Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:37 am  

saintcj wrote:

Get them in the Olympic stadium, give away free tickets for schools etc..
Be a great way to get the young generation into rl

In all honesty I always thought expanding slower from the rugby league hotbed was a better way forward, going to Cumbria, eventually midlands etc.
Obviously France has proved the it can be done outside the main areas.

That last bit isn't true but it does make your point. Catalan is in a very strong RL area. It's supported by 2 semi-pro leagues and a large number of junior clubs, certainly way more than London. I would dare suggest that a few of the elite division French teams are better funded and set up than London.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 7:38 am  

The Poltroon wrote:

London are a terrible advertisement for our sport. No fans. No idea. As an RL fan they embarrass me.

The sooner Gus Mackay does what he was brought in to do and closes them down the better.

2 home fixtures next for London. Wakey then Catalans. I'd be surprised if either game gets over 1000 fans.

What makes it worse is that the Wakey game is live on sky. Viewing the swathes of empty seats looks terrible on camera and is a bad advert for our game.

What's the fact that it's Wakefield got to do with it, where is the stone people like you crawl out from under.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:19 am  

vastman wrote:

What's the fact that it's Wakefield got to do with it, where is the stone people like you crawl out from under.

I dont think it's a judgment on Wakey fans. You're being over sensitive. It's just a sky game, non traditional time, London looking very poor, crowds have been shocking even by their standards, and Wakefield are not one of the games biggest. It'd be the same for Widnes, Cas or Salford etc etc.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:00 am  

I think Wakey may bring 400/500 but there is also a groupon ticket offer that many have taken advantage of where adult entry works out at around £7 !!!.

I know hughes has deep pockets but they are not bottomless and one day he will say enough is enough. The London club is not sustainable and I think they may pull out at the next franchise round.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:17 am  

Chris Dalton wrote:

I dont think it's a judgment on Wakey fans. You're being over sensitive. It's just a sky game, non traditional time, London looking very poor, crowds have been shocking even by their standards, and Wakefield are not one of the games biggest. It'd be the same for Widnes, Cas or Salford etc etc.

I get your point, but that doesn't affect the quality of the game just the attractiveness to perhaps the casual fan. Truth is you want London on TV playing teams who they can give a game. The least attractive game would be London v Warrington on current form which would be a poor spectacle for anyone but a Wire fan (on current form I say again).

Wakefield need a run as do London so both teams could be up for the game - why this eludes some people is beyond me - despite the hyperbole created by Steve big team matches often fail to live up to expectation whilst most seasons throw up a few classics amongst the less fancied teams.That assuming some people can get over the brand snobbery that has crept into RL.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:21 am  

If London are to survive/prosper it requires some radical thinking and some significant help from the RFL.
Perhaps someonne like Brian Noble as coach and then some serious cash spent on making them top 4/5 club.
They desperately need some profile and a couple of top signings.
Whether they should receive this tye of "special" help is another question all together. It flies in the face of fair competition.
However, without something special, they are going to struggle to keep the Capital dream alive.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:29 am  

Pulling out of London a year after pulling out of Toulouse and Wales will send a ridiculous message to fans. There are a lot of fans down in London and a lot of good amatuer and semi pro clubs down in the south that look upto the Bronco's. If you were to pull the Bronco's you'd never get a club back in the south again.

We already upset a lot of Welsh fans by getting them hooked on Rugby League and then pulling it away from them, lets not do the same in London

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:43 am  

4thchoicecentre wrote:

Pulling out of London a year after pulling out of Toulouse and Wales will send a ridiculous message to fans. There are a lot of fans down in London and a lot of good amatuer and semi pro clubs down in the south that look upto the Bronco's. If you were to pull the Bronco's you'd never get a club back in the south again.

We already upset a lot of Welsh fans by getting them hooked on Rugby League and then pulling it away from them, lets not do the same in London

They havent pulled out of Toulouse.

Watch and wait..................

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:46 am  

Toulouse were in the Championship and are now back in the French League, I count that as someone pulling out of a competition.

Re: Can London Broncos survive much longer? : Mon Mar 26, 2012 9:52 am  

As for London.

Its a tough one. If they are needed to keep a good tv deal, then we must do all we can. BUT, we must do this in the spirit of the competition, something that has eroded over the past few seasons.

There is a lot of tradition in the sport in London, something that needs to be embraced and something that possibly needs to be highlighted a lot more. There are also a lot of good people working in Rugby League in London, people we cant afford to lose from the sport.

London going belly up would be a shame but the RFL cant prop them up - that flies in the face of the ethics of licencing and I doubt they can afford it!

I have no answers!