London Broncos (Merged Threads)

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

8 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

I do hope you are right Worz' (can I call you that?). When will we know the details? 

Just prior to the season proper starting seems to be the best guess.

[Londonbornirishbred]

8 minutes ago, Eddie said:

The one thing we can be sure of is, whoever it is and whatever their plans are, there’ll be many on this forum complaining about it. 

Given St Hughes of Swinton blew £30,000,000 of his own money and the same again in central funding destroying the club and alienating 4,000 fans, the next owner will need to do more than just pay the players wages so they can sit in the corporate lounge surrounded by psychophants.

Taking over the Broncos will be a thankless, expensive vocation, whomever does it.

[Eddie]

12 minutes ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

Given St Hughes of Swinton blew £30,000,000 of his own money and the same again in central funding destroying the club and alienating 4,000 fans, the next owner will need to do more than just pay the players wages so they can sit in the corporate lounge surrounded by psychophants.

Taking over the Broncos will be a thankless, expensive vocation, whomever does it.

Did he blow £30m of central funding anymore than anyone else? Everyone uses it to pay salaries. 

[Londonbornirishbred]

15 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Did he blow £30m of central funding anymore than anyone else? Everyone uses it to pay salaries. 

The point is, Hughes blew it ALL on a bet. He bet that a winning side would bring in fans, when the reality was, he should have spent 50% of the money trying to get more fans through the doors. More fans = more interest from sponsors = more income, both direct and residual and a step closer to being a break even or profitable entity.

As Harlequins RL, he spent the cap and delivered nothing. When he was told by multiple parties he was wrong, he threw his toys, spat his dummy (2013) soured relationships and began the process of shipping 80% of the fan base off to other pastimes. 

Yes. Without his money, there is a chance the club wouldn't exist, but the husk he walked away from is a far stretch from what he took on in 2007.

4,500 fans, purpose built Rugby Stadium, engaged hosts, superleague status. Back in the championship now and playing a cup game at a ramshackle union club with a deralict stand, with a part time side made up of trialists.

As Salford are discovering and as HKR kearnt a few years back, a 10k home crowd average is what you need ro survive. It is what Hughes was told and chose to ignore.

[gingerjon]

39 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Did he blow £30m of central funding anymore than anyone else? Everyone uses it to pay salaries. 

Yes. You’ll note the club doesn’t exist in any meaningful sense and has lost most of its supporters.

[Gav Wilson]

45 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Did he blow £30m of central funding anymore than anyone else? Everyone uses it to pay salaries. 

Well... yeah.

[Sports Prophet]

My fear is these players (as many, many before them post Quins RL days) have no idea of just how small an operation they are signing up for.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

15 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

My fear is these players (as many, many before them post Quins RL days) have no idea of just how small an operation they are signing up for.

Broncos are bigger than Mayfield. Eccles isn’t a BS merchant so I’m sure he’s given them the full sp on broncos. 

[Dullish Mood]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

My fear is these players (as many, many before them post Quins RL days) have no idea of just how small an operation they are signing up for.

Minuscule is probably the word you’re looking for mate.

[The 4 of Us]

If not THE Broncos, is anyone actually in the running to buy the Broncos? The Eccles article does suggest weeks rather than the hours/days in the case of Salford!

[DoubleD]

15 minutes ago, The 4 of Us said:

If not THE Broncos, is anyone actually in the running to buy the Broncos? The Eccles article does suggest weeks rather than the hours/days in the case of Salford!

GH isn’t brokering on behalf of the invisible man 

[Gav Wilson]

4 hours ago, The 4 of Us said:

If not THE Broncos, is anyone actually in the running to buy the Broncos? The Eccles article does suggest weeks rather than the hours/days in the case of Salford!

I heard the name Matt Adamson (former Leeds back rower) mentioned, but I've no idea what consortium he's part of (if any). Would make sense of Hetherington's involvement though.

[Gav Wilson]

I heard the name Matt Adamson (former Leeds back rower) mentioned, but I've no idea what consortium he's part of (if any). Would make sense of Hetherington's involvement though.

[RP London]

20 hours ago, r1ch1e said:

So I've seen that he was in the country already, as he had originally signed for Rochdale Mayfield. Which on the face of it seems odd...? This is a player who's at a good age, played at NRL, in a feeder system and left to join an amateur club in England?

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think this is a common move for a player of this ilk? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

He signed for Mayfield alongside Jack Wright who seems of similar pedigree winning the Queensland Cup last season. Could he be joining London too perhaps?

I would presume (and it is just that) that it may have something do with the complications around visas. They could be over having trails, talks with clubs. play at an amateur club while doing that to keep fit/have games people can come and watch? but you cannot get paid while "on holiday" etc. Just a thought. Maybe not as odd an option if that is what people are doing. If it doesnt work out they could get a job here and play amateur while waiting or they could head over to france and try that (where it may be easier if they can get hold of an italian passport).. just a base to start looking at things maybe?

[Henson Park Old Firm]

3 hours ago, Gav Wilson said:

I heard the name Matt Adamson (former Leeds back rower) mentioned, but I've no idea what consortium he's part of (if any). Would make sense of Hetherington's involvement though.

I guess we'll have to wait and see

[Barley Mow]

Would it be a good idea to merge this thread and the David Hughes one? @John Drake

[Griff]

23 hours ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

The point is, Hughes blew it ALL on a bet. He bet that a winning side would bring in fans.....

It's a common belief.  Fans will come out of the woodwork. 

What if there aren't any fans in the woodwork?

[Gav Wilson]

11 minutes ago, Barley Mow said:

Would it be a good idea to merge this thread and the David Hughes one? @John Drake

I think it would be better to let the Hughes thread fall off the page or even lock it. He's in the past now.

[Barley Mow]

1 minute ago, Gav Wilson said:

I think it would be better to let the Hughes thread fall off the page or even lock it. He's in the past now.

It hasn't primarily been about him since the first few pages.

'London Broncos' might be a better subject name, but I think it would be useful to have the context given by that thread - which has been about how the club are moving on/looking for new ownership from very early on.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nrl-icon-lifts-lid-on-potential-plan-to-purchase-london-broncos

[gingerjon]

2 hours ago, Griff said:

It's a common belief.  Fans will come out of the woodwork. 

What if there aren't any fans in the woodwork?

There wasn't a winning side so it became a bit moot.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Robbie Farah and the Broncos

An old story reheated hdere, Robbie Farah and his agent were never going to buy London Broncos. They were interested in being part of a consortium but what deterred them was the business model which requires deep pockets and a long term, if any, return on investment.

This is why you are hearing nothing so far for while there are Australiasian investors who are cashed up and unikley to gain admission tpo be one of the powert brokers in the NRL. They are not going just to be saying "here take X thousand AUD".

What I suspect is being hammered out here is a plan and a strategy that allows for investment while minimising losses. Inthe past the entire business plan has been, rent a ground, plant two goal,posts at either end announce "Rugby league is da Bomb" and wait for an audience. Then after a couple of years up stakes and repeat in a new location.

Gary Hetherington has not been a big fan of the club in the past but he did make a very telling statement in that there never had been a plan for expansion in London and this is what he and the Broncos Aussie diaspora such as Tony Rea are hammering out at present as I suspect with interested parties.

To succeed you have to have

• A competitive team on the field
• An expert team off the field
• And establish roots with the community game in London and the South East

The club has been pro active in obtaining sponsorship in what is  hostile business environment in this country at present of which I have personal experience in my backdated 2023-24 and 24-25 tax bill.both sent to me as a HNY "gift" from HMRC

The clubs home and away kit this season  is the best its been for some time although again in time honoured Bronos manner has cheesed off those die hards who bought the earlier non sponsored version.

There is reasion for optimism so people need to "let the cake bake" so to speak

 

Edited January 22 by THE RED ROOSTER

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

6 minutes ago, THE RED ROOSTER said:

Robbie Farah and the Broncos

An old story reheated hdere, Robbie Farah and his agent were never going to buy London Broncos. They were interested in being part of a consortium but what deterred them was the business model which requires deep pockets and a long term, if any, return on investment.

This is why you are hearing nothing so far for while there are Australiasian investors who are cashed up and unikley to gain admission tpo be one of the powert brokers in the NRL. They are not going just to be saying "here take X thousand AUD".

What I suspect is being hammered out here is a plan and a strategy that allows for investment while minimising losses. Inthe past the entire business plan has been, rent a ground, plant two goal,posts at either end announce "Rugby league is da Bomb" and wait for an audience. Then after a couple of years up stakes and repeat in a new location.

Gary Hetherington has not been a big fan of the club in the past but he did make a very telling statement in that there never had been a plan for expansion in London and this is what he and the Broncos Aussie diaspora such as Tony Rea are hammering out at present as I suspect with interested parties.

To succeed you have to have

• A competitive team on the field
• An expert team off the field
• And establish roots with the community game in London and the South East

The club has been pro active in obtaining sponsorship in what is  hostile business environment in this country at present of which I have personal experience in my backdated 2023-24 and 24-25 tax bill.both sent to me as a HNY "gift" from HMRC

The clubs home and away kit this season  is the best its been for some time although again in time honoured Bronos manner has cheesed off those die hards who bought the earlier non sponsored version.

There is reasion for optimism so people need to "let the cake bake" so to speak

 

Some small news from my end I hope to bring in relation to the last bullet point in the not too distant future.

[John Drake]

17 hours ago, Barley Mow said:

Would it be a good idea to merge this thread and the David Hughes one? @John Drake

Yes.

Done.

[RP London]

17 hours ago, Griff said:

It's a common belief.  Fans will come out of the woodwork. 

What if there aren't any fans in the woodwork?

I'm not sure there is even any woodwork anymore is there?