LONDON BRONCOS have moved to a new training ground in Surrey once used by rugby union club London Irish.
The ambitious Championship club are now co-owned by Brisbane Broncos legend Darren Lockyer and Australian mining magnate Grant Wechsel, with renowned Rugby League administrator Gary Hetherington also a director.
With a return to Super League the objective (after missing out on this year’s applications process), the capital club has brought in Jason Demetriou to take charge of a new-look full-time squad already bolstered by a string of overseas signings, including former Australia and New South Wales prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard and five Papua New Guinea internationals, fullback Morea Morea, centre Robert Mathias, halfbacks Finley Glare and Gairo Voro and forward Epel Kapinias.
Former London Broncos player and coach Danny Ward has been made Demetriou’s assistant after playing his part in Hull KR’s treble triumph this year, with ex-coach Mike Eccles now director of rugby.
And while playing matches at the Cherry Red Records Stadium in Wimbledon, the club have taken over the former London Irish training ground at Sunbury, which will also serve as their administrative base.
London Irish went into administration in 2023, following suspension by the RFU, with debts of around £30 million and they had to vacate their Hazelwood training centre, which has five full-size rugby pitches in an affluent part of Surrey, with the Broncos intending to house their players in the immediate area.
The Broncos will now become the Hazelwood Centre’s primary tenants.
The complex, where the London Irish amateur side still play, has four full-size grass pitches, one full-size synthetic (4G) pitch and twelve junior pitches plus a large clubhouse, where the Broncos’ administration will be based. It lies about 30 minutes southwest of the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
London Broncos previously trained at Rosslyn Park rugby union club’s Priory Lane base at Roehampton, west London.