A message from London Broncos Chief Executive, Jason Loubser

A message from London Broncos Chief Executive, Jason Loubser The club is at the start of a new journey on the basis that we are heading into the Betfred Championship in 2025 based on the grading process which will be made public by the RFL next week. In the first instance, I would like to echo the thanks to David & the Hughes family for the incredible support which they have shown the club over the years and with everybody continuing to back us, we are sure that Broncos can continue the journey. However, it is now vital that we all recognise the challenges that we face as London Broncos and whilst we are working tirelessly in the background to source new investment, the reality which we face is that we must raise funds now. There will be no parachute payment for clubs relegated from Super League in 2024 as had been the case in previous years. This leaves a hole in our budget and now requires us to raise funds alternatively and immediately. We estimate it will cost circa £900,000 to navigate our way through the 2025 season so for us to confidently start signing players and be ready for the first competitive game we need to raise around £350,000 in the next month.

PRESS RELEASE: London Broncos end of season update Following the conclusion of the 2024 season London Broncos would like to offer the following update on the club’s status and plans moving forward. This season sees the end of David Hughes’ 27 year association with the club. We would like to place on record our sincere gratitude for his ownership and leadership throughout his time at the club and we wish him and his family all the very best in the future. David leaves the club debt free as we now look to embark on a new chapter. The club is currently seeking new investment and whilst discussions have taken place with a number of parties none are at an advanced stage so we once again encourage all interested parties to come forward. Chief Executive Jason Loubser, Director of Rugby & Performance Mike Eccles and Rugby Administrator & Operations Dom Fenton now head up a ‘Working Group’ to lead the club in the interim period. Meanwhile, the club are currently seeking an external candidate to join the group. At the end of October all clubs will receive their grading score for the upcoming season. This will determine in which division each team will play in next season. It has been widely known that our score will see us compete in the Championship in 2025. Whilst this remains the case, London Broncos are delighted to announce that we will see around a 50% increase in our score, subject to RFL confirmation. This will be among the largest increases of any club. The club have previously expressed their frustration with the structure of the grading criteria, however we acknowledge and accept the RFL & IMG’s vision to improve the standards of all clubs. We believe that our new score demonstrates our desire to improve across all areas and we have put together a plan with the aim of becoming a Super League club in two years under the grading system. Whilst we are seeking investment to take the club positively and confidently back towards Super League over the next two years off the back of a fantastic projected rise in club grading; as it stands right here and now, we must cut our cloth accordingly with the money we do have and the money we hope to generate. To put together the squad Mike has provisionally assembled, we will need to generate more money than ever before via merchandise and membership sales. But we are confident that with increased communication with our loyal fan base and a fresh commercial infrastructure and plan, we can continue to move forward together. The club has undergone a huge transition in recent years and part of this was our successful move to Wimbledon. We are very proud of our home at the Cherry Red Records Stadium and the work that has gone into establishing links within the community and creating an event on matchday that makes fans want to come back to each game. With themed matchdays, a pub inside the ground, kids activities, street food & live music we welcomed thousands of visiting Super League supporters who all enjoyed their trip to London. We continue to work tirelessly within the community to increase participation of youngsters and to grow our own attendances. This remains a challenge that we embrace, and we are delighted to announce that the club engaged with more than 10,000 children in various projects throughout the season in the Merton area in conjunction with Merton Council as part of the drive to make Merton the Borough of Sport in London. In 2024 we saw more than 3,000 spectators attend each game which is roughly a 200% increase from the 2023 season. This average not only sees us move up a tier in the IMG grading but it is also the club's highest average attendance since 2011. The first home game against Catalans Dragons and our return to The Twickenham Stoop saw crowds of more than 5,000 - our highest crowds in more than a decade. It was announced earlier this year that the club would take sole responsibility of ‘The London Rugby League Foundation’. The foundation is a charitable trust which aims to increase participation in community rugby league in London and the South-East. The club is proud of its track record of producing players and the foundation, along with the clubs ‘Origin Elite Pathway Programme’, will continue to allow us to create opportunities to not only play the game in London but a pathway into the London Broncos system. We must also highlight the fabulous achievements of our ladies side who continue to fly the flag superbly for the game in the south of the country. This season they were crowned winners of the 2024 Women’s Southern Champions and went on to play in the National Championship final. Whilst unfortunately falling short of a place in Super League this time, the ambition remains for them to play in the sports elite competition at the earliest opportunity. Finally, as the curtain comes down on the end of the season, we have seen a number of departures from the men’s first team. Although this is disappointing, due to a variety of factors out of the club’s control, this was not an unexpected scenario. We are positive that we will retain the core of a strong squad and coaching staff and plans are well underway to bring a competitive side to the Championship in 2025. Announcements regarding memberships for next season will be made in due course as we look forward to welcoming you all back to the Cherry Red Records Stadium in 2025. #WeAreLondon

Sam Davis to join Salford Red Devils London Broncos can announce that Sam Davis will be joining Salford Red Devils at the end of the 2024 Super League season. The move will see Sam’s second spell with the club come to an end after initially joining the academy in 2017. The 25 year old made his debut in 2018 against Barrow Raiders and would feature in both the Championship and Super League seasons before moving to York Knights in 2022.

Oli Leyland to join Warrington Wolves London Broncos can confirm that Oli Leyland will depart the club and be joining the Warrington Wolves. The move ends a nine year association with the club for Oli after joining from Invicta Panthers as a 14 year old.

Dean Parata to retire from Rugby League Following the conclusion of the season Dean Parata has announced that he will retire from Rugby League at the age of 33. Dean spent three seasons with London Broncos joining from Featherstone Rovers in 2022 he was named the club’s vice captain. In 2023 London Broncos would produce a spectacular run of form to be crowned Grand Slam winners in the Championship play-off final against Toulouuse. Dean would be named the Championship Player of The Year, winning it jointly with Halifax’s Lachlan Walmsley. At the age of 32, Dean would make his Super League debut, being named in the starting line-up for Round 1 of the 2024 season away at St Helens.

Mike Eccles nominated for Super League ‘Coach of The Year. Mike Eccles of London Broncos is among four nominees to be the Betfred Super League Coach of the Year for 2024, even though his team finished bottom of the table. Eccles is joined by Matt Peet of Wigan Warriors, Willie Peters of Hull KR and Paul Rowley of Salford Red Devils following a poll of the 12 Super League head coaches – with the winner to be named at Rugby League’s Awards Night next Tuesday (October 8) at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Eccles was named Betfred Championship Coach of the Year in 2023 after steering the Broncos to a surprise promotion to the Super League, and has earned widespread admiration for the way his team have responded to a wide range of challenges, remaining competitive in the vast majority of their matches even though they only secured three wins.

Celebration of Community Rugby League in London & South-East The London Rugby League Foundation invite you to attend a Celebration of Community Rugby League in London & South-East Join us on Thu Nov 07 2024 at 19:30 at BrewDog Wandsworth for a night of fun and camaraderie. Let's come together to celebrate the spirit of rugby league in our community. With the Community Club Awards, Guest Speakers and other Entertainment, whether you're a player, coach, ref, volunteer, parent or just love the sport, this event is for you!

London Broncos can confirm that Josh Rourke will join Wakefield Trinity at the end of the 2024 Super League season. Rourke was a standout performer for the Broncos, receiving plaudits across the division after scoring 7 tries in 7 games after making his debut in Round 17 against Leeds Rhinos at Headingley. Josh suffered a cruel injury in pre-season, breaking his leg against Oldham but made a speedy recovery to feature heavily in the second half of the season and now moves on with our best wishes.

Emmanuel Waine: “It was an honour and privilege to be part of this great club” After two years in London, Emmanuel Waine will leave for pastures new at the end of the 2024 Super League season. Arriving from Papua New Guinea a few weeks into the 2023 season, Emmanuel made an instant impact picking up a try and Man of The Match on his debut. Despite picking up a serious knee injury, Emmanuel would play an important role in the Championship winning season, featuring in both the semi-final and grand-final wins. Waine made his Super League debut in round 1 of the 2024 Super League season and scored his first Super League try at Plough Lane against Leeds Rhinos.