London Broncos (Merged Threads)

[SinBinSid]

7 minutes ago, Coggo said:

Yes, it’s back to development officers, schools, amateur clubs. It’s certainly not about pumping millions into what is frankly the husk of a club that is the Broncos.

Someone told me last month that the RFL has one development officer for the whole of the South and Midlands. That’s the first thing that has to change, starting tomorrow!

Spot on again, Coggo. It’s refreshing to see someone focus on the bigger picture, not just the badge on the shirt.  Pumping money into a struggling club without rebuilding the base is just papering over the cracks. If tomorrow does signal a proper return to boots-on-the-ground development  as in some (or even one) officers in schools, support for community clubs, real investment in the grassroots we might finally have something sustainable.

Totally agree, one dev officer for the entire South and Midlands is ridiculous (though I can’t confirm if that’s accurate). That’s where the change has to start. Good players don’t just appear – they need coaching, structure and somewhere to shine. Let’s hope someone’s finally realised that.

 

[turn it in]

Forgive me guys but I haven’t been following this story very closely but from the rumours I’ve heard wasn’t the dolphins supposed to be interested in investing money into the London broncos?

but now from reading the latest news it looks like the investment could be coming from the NRL organisation as a whole.

is this roughly the gist of things?

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, DEANO said:

What London really need is interest from the public

Same could be said for a lot of clubs like York, Huddersfield etc 

[SinBinSid]

13 minutes ago, turn it in said:

Forgive me guys but I haven’t been following this story very closely but from the rumours I’ve heard wasn’t the dolphins supposed to be interested in investing money into the London broncos?

but now from reading the latest news it looks like the investment could be coming from the NRL organisation as a whole.

is this roughly the gist of things?

NB. My thoughts before tomorrows news-should it even happen??!! Earlier

rumours suggested the Dolphins, the NRL club, might be interested in some kind of link-up or investment with the Broncos. Possibly through pathways, player development or branding  But more recently it’s sounding bigger than that incluging my overly ambitious thoughts. The noise now is about the NRL itself, the organisation, putting a strategic focus on London as part of its global expansion and player development plans. Think along the lines of what they’ve done in the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. Not necessarily buying a club, but helping build a pathway that feeds into the NRL ecosystem  What that means for the Broncos specifically should become clearer tomorrow. But yes, it’s moved from “Dolphins maybe sniffing around” to “the NRL might be backing a London push in a broader way”

[SinBinSid]

8 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Same could be said for a lot of clubs like York, Huddersfield etc 

Clubs like York and Huddersfield definitely have their own challenges with crowds and growth, but they’re still operating within the traditional heartlands, surrounded by other rugby league infrastructure, junior clubs, and a more established rugby league culture.

[DoubleD]

1 hour ago, SinBinSid said:

Coggo gets to the heart of it. Rugby league in London needs a top-tier club to anchor the game, and like it or not, that is the Broncos right now. Pen-Y-Bont makes a fair point too. Player development can and does happen outside the Broncos set-up. Smaller clubs like Skolars, Eastern Rhinos, Elmbridge Eagles, North Herts Crusadersetc and others have been putting in the hard yards for years. But without a pro club at the top of the pyramid, the whole pathway becomes less visible. Young players need something clear to aim for. Coaches need a route to the top to point their best kids towards. And fans need a team they can support at a serious level. Without that, rugbyleague in London risks fading into the background.

 

It’s this same reason why there needs to be a strong pro club in South Wales. The grassroots development is going really well there but there’s nothing at the top of the pyramid nearby to feed into. Only the really committed will persevere to move sticks and join northern clubs. And it also needs a pro club to allow the best young players an opportunity to commit to playing a full rugby season and not just be a union off season game like it is currently 

[turn it in]

5 minutes ago, SinBinSid said:

NB. My thoughts before tomorrows news-should it even happen??!! Earlier

rumours suggested the Dolphins, the NRL club, might be interested in some kind of link-up or investment with the Broncos. Possibly through pathways, player development or branding  But more recently it’s sounding bigger than that incluging my overly ambitious thoughts. The noise now is about the NRL itself, the organisation, putting a strategic focus on London as part of its global expansion and player development plans. Think along the lines of what they’ve done in the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. Not necessarily buying a club, but helping build a pathway that feeds into the NRL ecosystem  What that means for the Broncos specifically should become clearer tomorrow. But yes, it’s moved from “Dolphins maybe sniffing around” to “the NRL might be backing a London push in a broader way”

I like the idea of the NRL as an organisation investing in London/Greater London grassroots RL and obviously fully support it but I’d much prefer the financial security of the broncos firstly and having top priority.

getting both of these would obviously be much welcomed and celebrated by me also as I believe you can’t really have one without the other for any of this to work and be successful going forward.

[SinBinSid]

I get where you’re coming from, DoubleD, and I don’t doubt there’s talent in Wales. But I’m not convinced a strong pro club is the silver bullet. The issue’s deeper than just needing a team at the top of the pyramid.

Wales has had a Super League side before and plenty of chances to build something sustainable, but the support’s never really been there long-term. Even in their union, where the infrastructure and money are far stronger, things have gone stale. You could argue that culturally, Welsh sport doesn’t always turn potential into professionalism – a bit like rugby league’s own version of the Victorian approach: great passion, not always followed by systems or staying power. That’s not to knock individuals or communities doing good development work.

[Angelus]

28 minutes ago, turn it in said:

I like the idea of the NRL as an organisation investing in London/Greater London grassroots RL and obviously fully support it but I’d much prefer the financial security of the broncos firstly and having top priority.

getting both of these would obviously be much welcomed and celebrated by me also as I believe you can’t really have one without the other for any of this to work and be successful going forward.

I tend to agree with this.

 

Whilst all the long term stuff is important and exciting, we have a team currently struggling to stay in the Championship. 

Some news on funding/recruitment would be welcomed tomorrow. 

[turn it in]

4 minutes ago, Angelus said:

I tend to agree with this.

 

Whilst all the long term stuff is important and exciting, we have a team currently struggling to stay in the Championship. 

Some news on funding/recruitment would be welcomed tomorrow. 

I just don’t see how you can have one without the other.

a fully professional RL team in London and preferably playing and established in Super League has to be the focal point for all RL in the London and south east region.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

Some tid bits not on this thread

You will recall some time ago I posted that Steve Mascord asked Tony Adams (AKA the Mole) about the London situation and the Mole promised to contact Matt Adamson. Well on tonight's podcast The Mole stated he had texted Matt Adamson several times on this and had no response.....

In a sport that leaks like a sieve, the omerta surrounding the London Broncos situation is, as I have posted before on this forum, not necessarily a bad thing......

If this was a purely RFL affair, you would not be holding your press conference at the Australian High Commission , televised by SKY TV with Brian Carney and Jenna Brooks allegedly in attendance...

You do not need the funds of King Midas to run a junior development programme and a Championship club in the South East...

As I understand the plans for NRL Europe, (if it ever gets off the ground) the plan is to start with 10 clubs and then expand. If you have a club that within a few years is the apex of the Rugby League community in the south east, with a team off the field to match the team on it then you have a genuine candidate club.... 

As of 6th May, Gary Hetherington became the person with significant control at London Rugby League Limited having been appointed a Director on 29th April. He is not the financial benefactor, that is the question that will be answered tomorrow is who is..... 

Filing History -London Rugby League Ltd

All this, like everything else on this thread is speculation,,,,,,

Edited May 20 by THE RED ROOSTER

[Adelaide Tiger]

Well it’s Wednesday already in Oz so I will have to wait till late evening to hear the announcement.

Out of personal interest, I recall a 4/5 page article that appeared in the Rugby League World magazine probably about 20 years ago where a University Professor (IIRC) wrote about how the game as a whole had not supported the growth of the game in London. Hence it was doomed to fail.

For me, it was a thought provoking article, and if anyone out there remembers the article and can paste a copy of it on here, it would be interesting to see the comments in the article and what is being proposed later today.

Update - Just found a site that shows 400 Open Rugby/Rugby League World covers.  Two RLW covers, July 2000 and August 2004 refer to articles about London.  Any got those editions to provide a link to the article?

Edited May 21 by Adelaide Tiger

[Anita Bath]

8 hours ago, SinBinSid said:

NB. My thoughts before tomorrows news-should it even happen??!! Earlier

rumours suggested the Dolphins, the NRL club, might be interested in some kind of link-up or investment with the Broncos. Possibly through pathways, player development or branding  But more recently it’s sounding bigger than that incluging my overly ambitious thoughts. The noise now is about the NRL itself, the organisation, putting a strategic focus on London as part of its global expansion and player development plans. Think along the lines of what they’ve done in the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. Not necessarily buying a club, but helping build a pathway that feeds into the NRL ecosystem  What that means for the Broncos specifically should become clearer tomorrow. But yes, it’s moved from “Dolphins maybe sniffing around” to “the NRL might be backing a London push in a broader way”

I cant see the Dolphins making a big play with an organisation with the name broncos….but I could be completely wrong and usually am.

[lucky 7]

1 hour ago, Anita Bath said:

I cant see the Dolphins making a big play with an organisation with the name broncos….but I could be completely wrong and usually am.

The Dolphins are big in junior development, and the potentional in London is huge

[Magic XIII]

11 hours ago, SinBinSid said:

 

You’re not wrong, Deano. Public interest is key. No crowds, no cash, no club. But it’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation. You need something worth watching to spark that interest in the first place.  Londoners will turn up for rugby league if it’s done right - there’s been that appetite before.  THere's even the first Ashes Test in October placed here in the smoke too, which was a massive injection eevn for somewhere as big as Wembley Stadium.  The issue has always been poor ambition from the club.

If tomorrow’s news brings a clear plan, proper backing, and a club people can believe in, then the interest can grow. But it has to be earned. Londoners won’t just show up because someone sticks “Broncos” on a shirt – they need a reason to care. Hopefully that’s finally what’s coming

In my 30 years watching this mob the idea of a plan would be fantasy. One of the reasons I drifted off from attending games a couple of years ago. The Broncos became a rudderless, pointless entity 'run' by David Hughes. Now, if this announcement offers a plan, a vision, I am all in and gives my work at community club level a bit more value.

[Angelus]

The event is titled "The future of London Broncos. A new era in Rugby League"

Not long to wait now!

[The Daddy]

5 minutes ago, Angelus said:

The event is titled "The future of London Broncos. A new era in Rugby League"

Not long to wait now!

What time does it start?

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

What time does it start?

1130/1200 ish isn't it?

[Angelus]

3 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

What time does it start?

Doors opened at 10:30 I believe. 

Broncos put a post out this morning saying 12pm. 

[SinBinSid]

 

[Gomersall]

https://www.londonbroncosrl.com/london-broncos-announce-new-era-for-rugby-league-in-london

[Coggo]

OK, so two main bits. The RFL will help rebuild player pathways via an academy etc, and the Broncos will be put out of its misery with effectively a new club taking its place. Sounds good.

Edited May 21 by Coggo

[OriginalMrC]

Excellent news all round. Let's hope this can revitalise the Broncos and the game in the south. 

[Click]

All sounds very promising 

[Archie Gordon]

Nothing tangible. Still all aspirational. But ok.