London Broncos Moving Update

[nadera78]

9 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

There's a few miserable feckwits following London, sadly. Possibly why there are so few of them.

Yeah, the average attendance dropped from 4,500 to 1,000 because of some "miserable fans".

[HarrogateKnights]

How many stadiums is now in 40 odd years it must be close on 7 or 8. They have played in pretty much every area from North (Barnet), East, South (Take your pick) West (Ealing) no wonder they struggle to obtain a growing fan base from Barnet to Wimbledon has got to be a 50 mile drive. If they do make the move this has to be the last for sustanbility. Although saying that Wimbledon dogs used to be a good night out with friendly locals so hopefully they get that market. 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

Most London fans on here seem quite positive about this move as far as I can see. They realise its what is needed for London to progress and grow into a club that is capable of being a Super League club again with the capability to stay in the top flight. I'll admit I'm an outsider looking in but I see no future for London beyond what they currently are at Ealing.

Brentford is an upgrade, Wimbledon (or anywhere else TBH) is as risky a move as any of the others we've done.

I'm not convinced we should be pushing to be a Super League team right now, I'd rather we got used to existing properly again for a bit.

[Man of Kent]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

I may have used colourful language but I did think I saw something about not wanting another football team involved.

Like with Broncos, it depends on the offer. There's £10m of debt on the books, with no sugar daddy.

[Dr Tim Whatley]

1 hour ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

From an outsider, the lack of communication between London and their fans seems shocking. Have they even told the fans that Kieran Dixon, one of their most recognisable and high-profile players, is no longer at the club and was announced by York a month ago?

That had genuinely passed me by. So there you go!

[Hela Wigmen]

I can’t see why it would be rejected, in all honesty. 

[gingerjon]

7 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

I can’t see why it would be rejected, in all honesty. 

By Wimbledon?

They'd be absolutely nuts to. They're massively in debt - as per MoK's reminder - and really need additional income streams.

[lucky 7]

So at the moment it's conjecture. Perhaps let's wait and see and then pass comment then.

From the outside looking in, crowds can't get any worse than at Ealing for them and I'm sure they will pick up new fans IF They move to Wimbledon.

[Wanderer]

37 minutes ago, HarrogateKnights said:

How many stadiums is now in 40 odd years it must be close on 7 or 8. They have played in pretty much every area from North (Barnet), East, South (Take your pick) West (Ealing) no wonder they struggle to obtain a growing fan base from Barnet to Wimbledon has got to be a 50 mile drive. If they do make the move this has to be the last for sustanbility. Although saying that Wimbledon dogs used to be a good night out with friendly locals so hopefully they get that market. 

Broncos, the rugby league club for the whole of London

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

Madness. With the exception of one horrible season in Barnet, Broncos have played in West London for almost 20 years now... why on earth would they want to up sticks to somewhere an hour’s travel away in South London? 
 

 

[Spidey]

8 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

Madness. With the exception of one horrible season in Barnet, Broncos have played in West London for almost 20 years now... why on earth would they want to up sticks to somewhere an hour’s travel away in South London? 
 

 

They’ve played at The Stoop within those 20 years so it’s not always been in West London

[Tommygilf]

4 minutes ago, Spidey said:

They’ve played at The Stoop within those 20 years so it’s not always been in West London

Twickenham is still West London TBF

[lucky 7]

IF this move does materialise does anybody know how far is the ground from the nearest BR/Underground stations?

[Tommygilf]

14 minutes ago, Hull Kingston Bronco said:

Madness. With the exception of one horrible season in Barnet, Broncos have played in West London for almost 20 years now... why on earth would they want to up sticks to somewhere an hour’s travel away in South London? 
 

 

But where in West London can they become a Super League club? At Ealing they can be a happy championship club but no more realistically.

Griffin Park doesn't exist anymore sadly. New Brentford already has London Irish there. Twickenham Stoop and the Harlequins renaming was genuine cock up all round. Loftus Road is too small a pitch? Fulham?

Realistically they don't need a 20k plus stadium that will be mostly empty, ask Huddersfield or Salford how that affects atmosphere. That limits them severely within London nevermind a quarter of it! After that, they need a ground that is better than Ealing to grow from. Of stadiums around that mark within London, such as the Hive or Saracens, NPL actually becomes quite logical

[ATLANTISMAN]

I am split on this however have got to actually like Ealing (Even though its a 90 minute drive from my home in Kent) IMHO for what its worth any code of rugby sits better in West London than any other part of London.

Wimbledon I dont really fancy it (Even though its 55 mins according to google maps from home)

Fulham/Brentford/QPR/Harlequins/Ealing any of them is cool with me.

Paul

[Tommygilf]

7 minutes ago, lucky 7 said:

IF this move does materialise does anybody know how far is the ground from the nearest BR/Underground stations?

I believe the closest is Earlsfield (on the mainline from Waterloo) but I could be wrong!

[Blind side johnny]

2 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

I am split on this however have got to actually like Ealing (Even though its a 90 minute drive from my home in Kent) IMHO for what its worth any code of rugby sits better in West London than any other part of London.

Wimbledon I dont really fancy it (Even though its 55 mins according to google maps from home)

Fulham/Brentford/QPR/Harlequins/Ealing any of them is cool with me.

Paul

As a stranger to the south is there any particular reason for not liking Wimbledon as an area to visit? (Genuine question.)

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

1 hour ago, HarrogateKnights said:

How many stadiums is now in 40 odd years it must be close on 7 or 8. They have played in pretty much every area from North (Barnet), East, South (Take your pick) West (Ealing) no wonder they struggle to obtain a growing fan base from Barnet to Wimbledon has got to be a 50 mile drive. If they do make the move this has to be the last for sustanbility. Although saying that Wimbledon dogs used to be a good night out with friendly locals so hopefully they get that market. 

I don't wish to sound rude or unsympathetic, HK, but are you in danger of pandering to nesh Londoners?

As far as I can see, Barnet to Wimbledon - the instance you cite - is a single, no changes, tube journey of an hour in each direction.  Even on a Sunday, there appears to be a train every fifteen minutes before 6am.

Sorry if I sound a tad unsympathetic, but I used to have London office colleagues whose idea of a transport crisis seemed to be having to wait at least ten minutes for a tube train in the rush hour.  Given we worked for a rural areas agency, i did sometimes invite them to consider the dilemma of someone whose market days only bus service had just been withdrawn, or there were no buses home from the nearest larger town after about 4.30pm, so you couldn't use public transport for journeys to and from work.

I think transport problems are, like beauty, very much in the eye of the beholder.  Londoners have it on a plate, as far as I can see, but don't always get that.

Incidentally, your pen name suggests that you may be a fan of York City Knights.  If so, isn't your round trip to home matches about 50 miles, the same as Barnet to and from Wimbledon?

[Lobbygobbler]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

I believe the closest is Earlsfield (on the mainline from Waterloo) but I could be wrong!

Haydons Road is the nearest station. I hope this move comes off. I used to live in South Wimbledon/Colliers Wood so know the area well. Many ways to get there. There is a bus from Wimbedon or South Wimbledon (via bottom of Haydons Road) to one end of Plough Lane, or the bus from Tooting Broadway northwards to the other. Or you can get the bus down from Earlsfield

[Hela Wigmen]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

By Wimbledon?

They'd be absolutely nuts to. They're massively in debt - as per MoK's reminder - and really need additional income streams.

Sorry, yeah, by Wimbledon. 

Given the fact some of the ground was paid for by bonds that need repaying at some point and no guarantee of crowds at their normal level and other income streams being hit, I think they’d be mad to turn down a guaranteed amount of money for the next few years. 

[Archie Gordon]

Would somebody please just explain how we will suddenly be playing in front of crowds >4k by moving to Wimbledon when we haven't had a 4k crowd in perhaps a decade? We are currently a Championship side with around 700 match day supporters; 1000 if we are in Super League. The fact is that even ETSG is too big for us, especially in the Championship.

[ATLANTISMAN]

24 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

As a stranger to the south is there any particular reason for not liking Wimbledon as an area to visit? (Genuine question.)

Well when one thinks of Wimbledon one thinks of Tennis  This is 100% not the Tennis area of Wimbledon all I remember about Plough Lane (From the Dickie Guy in goal days when they were in the old Southern League) is a miserable dump with electricity pylons.

Think Tooting/Croydon YUK

South London best areas IMHO are Beckenham/Bromley (Especially Beckenham its Kent CCC second ground) and is renowned for lots of banks and insurance companies sports grounds.

 

Paul

[Man of Kent]

27 minutes ago, lucky 7 said:

IF this move does materialise does anybody know how far is the ground from the nearest BR/Underground stations?

Walking, it's 0.6 miles from Haydons Road station (Thameslink) 0.9 miles from Earlsfield (train every 2 mins or so, 12 mins to Waterloo), 0.9 miles from Tooting Broadway tube (Northern line), 1.3 miles from Wimbledon station (train, tram and District line tube).

By comparison, Trailfinders is 1.7 miles from Ealing Broadway. There are train stations closer but they are closed on Sundays when Broncos usually play home games.

[gingerjon]

4 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

Would somebody please just explain how we will suddenly be playing in front of crowds >4k by moving to Wimbledon when we haven't had a 4k crowd in perhaps a decade? We are currently a Championship side with around 700 match day supporters; 1000 if we are in Super League. The fact is that even ETSG is too big for us, especially in the Championship.

What you're not seeing is that *this time* we're going to be tenants of a different football club to previous times and in an area of London that's been completely disinterested in any code of rugby since forever. We can't fail!

[Wire quin]

As a long time fan of the Broncos I hope this comes off. It hasn't been the same since we left The Stoop which was a great stadium. The Hive at Barnet & Ealing just hasn't worked for me.

It would be interesting to understand why they fancy moving as they've always promoted the relationship between Trailfinders and the Broncos as being great. The first team, academy and reserves all train there. There is a good gym on site, 2 pitches to train on.......

I get the sense Franchising is returning and they are preparing for the stadium question. Ealing is more than adequate for the number of fans it needs to accommodate in both the Championship and SL(as we saw last year). Elstone when he visited said 'this isn't SL'.