London Broncos (Merged Threads)

[Worzel]

23 hours ago, Martyn Sadler said:

I'm told from a reliable source that there will soon be some very good news for the Broncos.

This is great to hear

[Martyn Sadler]

50 minutes ago, Worzel said:

This is great to hear

Keep your fingers crossed!

[Henson Park Old Firm]

2 hours ago, Martyn Sadler said:

Keep your fingers crossed!

When will we hopefully find out?

[dealwithit]

Denver Broncos confirmed for 2025 NFL London match. Opportunity for cross-code collaboration.  

[Londonbornirishbred]

16 hours ago, dealwithit said:

Denver Broncos confirmed for 2025 NFL London match. Opportunity for cross-code collaboration.  

Denver spend more on their cheerleaders uniforms than the London outfit have in ticketed income....why would an NFL giant in London want to be associated with a basket case of a club in a niche sport?

As for the "good news" hinted at by Mr Saddler, I have seen enough false dawns and witnessed more than enough wrong turns to be anything other than nonchalantly apathetic. 

[EssexRL]

11 minutes ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

Denver spend more on their cheerleaders uniforms than the London outfit have in ticketed income....why would an NFL giant in London want to be associated with a basket case of a club in a niche sport?

As for the "good news" hinted at by Mr Saddler, I have seen enough false dawns and witnessed more than enough wrong turns to be anything other than nonchalantly apathetic. 

Sadly I do agree with you. It’s not a great time to be a RL fan in London at the moment. 

[gingerjon]

23 minutes ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

I have seen enough false dawns and witnessed more than enough wrong turns to be anything other than nonchalantly apathetic. 

TBH, someone buying the club without associated bells, whistles and vision is going to be massively underwhelming. Just surviving is ... well, it's just that.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

I've seen enough London's in last chance saloon/moving to <insert bizarre location of your choice>/etc, etc since we came into the RL in 1980 (including at least three where we  could really have gone under) to be happy just to see what happens- for some odd reason I find Martin Sadler to be a more credible source than some others. Those with long memories might recall that half way through our second season there was talk that Ernie Clay (founder and effective owner) had had enough and was shutting us down at the end of the season and oddly enough we're still here.

[JohnM]

3 hours ago, Chronicler of Chiswick said:

I've seen enough London's in last chance saloon/moving to <insert bizarre location of your choice>/etc, etc since we came into the RL in 1980 (including at least three where we  could really have gone under) to be happy just to see what happens- for some odd reason I find Martin Sadler to be a more credible source than some others. Those with long memories might recall that half way through our second season there was talk that Ernie Clay (founder and effective owner) had had enough and was shutting us down at the end of the season and oddly enough we're still here.

for some odd reason I find Martin Sadler to be a more credible source than some others

I don't find it odd. Martyn is well connected and well known and has seen this all before.  

[dealwithit]

7 hours ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

Denver spend more on their cheerleaders uniforms than the London outfit have in ticketed income....why would an NFL giant in London want to be associated with a basket case of a club in a niche sport?

As for the "good news" hinted at by Mr Saddler, I have seen enough false dawns and witnessed more than enough wrong turns to be anything other than nonchalantly apathetic. 

You’re tiring. 

[JohnM]

The topic is entitled "David Hughes".

Now he's relinquished all interest in the Club ( has he?) what is he doing? Is he (or his £££) lost to the sport?

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

13 hours ago, JohnM said:

for some odd reason I find Martin Sadler to be a more credible source than some others

I don't find it odd. Martyn is well connected and well known and has seen this all before.  

I think you'll find it's called sarcasm - felt like having a dig at the wiseacres on here who seem to think that clubs should only be allowed who play within a five minute walk of where they live.

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

The topic is entitled "David Hughes".

Now he's relinquished all interest in the Club ( has he?) what is he doing? Is he (or his £££) lost to the sport?

Presumably, he’s retiring? He’s in his 80s, isn’t he?

[JohnM]

18 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Presumably, he’s retiring? He’s in his 80s, isn’t he?

Well, If he isn't yet in his 80s, I bet he certainly feels like he is.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

6 hours ago, JohnM said:

The topic is entitled "David Hughes".

Now he's relinquished all interest in the Club ( has he?) what is he doing? Is he (or his £££) lost to the sport?

David Hughes was born in January 1945 so he turns 80 this month.  He made his money as an Oil Futures trader but he has been retired for a good few years now. The amount of money he has spent on London Broncos was a family issue as far back as the Brentford days at the start of the century.

He formally left London Broncos Rugby League Limited on 12th December 2024 and like the majority on here will probably watch the game on SKY / BBC in future.

As with other sporting sugar daddies their resources are finite, and the big knock against David is that created a business model for the club that in the words of his predecessor, Ian Lenargan, did not al;ow the club to be able to "wash it's face" (i.e, generate enough non owner supplied revenue to be a going concern). That always been the problem noted by even the maligned Gus Mackay, long ago that the club would struggle to survive without his money. So the club's current plight has been on the cards for some time....

And remember who ever buys the club buys a team but no fixed assets. Even your amateur club can rent the clubhouse out for wedding recerptions / parking etc which has never been an option for London.

[RS]

43 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

David Hughes was born in January 1945 so he turns 80 this month.  He made his money as an Oil Futures trader but he has been retired for a good few years now. The amount of money he has spent on London Broncos was a family issue as far back as the Brentford days at the start of the century.

He formally left London Broncos Rugby League Limited on 12th December 2024 and like the majority on here will probably watch the game on SKY / BBC in future.

As with other sporting sugar daddies their resources are finite, and the big knock against David is that created a business model for the club that in the words of his predecessor, Ian Lenargan, did not al;ow the club to be able to "wash it's face" (i.e, generate enough non owner supplied revenue to be a going concern). That always been the problem noted by even the maligned Gus Mackay, long ago that the club would struggle to survive without his money. So the club's current plight has been on the cards for some time....

And remember who ever buys the club buys a team but no fixed assets. Even your amateur club can rent the clubhouse out for wedding recerptions / parking etc which has never been an option for London.

To be fair to David Hughes you could level that allegation against every sugar daddy in terms of sustainability after they have gone, indeed by definition they put in sums over and above the amount the club could ordinarily generate. 

[Damien]

Hopefully good news on the horizon:

London Broncos' future appears to have been resolved, with the club on the brink of a takeover. Rugby League Live understands the Broncos are on the verge of being under new ownership, with investment coming from overseas.

Late last year, long-serving owner David Hughes decided to step down from his position at the club after 27 years, leaving the club facing an uncertain future. Hughes had provided significant financial support to the Broncos during his time in charge.

Since then, London, who were demoted from Super League at the end of the last season based on IMG scores, have been seeking new investment that would allow them to have a clear long-term future.

That has now materialised and in a further development, Rugby League Live has been told that a senior administrator currently holding a role at a Super League club will be taking on a position within the Broncos setup moving forward. However, it has been decided not to publish the identity of that person at this time.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/london-broncos-close-takeover-clubs-30763145

Edited January 12 by Damien

[Henson Park Old Firm]

How far are we from finding out? Anyone know?

[Londonbornirishbred]

On 12/01/2025 at 13:51, dealwithit said:

You’re tiring. 

Well have a lie down then!

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

Good to see Curtis Davies sign today .

Edited January 14 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[The Future is League]

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

Good to see Curtis Davies sign today .

So i presume he will only come down on match days if he's still a PE teacher

[iffleyox]

On 12/01/2025 at 17:22, Damien said:

Hopefully good news on the horizon:

London Broncos' future appears to have been resolved, with the club on the brink of a takeover. Rugby League Live understands the Broncos are on the verge of being under new ownership, with investment coming from overseas.

Late last year, long-serving owner David Hughes decided to step down from his position at the club after 27 years, leaving the club facing an uncertain future. Hughes had provided significant financial support to the Broncos during his time in charge.

Since then, London, who were demoted from Super League at the end of the last season based on IMG scores, have been seeking new investment that would allow them to have a clear long-term future.

That has now materialised and in a further development, Rugby League Live has been told that a senior administrator currently holding a role at a Super League club will be taking on a position within the Broncos setup moving forward. However, it has been decided not to publish the identity of that person at this time.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/london-broncos-close-takeover-clubs-30763145

Well I suppose that’s one spin on their relegation…

[THE RED ROOSTER]

We have been here before, remember the group buying the London Skolars two years ago, or the myriad suiters for Bradford Bulls. Until we are told;

The identity of the bidder / group

What funding the bidder / Group has and intends to spend, which with this club is crucial.

What the new ownerships plans are for the club.

No one can make a judgement on the new ownership.

Incidentally the Super League executive joining the club - ex Salford ?

 

[Barley Mow]

10 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

We have been here before, remember the group buying the London Skolars two years ago, or the myriad suiters for Bradford Bulls. Until we are told;

The identity of the bidder / group

What funding the bidder / Group has and intends to spend, which with this club is crucial.

What the new ownerships plans are for the club.

No one can make a judgement on the new ownership.

Incidentally the Super League executive joining the club - ex Salford ?

 

Deleted - Apologies, wrong thread 

Edited January 16 by Barley Mow

[Just Browny]

Confirmed that BrewDog remain title sponsors, good news for those who like that sort of thing.