London Broncos (Merged Threads)

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

40 minutes ago, Enkidudu said:

1. ..... and? Wimbledon is not in the city or relatively speaking not even close to it, but given your user name I am sure you already know this. I am as likely to see Buddhist monks and South East Asians celebrating Ly Krathong there as I am to be seeing a group of Tier 1 Investment bankers chomping on Kobe beef cooked on a Teppanyaki grill.

2. This is an approach used before. It failed for obvious reasons. Most expat northerners are not RL fans, those that are have a religious loyalty to their childhood club and have little interest in a club they have no emotional attachment to. The same applies to ex-pats just even more so. The ex-pats obviously are usually here temporarily. Both groups have not been a good or reliable source.

3. 15k+ was a good crowd given the only big draw is Australia or to a lesser degree NZ. Most people who follow the sport did so because of the environment they grew up in or their family. Broncos were giving away thousands of tickets each match but the takeup was low. Free tickets were also offered to the parents of those involved in the junior game. Again not many parents took advantage of it, take the same approach in Wigan and the response would be the same.

London Broncos is arguably the problem, not the solution. For internationals in London, there is usually a good response and attendance but you will not get the same response for club games unless it is a semi-final or final.

Broncos were giving away thousands of free tickets ? Are you sure ? That woukd

have required effort that most of us down here would agree hasn’t been the strong point of those running the club over the years in that area.  

[Deadcowboys1]

39 minutes ago, Enkidudu said:

1. ..... and? Wimbledon is not in the city or relatively speaking not even close to it, but given your user name I am sure you already know this. I am as likely to see Buddhist monks and South East Asians celebrating Ly Krathong there as I am to be seeing a group of Tier 1 Investment bankers chomping on Kobe beef cooked on a Teppanyaki grill.

2. This is an approach used before. It failed for obvious reasons. Most expat northerners are not RL fans, those that are have a religious loyalty to their childhood club and have little interest in a club they have no emotional attachment to. The same applies to ex-pats just even more so. The ex-pats obviously are usually here temporarily. Both groups have not been a good or reliable source.

3. 15k+ was a good crowd given the only big draw is Australia or to a lesser degree NZ. Most people who follow the sport did so because of the environment they grew up in or their family. Broncos were giving away thousands of tickets each match but the takeup was low. Free tickets were also offered to the parents of those involved in the junior game. Again not many parents took advantage of it, take the same approach in Wigan and the response would be the same.

London Broncos is arguably the problem, not the solution. For internationals in London, there is usually a good response and attendance but you will not get the same response for club games unless it is a semi-final or final.

I see Buddhist monks in Wimbledon most days going to & from the Buddhapadipa Temple on Wimbledon Parkside, so you never know!

[Jeff Stein]

And Loy (not Ly) Krathong doesn't take place until 15 November. Very entertaining when it does though.

[Sports Prophet]

5 hours ago, Enkidudu said:

No, they should have a consistent strategy for the whole country. Advise London Broncos on their strategy, sure but they are not there to be the LRFL. Having a pro club presence in London by all means but when people talk about London they really mean Greater London, Wimbledon is relatively far from EC or Canary Wharf. The only major city in the UK (I am excluding Wakefield in this) with a ESL club is Leeds. There is a good reason for this, ignore this and it will fail. 

As for NRL taking over London, I do not think this is a good idea. Full reinstatement of development officers in the Greater London region would have a benefit. The issue will be London Broncos will struggle to hang on to their upcoming players. 

So you dispute there should be a seperate strategy but then offer no real reason, rather you just give a geography lesson to people who don’t need it.

London Broncos would be in a better position to retain players than most, assuming the club is financial. 

I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think you’ve contributed anything of value to this discussion.

[dealwithit]

8 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Here we are: https://thedonstrust.org/files/London-Broncos-Information-QA.pdf

£200k is the (minimum) Championship figure. It goes up to 500k for Super League.

The ground rental is much lower. The range provided to Dons supporters includes revenue from tickets and food/drink. Dons take a % of tickets sold and food/drink sold. They estimated if Broncos were in super league, the attendance would be much larger and their % would grow. 
 

There was also an article by Steve Mascord saying that David Hughes had actually lent money to Dons, and the Broncos stadium rental fee was tied into that loan. No one ever asked Hughes or the club, so I’m not so sure. 

[DI Keith Fowler]

5 hours ago, Deadcowboys1 said:

I see Buddhist monks in Wimbledon most days going to & from the Buddhapadipa Temple on Wimbledon Parkside, so you never know!

We need to monestize this.

[Cowboy]

15 hours ago, Click said:

No it isn't, It isn't anywhere close to being Championship standard.

Right,the synthetic turf field with a grandstand either side,plus parking and public transport all around isn't Championship standard,but the likes of Batley and Bradford's pitch are upto standard? 

Broncos have used Rosford Park aswell as the previous Ealing site to play home games.Skolars field is on par,if not better with transport/facilities. 

[Click]

4 hours ago, Cowboy said:

Right,the synthetic turf field with a grandstand either side,plus parking and public transport all around isn't Championship standard,but the likes of Batley and Bradford's pitch are upto standard? 

Broncos have used Rosford Park aswell as the previous Ealing site to play home games.Skolars field is on par,if not better with transport/facilities. 

A grandstand either side?

Unless there has been serious development since I was last there, the ground has 1 dated stand that can hold maybe a couple hundred people.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

New River isnt an answer unless the club is about to die…

If DH bunged the Dons a load of cash as a loan then wouldn’t it be in the accounts ? 

[The Future is League]

1 minute ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

New River isnt an answer unless the club is about to die…

If DH bunged the Dons a load of cash as a loan then wouldn’t it be in the accounts ? 

In defence of David Hughes without his money the club would have gone to te wall years ago

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

1 hour ago, The Future is League said:

In defence of David Hughes without his money the club would have gone to te wall years ago

I think we’ve moved past defense or attack of DH tbh… we just want a viable London Broncos club.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

1 hour ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

I think we’ve moved past defense or attack of DH tbh… we just want a viable London Broncos club.

On that note if I do buy a £175 membership and the club goes belly up then theres no protection for that money right ? Unless I pay by credit card? 

Edited October 31, 2024 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

https://x.com/londonbroncosrl/status/1852025177221030031?s=46
 

[DI Keith Fowler]

42 minutes ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

https://x.com/londonbroncosrl/status/1852025177221030031?s=46
 

I've liked it just in case the takeover deal hinges on this.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

36 minutes ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

I've liked it just in case the takeover deal hinges on this.

Any news news on that?

Edited October 31, 2024 by Henson Park Old Firm

[DI Keith Fowler]

2 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Any news news on that?

I dunno I'm not John Davidson am I? If you're struggling to tell the difference John's the one who sounds like his dogs just died. 

[dealwithit]

6 hours ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

New River isnt an answer unless the club is about to die…

If DH bunged the Dons a load of cash as a loan then wouldn’t it be in the accounts ? 

Well that depends if it was through broncos or just a personal loan using his oil riches. 

[Enkidudu]

On 30/10/2024 at 16:53, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

Broncos were giving away thousands of free tickets ? Are you sure ? That woukd

have required effort that most of us down here would agree hasn’t been the strong point of those running the club over the years in that area.  

Yes I am sure. Though it would be more accurate to state they were offering thousands of tickets.

[Enkidudu]

On 30/10/2024 at 21:19, Sports Prophet said:

So you dispute there should be a seperate strategy but then offer no real reason, rather you just give a geography lesson to people who don’t need it.

London Broncos would be in a better position to retain players than most, assuming the club is financial. 

I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think you’ve contributed anything of value to this discussion.

I have given clear reasoning, you have chosen to ignore. A clear case of confirmation bias. History shows London have struggled to keep the best-performing players, so not sure where your reasoning is coming from since you have not qualified that statement. Having a different opinion to yours does not equate to no value. As for the geography, it was not a lesson, you are giving a sanctimonious statement of no impact. given the comments on here it is clear there is a lack of context and appreciation of the geography which is very important. An indication of this is one person who insisted EC postcodes are not part of the City of London.

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, Enkidudu said:

I have given clear reasoning, you have chosen to ignore. A clear case of confirmation bias. History shows London have struggled to keep the best-performing players, so not sure where your reasoning is coming from since you have not qualified that statement. Having a different opinion to yours does not equate to no value. As for the geography, it was not a lesson, you are giving a sanctimonious statement of no impact. given the comments on here it is clear there is a lack of context and appreciation of the geography which is very important. An indication of this is one person who insisted EC postcodes are not part of the City of London.

I don’t think history has shown it to be any more or less difficult for London to hold onto talented players than it has for most SL clubs. The fact of the matter is, humans are creatures of habit and if a club is accomodating, well managed and demonstrates potential for success and can afford any said player, then that player is likely to stay.

The only thing history has shown us is that London have been mismanaged for over two decades.

You highlight the differences associated with London and then suggest the game shouldn’t have a different strategy for London. I don’t really understand your position.

[DI Keith Fowler]

On 31/10/2024 at 20:24, dealwithit said:

Well that depends if it was through broncos or just a personal loan using his oil riches. 

I thought it was known it was a personal loan from him. Obviously it gave the Broncos some bargaining chips, for all the good it did them.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Has London been bought yet?

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

31 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Has London been bought yet?

No news. Sadly even the ‘treat’ mentioned on twitter was either:

a) A player sponsorship deal

or

b) Lee Kershaw signing for another club.

 

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Reckon that the RFL need to give the club a deadline to name a new owner or they're out of the RL.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

1 hour ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

Reckon that the RFL need to give the club a deadline to name a new owner or they're out of the RL.

I think they will, the problem the Broncos face is this. You need to be seriously cashed up to run this club the way it has been set up. We have already got two different versions of the deal oin this thread, but either way whatever money you put in a chunk of this is going to AFC Wimbledon.

So in order to create two teams , One on the field (strarting from scratch) and one off the field to expliot any success the club has by developing the fan base. But that money is on top of the money being paid to AFC Wimbledon. So you would need to forensically examine the books before committing to buy..

The big thing for the RFL is to consider is it's responsibility to the game as a whole, no purpose would be served letting London Bronocs start and then collapse mid-season when the limited money runs out ,for that would produce a domino effect on other Championship clubs as creditors take fright.

Like others I am holding back on the £ 175 until I know who is backing the club. If no investor or group of investors is coming in, then I am afraid it is curtains.