London Broncos owner David Hughes says that he is targeting crowds of 5,000 in three years’ time at their new Plough Lane home.
It has been an autumn of change for the Broncos as they transition to a part-time squad and leave Ealing to share a ground with AFC Wimbledon.
In a statement to supporters, Hughes has re-affirmed his commitment to the club but says that he would like it to become “self sufficient, or very close to being so”.
He added that moving to Plough Lane was “the best opportunity” for their long-term survival and called on fans to get behind the club and build support.
“5,000 fans in three years has to be the target,” said Hughes. “That is where we need to be and we have got the best chance of achieving that in the Wimbledon area and with AFC Wimbledon Football Club as partners in my opinion.
“This will not be easy. It will not happen overnight. There will be occasions when it may appear to not be working but we need every supporter of our club, every fan of the great sport of Rugby League in the South East of England, to get behind this move and help to make the most of this opportunity we are presented with.”
Hughes acknowledged that the move to part-time status and subsequent wholesale changes to the squad would make things more challenging on the field.
However, he backed new head coach Jermaine Coleman to make the most of the reduced resources at their disposal.
“I’ve appointed a young, highly spoken of, Head Coach who is impressing me with his enthusiasm during the transition to part-time and I am genuinely delighted with the squad we have assembled on the budget we have allocated him,” said Hughes.
“There are some very talented players in there alongside the experienced older heads that every team needs to bring on the younger players. We’ve also got a number of hungry ‘project’ players that could prove to be astute signings from the league below us.
“There is no doubt that at times we will face sides much stronger than us and we will have to strap in and give our players the backing they need in every game this coming season.”
