London Broncos (Merged Threads)

[EssexRL]

Pleased this is on the BBC's website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cqxee1v7d53o

 

[preid]

23 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

 

He's a amazing man really. I doubt if many other individuals have given more to RL and it's all with the best of intentions .

It's quite feasible that in (say) 5 years time, RL Europe evolves into the current top ten plus Toulouse and London with all approaching or exceeding 10k average attendances and an enhanced tv deal. At that stage others can be added as per NRL once they meet IMG criteria/rating. Who's to say that new clubs won't then emerge on the continent especially with much shorter distances than in ANZ - Amsterdam/Belgrade/Cardiff/Manchester/Montpelier even Toronto given how supportive their local council has been. The sooner loop fixtures disappear the better.

[The Future is League]

5 minutes ago, Coggo said:

The strange thing is they held it in Australia House yet there's been hardly any mention of Australia or Australians in the official blurb. 

Perhaps more to come. Time will tell.

[EssexRL]

1 minute ago, preid said:

He's a amazing man really. I doubt if many other individuals have given more to RL and it's all with the best of intentions .

It's quite feasible that in (say) 5 years time, RL Europe evolves into the current top ten plus Toulouse and London with all approaching or exceeding 10k average attendances and an enhanced tv deal. At that stage others can be added as per NRL once they meet IMG criteria/rating. Who's to say that new clubs won't then emerge on the continent especially with much shorter distances than in ANZ - Amsterdam/Belgrade/Cardiff/Manchester/Montpelier even Toronto given how supportive their local council has been. The sooner loop fixtures disappear the better.

Anything is possible and individual sports have grown. I am old enough to remember the late 70s/80s when football seemed in terminal decline in this country. Two of my three children a few years ago had no interest in F1 or NFL but now love both (well ahead of footie) even to the extent of going to the US to watch their team (Chiefs) but...growth needs money and strategies to overcome barriers and exploit opportunities. 

I believe, objectively, that RL is a great spectacle and a 'saleable' product. Everyone I have taken to a game really enjoys it but that is not enough to get them to engage with it, particularly if they already have a sport(s) they follow.

Whatever the future holds, a visible and hopefully successful presence in London is a vital part of that future so let's really hope that this all comes to pass.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

14 minutes ago, Coggo said:

The strange thing is they held it in Australia House yet there's been hardly any mention of Australia or Australians in the official blurb. 

Australia featured very heavily in the first 30 mins of the presentations. 

[Dave T]

19 minutes ago, Coggo said:

The strange thing is they held it in Australia House yet there's been hardly any mention of Australia or Australians in the official blurb. 

It sort of feels like the investors would ideally have been sorted out by now, which also could be a giveaway on any future rebrand. 

Had those two elements been confirmed today it may have all made more sense. 

Otherwise, it is just weird really. Without all this background chat, today's event makes little sense.

[EssexRL]

10 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It sort of feels like the investors would ideally have been sorted out by now, which also could be a giveaway on any future rebrand. 

Had those two elements been confirmed today it may have all made more sense. 

Otherwise, it is just weird really. Without all this background chat, today's event makes little sense.

Obviously I wasn't there and I am a bit wary (it is not that long ago that The Guardian had a well written article about Skolars being taken over by an Australian consortium which came to nowt) but given there are real and credible people and organisations named it feels reasonably substantial. They must be pretty confident 'i's' and 't's' will be dotted and crossed to host something in Australia House. There seemed a fair few people there (who were they all?_

Frankly this feels a lot less odd than much I have experienced with the sport in London over the years!

Edited May 21 by EssexRL

[Archie Gordon]

Much has been teased today but for a 'launch', I expected more. I agree with others that feel it was premature and on the wrong day to grab attention. 

[SinBinSid]

40 minutes ago, Dave T said:

It sort of feels like the investors would ideally have been sorted out by now, which also could be a giveaway on any future rebrand. 

Had those two elements been confirmed today it may have all made more sense. 

Otherwise, it is just weird really. Without all this background chat, today's event makes little sense.

 

Exactly and you’re right to point that out. But the idea that the club’s just been drifting without support doesn’t add up. Even a bare-bones operation needs cash: travel, wages, stadium rent, admin, medical, insurance. It doesn’t fund itself. So if the Broncos have been functioning at all, someone’s footing the bill already, quietly.  I'm not sure the Brewdog sponsorship and ticketing would cover a whole season

THat strongly suggests the new consortium is already in play behind the scenes, just keeping things ticking over while sorting out governance/rebranding/strategy before going public. And that would also explain why today’s announcement had the tone of a “this is the start” moment, but with so much still vague because some of it is already underway.

Why the low profile? Could be legal reasons, ownership transfer timing, or just classic rugby league politics. Cautious to avoid another false dawn?   But the drip-feed we’re seeing only makes sense if they’ve been involved for months already, just waiting to go fully public.

[SixSet]

At the start of the season, I had a sinking feeling that there was a real possibility that the club might just run out steam or implode but there was something about Mike Eccles' demeanour: he didn't seem at all bothered or stressed, instead making somewhat enigmatic, quietly confident comments, so I began to wonder if there was, after all, a cunning plan. I'm very happy that there is and I'm also happy that Wimbledon will continue to be the home for the team's games, for the forseeable. I look forward very much to witnessing the revitalised Broncos and the renaissance of rugby league in London.

[Londonbornirishbred]

5 hours ago, Worzel said:

This does all feel a little bit like an announcement that in the future there will be some more announcements.

I'm not entirely sure the content deserves the setting, or the audience.

Bit of a damp squib. Good intentions don't build rugby league clubs. 

i was about to post that this all sounds like an announcement that they've had a meeting to discuss agenda for the next meeting.

as i suspected/feared, this is loaded with no cash but good intentions....but i can assure you, the CityAM logo will appear on the new shirt.

I wish them well, but i genuinely don't see this as anything other than yet another false dawn.

Young kids/pathways/development....all well meaning but you need cash and cash cones from sponsors and fans....in fact fans then sponsors ans no amount of free pages in the morning free paper is going to deliver this...

sigh.

[Gomersall]

https://www.londonbroncosrl.com/australia-house-gallery

[SinBinSid]

19 minutes ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

i was about to post that this all sounds like an announcement that they've had a meeting to discuss agenda for the next meeting.

as i suspected/feared, this is loaded with no cash but good intentions....but i can assure you, the CityAM logo will appear on the new shirt.

I wish them well, but i genuinely don't see this as anything other than yet another false dawn.

Young kids/pathways/development....all well meaning but you need cash and cash cones from sponsors and fans....in fact fans then sponsors ans no amount of free pages in the morning free paper is going to deliver this...

sigh.

Fair enough, Gutters. There's no one better placed to sniff out empty promises than you, and I know you’ve been through the full cycle more than once. Totally agree that fans and sponsors need more than warm words. But for once it feels like there is some joined-up thinking here, even if the hard cash bit is still murky. Maybe not time to break out the NZ fizz or even Champers, but I’m hoping too that  this isn’t just another rebrand rinse-and-repeat.

[Martyn Sadler]

1 hour ago, Archie Gordon said:

Much has been teased today but for a 'launch', I expected more. I agree with others that feel it was premature and on the wrong day to grab attention. 

I was there and I have to say I think it was a missed opportunity.

The venue was outstanding and congratulations to Gary H for being able to hold this event in such a prestigious building. It attracted a lot of people.

But there were various speakers, including the Australian High Commissioner and his Deputy, who said very little that related to London Broncos or Rugby League in the capital.

And there were some officials (as you will see if you look at the gallery on the Broncos website, referred to above) who were interviewed by Brian Carney who came out with the standard stuff about Rugby League being an inclusive game and so on, which is obviously true but didn't really advance our knowledge.

The event needed a big announcement - that the Broncos had been bought by Bill Gates, or that they had signed Nathan Cleary for next season.

Gary spoke with enthusiasm about having a vision for the Broncos and the need for a sound plan to achieve the vision. But he didn't say much beyond that.

The best part of the whole event was the interaction of Brian Carney and Jenna Brookes, who I think are valuable assets for Rugby League. The humour and banter between them was very amusing and lightened the atmosphere.

But it was a long way for me to travel just for the chance to re-acquaint myself with a few people I've met before, pleasant though that was.

[DoubleD]

44 minutes ago, Londonbornirishbred said:

i was about to post that this all sounds like an announcement that they've had a meeting to discuss agenda for the next meeting.

as i suspected/feared, this is loaded with no cash but good intentions....but i can assure you, the CityAM logo will appear on the new shirt.

I wish them well, but i genuinely don't see this as anything other than yet another false dawn.

Young kids/pathways/development....all well meaning but you need cash and cash cones from sponsors and fans....in fact fans then sponsors ans no amount of free pages in the morning free paper is going to deliver this...

sigh.

You don’t host such a meeting at such a prestigious venue with such high profile guests if there isn’t substance to it. Legal matters often cause delays and I suspect this is the case here as to the soft launch

[Archie Gordon]

2 minutes ago, Martyn Sadler said:

I was there and I have to say I think it was a missed opportunity.

The venue was outstanding and congratulations to Gary H for being able to hold this event in such a prestigious building. It attracted a lot of people.

But there were various speakers, including the Australian High Commissioner and his Deputy, who said very little that related to London Broncos or Rugby League in the capital.

And there were some officials (as you will see if you look at the gallery on the Broncos website, referred to above) who were interviewed by Brian Carney who came out with the standard stuff about Rugby League being an inclusive game and so on, which is obviously true but didn't really advance our knowledge.

The event needed a big announcement - that the Broncos had been bought by Bill Gates, or that they had signed Nathan Cleary for next season.

Gary spoke with enthusiasm about having a vision for the Broncos and the need for a sound plan to achieve the vision. But he didn't say much beyond that.

The best part of the whole event was the interaction of Brian Carney and Jenna Brookes, who I think are valuable assets for Rugby League. The humour and banter between them was very amusing and lightened the atmosphere.

But it was a long way for me to travel just for the chance to re-acquaint myself with a few people I've met before, pleasant though that was.

Yes.

What got launched?

A new club?

A new owner?

A new brand?

A new event?

There ought to have been some kind of call to action.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

I'm all for this investment, but seriously another rebrand... The poor people at Wikipedia adding more onto the page come on.

Nothing wrong with the London Broncos, the problem was always the people who ran or owned it.

 

#save-the-Broncos

Edited May 21 by Henson Park Old Firm

[The 4 of Us]

7 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

So there you have it…..rebrand…….it couldnt possibly be the London Dolphins could it? Or maybe following the Redcliffe lead and going without a location…just simply dolphins. Should help avoid confusion as they continue to ground hop to fit in with the football clubs commitments.

If we’re thinking about a single name not to confuse it with others, how about just “London”?

However, there’ll likely be something. Here’s my 2 penny worth. 
 

 

[turn it in]

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/london-broncos-tap-australian-rugby-163824389.html

[Worzel]

9 hours ago, Angelus said:

What were you expecting? 

Something meaningful, rather than ifs buts and maybes. Martyn has already described it quite well above. It was a bit like the boy who cried wolf to be honest. 

It felt like there was originally a plan to announce something concrete, this event was booked, then the process slipped and for some reason they went ahead anyway. It’s weird.

I sincerely hope that something does later happen though, that would be great 

[turn it in]

Yeah, all very vague and too many unanswered questions for me.

no investment from an NRL club or the NRL organisation itself.

ill keep my fingers crossed but won’t get carried away like I’ve done all too often in my past.

[Angelus]

6 minutes ago, Worzel said:

Something meaningful, rather than ifs buts and maybes. Martyn has already described it quite well above. It was a bit like the boy who cried wolf to be honest. 

It felt like there was originally a plan to announce something concrete, this event was booked, then the process slipped and for some reason they went ahead anyway. It’s weird.

I sincerely hope that something does later happen though, that would be great 

Fair points. 

 

But surely they wouldn't have bothered holding the event at Australia House if something wasn't close to being announced re the takeover.

The City AM article states that it is an Australian consortium, but its not associated with the NRL, which is interesting. 

Also, the Broncos website described Gary Hetherington as the "New owner" of the club.

[Angelus]

4 minutes ago, Angelus said:

Fair points. 

 

But surely they wouldn't have bothered holding the event at Australia House if something wasn't close to being announced re the takeover.

The City AM article states that it is an Australian consortium, but its not associated with the NRL, which is interesting. 

Also, the Broncos website described Gary Hetherington as the "New owner" of the club.

 

Hetherington is keen to state the NRL itself won’t be an investor in London Broncos. Having been Down Under in January, he says that Australians are supportive of his plan but insists that the potential alliance between the NRL and Rugby Football League in England means “they wouldn’t be a direct partner of London”

 

I'm assuming this means that investment can still come from individual NRL clubs and partnerships can be formed with said clubs? 

[Londonbornirishbred]

4 hours ago, DoubleD said:

You don’t host such a meeting at such a prestigious venue with such high profile guests if there isn’t substance to it. Legal matters often cause delays and I suspect this is the case here as to the soft launch

The word i have bolded above underlines why I have reservations. You don't assemble the great and good of 'straya and UK RL, and then waffle. You Should deliver something of substance but in true London Broncos form, you fail.

Whe they announced the return to the Broncos name, the spent money on promotion in October/November. Taxis, advert in a wembley programe, bus stops and a shiny new logo....before their first game some 5 months later.....this non event reminds me a lot of that.

[Sports Prophet]

In an ever shrinking world with and with a unified governance of the club pro game, there is the potential for a World Club Championship format which could be unique to other pro sports. I hope that new professional clubs or rebrands avoid using similar monikers to those which exist in the professional game already, north or south of the equator.

London Bulldogs or Dolphins should not be a thing in my opinion.