London Broncos Moving Update

[Henson Park Old Firm]

31 minutes ago, Clogiron said:

I seem to recall the Cougar's had a previous owner who had a substance problem that meant he was out in space for much of the time!

I stand corrected.

[westlondonfan]

8 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

25 quid a ticket.  No offers for children,  no mascot to promote club.  No manger,  players being picked off.  Where is the plan for next season?

Watch Danny Ward’s interview on Sky with Brian Carney after his leaving the Broncos.There is no strategic plan for London.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

On 16/07/2021 at 15:20, ATLANTISMAN said:

20 years ago The Storm I would have agreed with you but after 4 children and a 21 year age gap I am happy to get my pocket money and be a good boy ,she happily wears the trousers (Thats what you get being married to a Russian) 

 

Personal question, Paul who is 21 years older you or the wife ?

[Cumbrian Mackem]

8 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

Personal question, Paul who is 21 years older you or the wife ?

Yeah, that’s what’s most important. Never mind the broncos, spill the beans marra

[ATLANTISMAN]

53 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

Personal question, Paul who is 21 years older you or the wife ?

I am the lucky one she is 21 years younger then me LOL:)

But she is on warning to keep her looks ,otherwise I might in a few years time be tempted to go the ting tong route

Only joking

 

Paul

[BJW]

On 17/07/2021 at 22:42, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Maybe they are impressed that London is the only club in the world to claim that there former owner has been into space...

Depends which definition you go on, he went into space according to NASA and FAA who class space as starting at 50 miles (80km) above the surface. However the Karman Line, much more recognised as being the start of space, is set at 62 miles (100km). Branson's vessel reached about 53 miles altitude.

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

8 hours ago, BJW said:

Depends which definition you go on, he went into space according to NASA and FAA who class space as starting at 50 miles (80km) above the surface. However the Karman Line, much more recognised as being the start of space, is set at 62 miles (100km). Branson's vessel reached about 53 miles altitude.

The funniest thing about Branson's 'space flight' is that it got hardly any media coverage.... 

[BJW]

Messaged Wimbledon about their ground and parking and received this today (edited couple of previous paragraphs out as not relevant to parking);

Unfortunately we don’t have any parking on site at the stadium and there is limited on street parking nearby. The nearest stations to the ground are Earlsfield which runs from London Waterloo and is about a 15 minute walk of the ground or Wimbledon Park tube station on the District Lane and again is about a 15 minute walk from the ground.

Regards 

David Charles

Club Secretary

AFC Wimbledon

[Magic XIII]

13 minutes ago, BJW said:

Messaged Wimbledon about their ground and parking and received this today (edited couple of previous paragraphs out as not relevant to parking);

Unfortunately we don’t have any parking on site at the stadium and there is limited on street parking nearby. The nearest stations to the ground are Earlsfield which runs from London Waterloo and is about a 15 minute walk of the ground or Wimbledon Park tube station on the District Lane and again is about a 15 minute walk from the ground.

Regards 

David Charles

Club Secretary

AFC Wimbledon

See, easily accessed!!!! At least Ealing has parking ........

[Man of Kent]

If anyone wants a free sample of Plough Lane, you can attend the (free!) test event (for free!) on 31 July: https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/news/2021/july/scunthorpe-tickets-now-available/

[crashmon]

19 hours ago, BJW said:

Messaged Wimbledon about their ground and parking and received this today (edited couple of previous paragraphs out as not relevant to parking);

Unfortunately we don’t have any parking on site at the stadium and there is limited on street parking nearby. The nearest stations to the ground are Earlsfield which runs from London Waterloo and is about a 15 minute walk of the ground or Wimbledon Park tube station on the District Lane and again is about a 15 minute walk from the ground.

Regards 

David Charles

Club Secretary

AFC Wimbledon

Yea when I looked on google maps there was nothing nearby

The point is Brentford had nothing nearby either but got into an arrangement with a local school, who allowed parking for pre-booked fans as long as the games where on a sat or sun.

Shame that LB / Dons don't seem interested in trying to find something similar. As I am sure that it would have a good uptake.

Also if you have 4 people coming in from a distance its much cheaper for fuel + parking, then it is for 4 seperate train tickets (not to mention your not reliant on sunday trains if you live outside M25)

 

[Man of Kent]

1 hour ago, crashmon said:

Yea when I looked on google maps there was nothing nearby

The point is Brentford had nothing nearby either but got into an arrangement with a local school, who allowed parking for pre-booked fans as long as the games where on a sat or sun.

Shame that LB / Dons don't seem interested in trying to find something similar. As I am sure that it would have a good uptake.

 

It's being worked on, trust me.

[crashmon]

22 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

It's being worked on, trust me.

Yes, if they can something working for 2022 RL season that would help in getting some fans back, who just can't get to PL on Public transport.

Hoping we still have a LB team of some form in 2022 (but thats not an issue Dons can solve nor should they be expected to )

[BJW]

9 hours ago, crashmon said:

Yea when I looked on google maps there was nothing nearby

The point is Brentford had nothing nearby either but got into an arrangement with a local school, who allowed parking for pre-booked fans as long as the games where on a sat or sun.

Shame that LB / Dons don't seem interested in trying to find something similar. As I am sure that it would have a good uptake.

Also if you have 4 people coming in from a distance its much cheaper for fuel + parking, then it is for 4 seperate train tickets (not to mention your not reliant on sunday trains if you live outside M25)

 

Was a fair amount of parking near Brentford if you knew where to look. Having lived in Hounslow and had friends who went to Brentford for the soccer then they had plenty of suggestions. Looking at Google Maps, Wimbledon doesn't seem to offer the same possibilities.

[bangersandmash]

Is a game at Plough Lane likely before the end of the season? 

[westlondonfan]

Will the summer season pass that I bought now cover the next match at Trailfinders I wonder ?

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 19/07/2021 at 23:57, BJW said:

Depends which definition you go on, he went into space according to NASA and FAA who class space as starting at 50 miles (80km) above the surface. However the Karman Line, much more recognised as being the start of space, is set at 62 miles (100km). Branson's vessel reached about 53 miles altitude.

I wish Sammut and Meadows could find some ******  space against top half teams

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 22/07/2021 at 21:13, BJW said:

Was a fair amount of parking near Brentford if you knew where to look. Having lived in Hounslow and had friends who went to Brentford for the soccer then they had plenty of suggestions. Looking at Google Maps, Wimbledon doesn't seem to offer the same possibilities.

Wimbledon is about as anti car in London as it gets.... Is there any news about any nearby schools/colleges etc offering some parking? 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 22/07/2021 at 13:13, Man of Kent said:

It's being worked on, trust me.

Just seen this

[Man of Kent]

7 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Just seen this

Here's a tip: https://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/locations/merton/wandle-meadow-nature-park/ 

Free at weekends and half a mile from the ground.

[Clogiron]

On 19/07/2021 at 23:57, BJW said:

Depends which definition you go on, he went into space according to NASA and FAA who class space as starting at 50 miles (80km) above the surface. However the Karman Line, much more recognised as being the start of space, is set at 62 miles (100km). Branson's vessel reached about 53 miles altitude.

A mate had one of those, a VW Karman Ghia, I don't remember it going into space but I bet he wishes he still had it as the prices are now stratospheric.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

15 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Here's a tip: https://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/locations/merton/wandle-meadow-nature-park/ 

Free at weekends and half a mile from the ground.

I'm still not coming 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

16 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Here's a tip: https://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/locations/merton/wandle-meadow-nature-park/ 

Free at weekends and half a mile from the ground.

OK, I might

[Man of Kent]

Latest from LB (typos not mine, this is a cut & paste job)

 

September Supporter Meeting

Members of the clubs management enjoyed a positive first meeting with supporters last week as our first Supporter consultation took place in Central London.
 
Chief Executive Jason Loubser and Head of Commercial James Milner met with a group of Broncos long term fans to establish the potential for a focus group to become a regular feature and discuss the concerns of supporters as we come off the back of a very difficult period for the club.
 
This initial meeting was a relaxed general discussion however some questions were asked that we felt would be of interest to the wider fan base.
 
The first point raised was a concern over the team going part time in 2021 and how that leaves the clubs future in terms of ambitions of Super League. CEO Jason Loubser gave the group a detailed explanation of how the financial situation across the game is going through a huge change which is likely to result in the Broncos being hundreds of thousands of pounds worse off in 2022 than in 2021 and 2020. An estimate of 86% reduction in central funding is expected which is probably going to leave several clubs in serious problems so we are taking steps to ensure the club is stable and able to come back stronger in future seasons.

On top of this our owner David Hughes has been injecting huge amounts of cash in order to keep the first team Full Time in what is predominantly a part time competition and it has been decided that this simply cannot continue. 2021 has been very disappointing on the field for the First Team and the justification for spending the sort of money it takes to remain full time cannot be found. We have had some big positives with the Academy continuing to hold it’s own with Super League sides and our Ladies team doing themselves proud in their first ever season.
 
The group were reassured that whilst the playing staff would become part time players this was not a reflection of the club resigning itself to Championship Rugby League and the focus was now very much on marketing the move to Plough Lane and ensuring that we maximize the potential of that new beginning.
 
This led to further questions on the move to Plough Lane, how the club plans to build the average attendance, community engagement and memberships. It was explained by James Milner that the focus will be a milt-pronged attack on several groups including, but not exclusively, families, community club partners, AFC Wimbledon Fans and the event seeker. It was explained that making elite sport affordable to families in London was a key part of the plan with attention going on family season tickets in our Community section which will contain a no-alcohol zone. This will also hopefully give those who prefer not to be around Alcohol an opportunity to enjoy the game in separate surroundings.
 
Positive discussions have already started with our community club partners around their involvement in the Community stand, playing curtain raisers and being mascots ahead of First Team Games and their feedback has been very good.
 
It was explained that several Home fixtures will be planned as ‘events’ with specific target markets being catered for to try and attract new supporters via a ‘side door’ and other reasons to attend the game such as live music, a ‘theme’ around matches such as an ‘80’s music event’ or Street Food/Real Ale festival.
 
The club officials also suggested a new style membership scheme could be offered if this can be facilitated by our ticketing partners and the Lough Lane system which would see supporters be able to support the club in a number of ways, some of which not involving a large upfront payment but still reward them for their loyalty by attending games.
 
Away from the room our supporter who unfortunately was taken ill emailed some interesting questions which were answered remotely. These included a question on poor communication from the club in 2021 with a specific mention of communication not being consolidated across all social media channels.

The clubs response to this was that we communicated as much as possible in 2021 but for much of this year there was simply no updates possible. It has always been felt that if the club puts out an update that says nothing it would be criticized for not really saying anything but if it says nothing at all it is still criticized.

On the specific issue of Plough Lane we held a dignified silence throughout much of the process as it was not our business to be communicating to fans about something that was not official. This was widely praised by fans of AFC Wimbledon on social media. On the question of Social media the club feels the output is significantly improved in 2021 and everything is absolutely consolidated across all channels.

Due to GD PR regulations the club is about to reset it’s marketing database and ask any supporter who wishes to be communicated with to sign up to a new database so emails will go out far more regularly in future.
 
A further question from the same absent supporter was asked regarding the change from a squad that was a mix of quality players from the UK and Australia to one that is majority Academy products and is this the future? The clubs response on this was that above all else the current financial climate is the main thing dictating how we build our squad. Many clubs in our division, and potentially Super League, have players funded by ‘Squad Builder’ initiatives from supporters and other innovative ways to assist and we are open to discussions on this but in the main the club will only sign players within a pare-agreed wage structure and who fulfill the attributes to fit into the culture we intend to create at the London Broncos.

Signing players from Australia is no longer an easy option given the current visa regulations and leaving the EU rules out the EU Passport holder option too. However the club still has several contacts in Australia speaking to the CEO with potential options and we would never rule out bringing in overseas players with potential, in fact we are in current dialogue with Australian and Kiwi players as well as many British based athletes.

[Archie Gordon]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

Latest from LB (typos not mine, this is a cut & paste job)

...

Cheers. Where is this published?

Edit: Found this in my email inbox as it is addressed to season ticket holders.

Ok - aside from some things being inaccurate and others doubtful, this is not very encouraging. The idea that mailing this to tens of email addresses is putting it to "the wider fan base" is laughable. 

My favourite part is where they say we didn't put many comms out in 2021 because we had nothing much to say.

Good luck with families (this one is gone, partly because, like others, we never received the t-shirt that came with membership), community clubs (never hear anything from the club anymore), AFCW fans (who knows?), and especially the "event seekers". Ah, the event seekers.