out the stadium using ticket promotions.

Yesterday, chiarman Nigel Wray defended the influence of the clubs's South African co-owners who made a significant investment in the club earlier this year and the clubs's intention is to tap into the large ex-pat Springbok community in London.

"We need to widen our market and engage the South African community on top of our own community to make the whole thing tick," he said. "That's the problem with rugby union -- it's not ticking. We are losing between £2m and £3m per annum and half the clubs are losing the same amount. It's a very serious situation in the midst of the worst recession we have ever seen. We are not sustainable as we are. I want this club to be thriving long after I've gone. I want the pride and satisfaction of creating something which endures. For that to happen, the club has to stand on its own feet financially."

Club rugby's biggest attendances: (Source: Daily Mail)
81,600 - Leicester v Wasps, Twickenham, Premiership Final - May 2007
81,076 - Leicester v Wasps, Twickenham, Heineken Cup Final - May 2008
79,779 - Stade Francais v Toulouse, Paris, Top 14 - March 2008
79,741 - Stade Francais v Toulouse, Paris, Top 14 - January 2007
79,619 - Stade Francais v Biarritz, Paris, Top 14 - October 2006