London Broncos suffered relegation from Super League in 2019 after four years in the Championship; Broncos among five other clubs applying for Super League place in 2021 to replace Toronto Wolfpack
Tuesday 8 December 2020 12:54, UK
It’s fair to say London Broncos have had a varied history in Super League. They’ve finished runners up once, appeared in the play-offs twice and been relegated on two occasions.
However, when considering the Broncos' validity as a Super League side it would be remiss not to look beyond their on-field performances when judging their credentials to re-join the elite in 2021.
The men from the capital were part of the fabric of Super League for the first 19 seasons before suffering relegation in 2014. After four seasons in the Championship they returned in 2019, only to be relegated again on points difference come the end of the campaign.
With clubs declining Toronto Wolfpack's application to return to the top flight last month, the Broncos, along with five other Championship clubs, were given an unexpected chance to compete in Europe's premier rugby league competition in 2021.
When Super League was formed back in 1996 one of the primary objectives was to grow and expand the sport - to lose the parochial, northern, flat cap and whippet tag it has long been associated with.
The inclusion of the Broncos, Paris Saint-Germain, Celtic Crusaders, Catalans Dragons and latterly Toronto Wolfpack in the Super League over the years has gone some way towards getting away from that stereotype. Following the Wolfpack's demise and the Broncos' relegation in 2019, the division currently features just the Catalans Dragons from outside the traditional rugby league heartland.
There can't be many, if any, major sporting leagues around the globe that don't have representation from the nation's capital city. A Super League with London Broncos dramatically widens the footprint of the sport professionally in the UK and it gives rugby league a far greater presence and prominence in Europe's third largest city.
If rugby league is to appeal as a sport outside the north of England and draw in a new audience, surely a team in London is a must?
It's taken time, but after years of development the number of London-produced players in Super League continues to grow - players who would never have dreamed of playing rugby league had it not been for the existence of the London Broncos. The patience and hard work coaching homegrown players in the south is finally paying dividends. There is an abundance of names who have come through the system at the Broncos now playing at the highest level.
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Tony Clubb, Dan Sarginson and Mike McMeeken are all products of the London system who have gone on to claim international honours for England.
In more recent times Matty Davis, Alex Walker and Rob Butler are just some of the players who have come through the London system and been snapped up by top division sides.
The club's current playing roster boasts names like Olsi Krasniqi and Sadiq Adebiyi, Albanian and Nigerian born respectively. The cosmopolitan make-up of London allows the club to attract players from all walks of life, giving the sport much greater scope for diversity and varied inclusion.
And only last month a further five academy products were handed first-team contracts with the club, taking the number of home-grown players in the Broncos' squad to around 70 per cent. Not many clubs on either side of the hemisphere can boast a figure as high as that.
Would any of these players be lacing up their boots and running out onto a rugby league field without the Broncos?
The player pool in London is huge and as a sport we're only just scratching the surface. With more time, investment and work in areas in and around London the amount of talent being introduced to rugby league will grow further - and if the calibre of player recruited over the last few years is anything to go by it won't be long before we see more stars being born in the south of England.
Next November the Rugby League World Cup will stage a semi-final at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium - and when the results of the first ticket ballot were released by the tournament organisers last month it made very pleasant reading for fans of rugby league in the south.
Out of all 61 games to be played during the World Cup, it was the London fixture that topped the ballot demand - with most applications coming from postcodes within the capital. The make-up of those fans who have purchased tickets for the fixture are unknown, but what it does show is that the interest rugby league in London is there.
Rugby league has been enjoyed in London by impressive attendances in the past, just not on a consistent enough basis to make a solid cut through at the highest level. If past marquee games and next year's World Cup fixture is anything to go by, spectators will watch league in London. With big names on show and strategic marketing to sell the product, they can be reached.
The influx of potential new league fans in London on the back of next year's World Cup is something that must be capitalised on. The presence of a Super League side on their doorstep to watch can only help entice them into the sport to become a long-term supporter of the game.
"There's no Super League without London", is a very familiar phrase used by their incredibly loyal and long-serving owner and chairman of London Broncos David Hughes - and it's a statement that's hard to disagree with.
Super League with a London side just looks more aesthetically pleasing and the size of the competition feels far greater and widespread. The potential new support, player pathway and nationwide appeal of the sport with a London side in Super League is something that should not be underestimated. It's that potential that needs to be realised and nurtured with a clear strategy.
They've been quiet and coy throughout the application process, but one thing is for sure - there will be plenty of noise coming out of the capital if the Broncos are given the green light for a return to Super League next week.
