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London Broncos Moving Update


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15 hours ago, Oldbear said:

Every time I hear heartland fans saying that RL doesn’t work in London I keep coming back to this point. The truth is that the organization of the Broncos has probably been as damaging to the progression of RL in the capital as any other factor, it’s really quite scary how they seem to constantly fail to get the basics right. I wonder where RL would be in London if it was even semi competently run.

Absolutely spot on.

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I'm really tied on which of the stadiums would be better, they are both great options and a huge step up from the places we were playing at in the last few years.

I think the club could move forward at either location but I lean towards Brentford as my preferred option for the reasons that it's in the catchment area where London have existed the most and where most of the existing grass roots activity is happening. The ground capacity is an issue but it could turn out to be a positive because it could force the club to take aspects of it's governance more seriously and tackle issues around poor crowds which stems from poor marketing and lack of communication from the club. 

Stadia wise Brentford is on par with the best facilities in RL, Stade Ernest Wallon, Headingley, JJB Stadium, KC Stadium and Saints stadiums are all the best and this is up there with this caliber.  The size of the stadium may force the Broncos to become ambitious again and become one of the best in the country. 

My bigger concern with Brentford is that they already have an agreement in place with London Irish and like that old saying two is company three's a crowd, out of the three the Broncos could end up being the least advantaged in terms of having to move fixtures around and access to the facility. 

Let's see how this plays out, but whatever happens the club really needs to up it's game in regards to visibility, marketing, fan engagement, and performances on the field if it is to be as great a club as I know it can.

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3 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

I'm really tied on which of the stadiums would be better, they are both great options and a huge step up from the places we were playing at in the last few years.

I think the club could move forward at either location but I lean towards Brentford as my preferred option for the reasons that it's in the catchment area where London have existed the most and where most of the existing grass roots activity is happening. The ground capacity is an issue but it could turn out to be a positive because it could force the club to take aspects of it's governance more seriously and tackle issues around poor crowds which stems from poor marketing and lack of communication from the club. 

Stadia wise Brentford is on par with the best facilities in RL, Stade Ernest Wallon, Headingley, JJB Stadium, KC Stadium and Saints stadiums are all the best and this is up there with this caliber.  The size of the stadium may force the Broncos to become ambitious again and become one of the best in the country. 

My bigger concern with Brentford is that they already have an agreement in place with London Irish and like that old saying two is company three's a crowd, out of the three the Broncos could end up being the least advantaged in terms of having to move fixtures around and access to the facility. 

Let's see how this plays out, but whatever happens the club really needs to up it's game in regards to visibility, marketing, fan engagement, and performances on the field if it is to be as great a club as I know it can.

You would think they need an answer ASAP so that fixtures can be sorted. If it's Brentford they would need to fit in and around Union and football. Wimbledon just football. With both any other events the may have scheduled. Haven't Wigan had issues with football clashes.

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10 minutes ago, Wire quin said:

You would think they need an answer ASAP so that fixtures can be sorted. If it's Brentford they would need to fit in and around Union and football. Wimbledon just football. With both any other events the may have scheduled. Haven't Wigan had issues with football clashes.

Watched part of the Brentford v Bournemouth match the other night , the pitch was not looking very good , lots of bare patches at RU specific area's 

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Would be amazed if Brentford was an option. I would expect Wimbledon would be a little more receptive to working around pitch renovations, but with Brentford having Premier League ambitions and already having RU damage the pitch then it’s inevitable the Broncos would be turfed out for 6 weeks of the season. 

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40 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Would be amazed if Brentford was an option. I would expect Wimbledon would be a little more receptive to working around pitch renovations, but with Brentford having Premier League ambitions and already having RU damage the pitch then it’s inevitable the Broncos would be turfed out for 6 weeks of the season. 

That's a good point 

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Broncos should only go to Brentford if it's a better deal financially AND they're not going to be forced out for a few weeks each summer for pitch repairs. 

Given both those things are unlikely, and there are few other benefits of the location, Wimbledon remains the best bet for me. 

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1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

If the broncos move to Wimbledon doesn’t this increase the chances of creating some new grassroots RL clubs in the Wimbledon and greater south west London area as well?

My hope is the two clubs work together for mutual benefit. Not only for player development (perhaps using AFCW Foundation contacts/expertise/infrastructure to offer RL sessions for yoof) but also AFCW community liaison infrastructure (we have a big bank of volunteers) to boost crowds.

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1 hour ago, Cumbrian Mackem said:

If the broncos move to Wimbledon doesn’t this increase the chances of creating some new grassroots RL clubs in the Wimbledon and greater south west London area as well?

Only if they stay there for a decent amount of time 

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7 hours ago, Wire quin said:

When Leneghan joined Quins there was a noticeable improvement on corporate sales, marketing........ after that ........

Yes absolutely Wire Quin. It’s just a pity he left but in the circumstances you can’t blame him. As you allude to after that all that positivity dissipated. 

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If you read the statement from Loubser, he doesn't actually say they are still in negotiations with 2 clubs - just that they entered negotiations with 2. He then goes on to talk about Wimbledon and a new training ground, and never mentions the other option again. Could well be that the other option fell away already.

Or it could be that both are on still the table. As ever, the club's communications fall short in giving any real clarity.

Also, in typical Broncos fashion, they say they won't comment further on this out of respect for Wimbledon and their fans - but what about their own fans? This story emerged 3 weeks ago and they've only now acknowledged it. But it's all ok, the new 'official' supporters club has done its job - splitting the few remaining fans in half and sidelining the LBSA.

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."

Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

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11 hours ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Would be amazed if Brentford was an option. I would expect Wimbledon would be a little more receptive to working around pitch renovations, but with Brentford having Premier League ambitions and already having RU damage the pitch then it’s inevitable the Broncos would be turfed out for 6 weeks of the season. 

I can't imaging for a minute that Brentford is the second option (briefly) mentioned by the Broncos. There's no way they'd want three teams playing there. It's just people making assumptions based on a one line comment by the CEO.

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."

Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

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11 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

My hope is the two clubs work together for mutual benefit. Not only for player development (perhaps using AFCW Foundation contacts/expertise/infrastructure to offer RL sessions for yoof) but also AFCW community liaison infrastructure (we have a big bank of volunteers) to boost crowds.

That’s the height of optimism 

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7 hours ago, nadera78 said:

I can't imaging for a minute that Brentford is the second option (briefly) mentioned by the Broncos. There's no way they'd want three teams playing there. It's just people making assumptions based on a one line comment by the CEO.

Maybe they’re trying to negotiate a better deal at Trailfinders?

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17 hours ago, Archie Gordon said:

Call me an a old-fashioned and reactionary miserablist but I would prefer games with extra fans rather than extra seats. I am not much enthused by the latter. 

Generally clubs in all sports have found that by having the latter you are better able to grow the numbers of the former

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5 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

I think you have the causality inverted. 

 

Well no, in RL alone, renovating or moving grounds has had an upwards effect on crowds at most clubs. Partly because improved facilities are easier to sell, and partly because it usually coincides with a growth mindset at a given club.

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