London Broncos Moving Update

[gingerjon]

7 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

But would Hunslet's crowds increase by a factor of 4 if they went back to Elland Road?

Bingo

[Hela Wigmen]

2 minutes ago, RoverBear said:

 

We formed, with the help of the Broncos in January. We played in a 9s tournament pre-pandemic and then 1 game post. Some fantastic athletes from other sports who could go on to stay involved at whatever level - as fans, players or volunteers. 

That's incorrect. There's the Rutlish Raiders Junior team nearby, Richmond Warriors not that far and Brixton are probably at the top end of that 30mins. 

Is there not a team based on Clapham Common? I’m sure I read that there was a Challenge Cup game held there a few years ago, recently when I was on Wiki. 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Here we go again

[Man of Kent]

12 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Simply put, they won’t. It’s not as simple as where they play and how new the ground is.

London have historically been woeful at communicating with their fans, this move is another example of such woeful communication. A stadium move is a pretty big deal, especially across London. 

They’ve also historically been pretty bad at promoting themselves and getting their voice heard. Admittedly, that’s hard in a city like London but it can’t and shouldn’t be left to AFC Wimbledon to do so that they can help repay these bonds.

History suggests this move will be no different from most and that they’ll be on their way again in a few years, shedding a few more of an ever decreasing amount of fans, disillusioned with the contempt London Broncos treat them with. 

Broncos won't get 4k in the Championship but given they got a cramped 3k at an inadequate Ealing for Leeds, 4k in Super League at Plough Lane is well within reach. 4k in Super League is pessimistic.

[RoverBear]

5 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Is there not a team based on Clapham Common? I’m sure I read that there was a Challenge Cup game held there a few years ago, recently when I was on Wiki. 

The Chargers (and previous forms thereof) trained there (and poss still do). They play in Motspur park I believe. 

[Hela Wigmen]

4 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Broncos won't get 4k in the Championship but given they got a cramped 3k at an inadequate Ealing for Leeds, 4k in Super League at Plough Lane is well within reach. 4k in Super League is pessimistic.

They got that once. Yes, London could get 4,000 for a Super League game but how many games would they get that sort of figure? 

[Man of Kent]

1 minute ago, Hela Wigmen said:

They got that once. Yes, London could get 4,000 for a Super League game but how many games would they get that sort of figure? 

Perhaps all games bar Huddersfield and Catalans who don't travel in numbers.

I don't think some realise the difference between Trailfinders and Plough Lane.

A 10-year deal at Plough Lane is a fabulous opportunity to have a home where people won’t feel a bit of a loser for supporting the London Broncos.

[Hela Wigmen]

Just now, Man of Kent said:

Perhaps all games bar Huddersfield and Catalans who don't travel in numbers.

I don't think some realise the difference between Trailfinders and Plough Lane.

A 10-year deal at Plough Lane is a fabulous opportunity to have a home where people won’t feel a bit of a loser for supporting the London Broncos.

Where’s the evidence that London v Salford, Wakefield, Leigh etc would get 4,000? Beyond playing Leeds, Wigan, Saints or Warrington and hoping for a big away following, I just can’t see how London get such a crowd and certainly not on a regular basis given their history over the past ten or so years of attendances and their treatment of fans.

Their average will probably increase at AFCW but not by the figures quoted. 

[ATLANTISMAN]

Our best chances of more fans always seem to be with lower league and better still non league football fans.

Also the Broncos draw from a huge area.

 

P

[Man of Kent]

43 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Where’s the evidence that London v Salford, Wakefield, Leigh etc would get 4,000? Beyond playing Leeds, Wigan, Saints or Warrington and hoping for a big away following, I just can’t see how London get such a crowd and certainly not on a regular basis given their history over the past ten or so years of attendances and their treatment of fans.

Their average will probably increase at AFCW but not by the figures quoted. 

Wakey and Leigh take a few. Salford perhaps not so much. 

A Super League 4k average is totally achievable and IMO somewhat pessimistic. It's a cracking ground and AFC Wimbledon are progressive types who will support rather than resent their tenants.   

[DimmestStar]

Trailfinders is wholly inadequate even at championship level. It's more like a parks facility than a stadium and the viewing is very poor. Worst of all is the awful plastic pitch with the ball bouncing around like crazy.

If London can afford to play at Plough Lane then it would be a great move. Of course there will probably not be an immediate increase in crowds but I'm sure the usual 700 or so at Ealing can be matched. If they can get a 10 year deal then I'd also change the name to Wimbledon. 

If London Broncos have serious ambition to be a Super League club this move needs to happen.

 

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Wakey and Leigh take a few. Salford perhaps not so much. 

A Super League 4k average is totally achievable and IMO somewhat pessimistic. It's a cracking ground and AFC Wimbledon are progressive types who will support rather than resent their tenants.   

We’ll agree to disagree then. 

I just can’t see it without a complete overhaul of how Broncos operate as a club. Their comms would have to improve dramatically and they’d have to suddenly start advertising and being creative with how they gain fans. 

Your last sentence did raise a smile reading some quotes that I’ve seen since the news broke of a share. They don’t seem that progressive or supportive thus far and certainly don’t appear to be excited or interested beyond “it’ll help us with our finances”. 
 

[Man of Kent]

2 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

We’ll agree to disagree then. 

I just can’t see it without a complete overhaul of how Broncos operate as a club. Their comms would have to improve dramatically and they’d have to suddenly start advertising and being creative with how they gain fans. 

Your last sentence did raise a smile reading some quotes that I’ve seen since the news broke of a share. They don’t seem that progressive or supportive thus far and certainly don’t appear to be excited or interested beyond “it’ll help us with our finances”. 
 

Totally with you on Broncos’ virtually non-existent public relations. They will have to pull out their finger big time.

Some AFCW fans don’t like it, not all. The fans who will actually decide tend to vote with their heads. Also, the chief exec of AFCW and the chair of the Dons Trust seem to be recommending it, and that will have a big sway.

[Toby Chopra]

11 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

We’ll agree to disagree then. 

I just can’t see it without a complete overhaul of how Broncos operate as a club. Their comms would have to improve dramatically and they’d have to suddenly start advertising and being creative with how they gain fans. 

Your last sentence did raise a smile reading some quotes that I’ve seen since the news broke of a share. They don’t seem that progressive or supportive thus far and certainly don’t appear to be excited or interested beyond “it’ll help us with our finances”. 
 

I think this is what it boils down to: is this move part of a broader plan to relaunch the club in the eyes of the sporting public, with another round of investment and a better promotional operation? If it is, a move is crucial as frankly you'd be wasting time, effort and money doing it at TF where the upside is so limited. 

If, however, there are no further plans and it really is just the stadium move then it's probably not going to have an effect. 

But what is there to lose? The local Ealing crowd that has been built up over the last 5 years probably only amounts to 500 max. Worrying over such small numbers is pointless really, as a full time pro rugby club in London isn't remotely sustainable on those numbers, especially when Hughes finally puts away his chequebook, which will happen one day soon. Not being in the heartland with access to the main pool of part time players means it's either full time or bust for the Broncos, and that means they've got to make some sort of gamechanging move to turn things around. 

 

[Jeff Stein]

4 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

I think this is what it boils down to: is this move part of a broader plan to relaunch the club in the eyes of the sporting public, with another round of investment and a better promotional operation? If it is, a move is crucial as frankly you'd be wasting time, effort and money doing it at TF where the upside is so limited. 

If, however, there are no further plans and it really is just the stadium move then it's probably not going to have an effect. 

But what is there to lose? The local Ealing crowd that has been built up over the last 5 years probably only amounts to 500 max. Worrying over such small numbers is pointless really, as a full time pro rugby club in London isn't remotely sustainable on those numbers, especially when Hughes finally puts away his chequebook, which will happen one day soon. Not being in the heartland with access to the main pool of part time players means it's either full time or bust for the Broncos, and that means they've got to make some sort of gamechanging move to turn things around. 

 

Yes the elephant in the room is Hughes and what happens to the club when he finally stops paying for the club. The fans cannot expect his family to carry on with his largese.

If he is looking to further reduce his input and bring new investment in or sell the club, I cannot see how the present set up would make anyone put their hand in the pocket. Everyone new with whom I have gone to Ealing have never wanted to do it a second time and the reasons are never to do with the product on the pitch. It just is not a stadium befitting a professional club.

[Spidey]

3 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Twickenham is still West London TBF

I would have thought SW myself

[Wanderer]

anyway, all this talk about how many Bronco's would get at Plough Lane in Super league v. Salford, Saints or Wakefield is moot as they will be in the Championship for the next 12 months at least, so it's just another ground for the hoppers to add to their lists for now

[Oldbear]

A lot of interesting comments on this thread about London’s lack of communication with its fans, along with the awful PR and general level of disorganization in their front office. This I feel is the main reason why the club has never progressed over the years and as many have said, the constant ground moves and general instability with regards to their home probably loses them a number of fans with each move. Having said all that Trailfinders does not seem like a place where they can grow and certainly does not project an image of top level sport. If London is ever to realize even a proportion of its potential then it needs to address it’s off field operations urgently.

[gingerjon]

52 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

I think this is what it boils down to: is this move part of a broader plan to relaunch the club in the eyes of the sporting public, with another round of investment and a better promotional operation? If it is, a move is crucial as frankly you'd be wasting time, effort and money doing it at TF where the upside is so limited. 

If, however, there are no further plans and it really is just the stadium move then it's probably not going to have an effect. 

Thing is, there will be nothing behind it. Every move we've made in the past decade has led to a reduction in the 'core' fan base. There's no indication that that will be different this time and every indication, from no communication to fans to the regular lack of a new kit before Christmas, that this is very much plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

[The Future is League]

3 minutes ago, Oldbear said:

A lot of interesting comments on this thread about London’s lack of communication with its fans, along with the awful PR and general level of disorganization in their front office. This I feel is the main reason why the club has never progressed over the years and as many have said, the constant ground moves and general instability with regards to their home probably loses them a number of fans with each move. Having said all that Trailfinders does not seem like a place where they can grow and certainly does not project an image of top level sport. If London is ever to realize even a proportion of its potential then it needs to address it’s off field operations urgently.

Perhaps some ardent Broncos fans need to get together and do their own online match day marketing. I'm sure that would see an increase in crowds by targeting specific groups. It's time consuming and if done right it would initially see a rise in crowds, but the real hard work is keeping them crowds coming back to every home game or a majority of them, and with a population of 9 million there are plenty of people and groups to target. Just saying

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, The Future is League said:

Perhaps some ardent Broncos fans need to get together and do their own online match day marketing. I'm sure that would see an increase in crowds by targeting specific groups. It's time consuming and if done right it would initially see a rise in crowds, but the real hard work is keeping them crowds coming back to every home game or a majority of them, and with a population of 9 million there are plenty of people and groups to target. Just saying

I honestly don't know a single Broncos fan - and I've met and spoken to a fair few in person and a fair few more online - who hasn't gone well beyond the club's own marketing and outreach in terms of bringing new fans to the game, helping people come back etc etc. There's a couple of people who've bought RLWC tickets for the first time this year because in the past I kept dragging them to the Broncos for example.

[ATLANTISMAN]

1 hour ago, Toby Chopra said:

I think this is what it boils down to: is this move part of a broader plan to relaunch the club in the eyes of the sporting public, with another round of investment and a better promotional operation? If it is, a move is crucial as frankly you'd be wasting time, effort and money doing it at TF where the upside is so limited. 

If, however, there are no further plans and it really is just the stadium move then it's probably not going to have an effect. 

But what is there to lose? The local Ealing crowd that has been built up over the last 5 years probably only amounts to 500 max. Worrying over such small numbers is pointless really, as a full time pro rugby club in London isn't remotely sustainable on those numbers, especially when Hughes finally puts away his chequebook, which will happen one day soon. Not being in the heartland with access to the main pool of part time players means it's either full time or bust for the Broncos, and that means they've got to make some sort of gamechanging move to turn things around. 

 

Keep developing the academy is the key 

[Toby Chopra]

15 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

Keep developing the academy is the key 

Not really. As great a job as Broncos do bringing through youth, you can't be competitive at the top of the Championship let alone superleague with what you can develop through the London and SE player pool.

You have to have the financial power to pay full time wages to decent existing players too, and that mean pulling in 5-6k fans a week minimum. 

[Mr Frisky]

3 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

They got that once. Yes, London could get 4,000 for a Super League game but how many games would they get that sort of figure? 

4

[Manx RL]

3 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Is there not a team based on Clapham Common? I’m sure I read that there was a Challenge Cup game held there a few years ago, recently when I was on Wiki. 

Kevin Spacey will know. He’s well acquainted with the common