London Broncos announce new era for Rugby League in London
Jake Watson • 21 May 2025
London Broncos announce new era for Rugby League in London
Gary Hetherington has today presented a five-year plan to realise a new vision for Rugby League in London and the South-East of England.
Hetherington today hosted a media event at Australia House on The Strand in London, where he outlined plans to develop a new ownership group, launch a new brand for the 2026 season, and committed to reinstating the London Player Academy. He also said the club will remain based at AFC Wimbledon and confirmed a new partnership with international sports advisory firm Freshwater Strategy to revitalise the club.
“Rugby League is at a significant moment both nationally and globally, and London needs to be a part of that,” explained Hetherington whose career in Rugby League administration has spanned four decades beginning with the foundation of the Sheffield Eagles club and then since 1996 the revitalisation of the Leeds Rhinos.
“Stephen Smith, Australia’s High-Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and his team recognise the importance of Rugby League in terms of our links to Australia and the wider South Pacific – and in a year when we will see the return of the Rugby League Ashes for the first time since 2003, with the First Test at Wembley on October 25, this is the perfect time to consider how best to maximise that potential.
“The sport may have been born in the North, but its links to London stretch back more than a century – even before the decision to take the Challenge Cup Final to Wembley in 1929.
“This year, Wembley will stage two major Rugby League occasions – Betfred Challenge Cup Finals Day on June 7, followed by the first Ashes Test in 22 years.
“That’s a timely reminder of the importance of the health of the sport in London and the South as we continue to stage our major occasions in front of a national audience.
“One of the purposes of holding the launch event was to illustrate that London has continued to deliver for Rugby League, even with the Broncos club out of the Super League.
“There are products of the London Academy scattered around other clubs, from Mike McMeeken at Wakefield Trinity to Kai Pearce-Paul at the Newcastle Knights in Australia.
“London Broncos Women reached the Quarter Finals of the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup this season, and London Roosters will play in the Final of the Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup for the first time next month after beating Leeds Rhinos in Saturday’s Semi Final.
“The quality of the community teams in the Southern Conference League should not be underestimated, as Wests Warriors showed in their run to the Third Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup and a highly creditable performance against Leeds Rhinos at Headingley.
“There is so much to work with – and the Rugby League environment is receptive, with the NRL thriving in the southern hemisphere, and IMG’s strategic plan for reimagining Rugby League in the UK and Europe gathering momentum.”
The London Broncos and international sports advisory firm Freshwater Strategy are also pleased to announce a partnership to revitalise the iconic London Rugby League club. This partnership will leverage London’s dynamic sports market to build a world-class franchise under new ownership and propel the Broncos back to the Super League.
Freshwater has a proven track record of driving team transformations through market-leading sports advisory services, delivering success across a wide range of sporting codes.
“Freshwater Strategy is pleased to be leveraging our global offices in Sydney and London, and strong pedigree in the Australian game to turn London’s flagship rugby league team into a beacon of growth in the UK”, said Freshwater Director Jonathon Flegg.
“Freshwater's partnership with London Rugby is focused on growing sponsors and investment underpinned by NRL partnerships and an exciting and contemporary club rebrand. Our aspiration is to help catapult the club back into the Super League, with the strongest brand, membership, merchandise, venue, sponsorships, governance and on-field competitiveness.”
London Broncos Director of Rugby and Performance Mike Eccles has spoken on today’s announcement and his vision for continuing to discover and nurture talent in the south of the country.
“There is an obvious requirement to strengthen the team for 2025 which is currently active and ongoing. However it is our ambition to ensure we build not only a competitive squad for the present, but also a squad that is built largely on homegrown talent for sustained and lasting success for the future.
“We remain committed to providing professional Rugby League opportunities for young players from London and the South of England. To do so we plan to work closely with the RFL to resurrect professional academy structures and begin to rebuild a system that taps into the games largest and most diverse talent pool. We recognise the incredible work that goes on at junior league level in the south and within the Southern Conference League. We hope to work closer than ever before with all clubs in the South in an attempt to support player and coach development.
“Recent history has shown that both London Broncos and the wider game benefit from strong junior development structures in the South. It is our commitment to ensure these structures are resurrected and the quality work from the past is built on to create an unrivalled talent pathway. The journey to producing the next Kai Pearce-Paul, Mike McMeeken or Bill Leyland begins now.”
Ends.
POST-MATCH: MIKE ECCLES FOLLOWING HALIFAX WIN You can now watch the full post-match interview with Mike Eccles following the 20-14 win over Halifax Panthers at Ebbsfleet. We return to Ebbsfleet next weekend (Saturday, 12th) tickets can be bought from the link below. #WeAreLondon
LONDON BRONCOS V HALIFAX PANTHERS (by David Ballheimer) London Broncos (12) 20, Halifax Panthers (6) 14 London Broncos produced an excellent all-round performance to defeat Halifax Panthers and move outside of the bottom two. Backing up last week’s rout of Hunslet, this victory was built on outstanding defence. That said, apart from 15 minutes in the first half and a short while at the beginning of the second, they were the better team on both sides of the ball. The Panthers started very well, aided by a penalty close to the London line. Hooker Adam O’Brien, going from dummy half, sensed a lack of certainty in the Broncos’ defensive line and burst through a large gap and scored the opening try, improved by Jack Hansen. Another repeat set gave Halifax another chance to get over the line but this time, the London defensive line was ready for dummy-half runs and both O’Brien and the much larger Adam Tangata were repelled. In the 11th minute, Connor O’Beirne launched a bomb that came down close to the Halifax line. A Broncos leaper pushed the ball backwards to Alex Walker, who put in a grubber which Luke Polselli almost reached but failed to ground the ball. From the seven-tackle set, Fax went a long way downfield, benefitting from a penalty, too, but the goalline defence was good enough to repel another O’Brien snipe. Halifax, it must be said, were far less of a threat when Tom Inman replaced O’Brien in the No.9 role. Brandon Webster-Mansfield thought he had scored his first try in a London shirt after 18 minutes, but his interception, which did hit the ground, was ruled a knock-on. Webster-Mansfield, however, and team-mates close to the incident, were convinced that the ball had bounced off the centre’s forehead not his hands or arms. The referee and his assistants were not convinced.
HIGHLIGHTS: London Broncos vs Halifax Panthers You can now watch back extended highlights of the 2025 Championship fixture between London Broncos and Halifax Panthers at Ebbsfleet's Kuflink Stadium. #WeAreLondon
Matchday Guide We are excited to be able to share the matchday guide with you for our match on Saturday to ensure you have the best possible experience backing the Broncos against Halifax Panthers. Important times to note: 15:00- Gates open. 15:00 – Hospitality opens 17:00- London Broncos vs Halifax Panthers KO 17:40- London Broncos vs Halifax Panthers HT 18:35- London Broncos vs Halifax Panthers FT 19:30 – Hospitality Last Orders 20:00 – Hospitality Closes Travel Travelling by train, you can get to Ebbsfleet Station in 18 minutes on the super-fast train from St Pancras with 3 trains an hour. Exit the station and walk via Car Park C and it’s a short walk to the Kuflink Stadium. Along the way, there are signposts for ‘The Fleet’ that will guide you to the stadium. Parking is available at Ebbsfleet International Train Station. Sat Nav: DA11 9GN Home Fans/Away Fans Please may all fans enter through the main gate. From this point, you will need your ticket with the barcode, which is going to be scanned as you enter. You can bring bags into the stadium but they will be checked by security/stewards upon entry. Season ticket holders will also access the stadium via the main gate using their membership card. Hospitality Please may all those attending the game in an Legends Lounge /Broncos Bar make sure that they are entering through the Main Reception which will be open from 3pm. Seating Seating is unreserved with the exception of the padded hospitality seating either side of the team dugouts which is for hospitality guests and directors. We advise any guests with pre-match hospitality to sit in blocks H-K for ease of access to the upstairs bar. Disabled seating is located in the main stand and can be accessed via the disabled lift to the left of the turnstiles. Ticket Office Our ticket office is located at next to the main reception via the ticketing window for purchases on the day. Food & Drink The Rose pub in Ebbsfleet will be open from 11am just a short walk from the Stadium. At the Stadium, the main social bar will be open as well as the Eat Street for a range of food and drink options. The Fleet Kiosk in the main stand will be open for teas, coffees, soft drinks and light bites. The club hospitality bar will be reserved for hospitality guests pre-match but will be open for half time and full time drinks purchases for all fans. Club Shop The club shop will be situated in the fanzone. Home and away shirts will be available for purchase. If you have any further questions please email lynsey.coleman@londonbroncosrl.com If you still haven’t got your ticket yet, you can get your ticket NOW by clicking the link below
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Halifax Panthers London Broncos make the return to Kent and Ebbsfleet on Saturday afternoon with Halifax Panthers the visitors. The Broncos come into this game off the back of a fantastic away win at Hunslet - a 72-6 win, the 6th biggest in the club’s history. It is the start of two Saturday afternoon’s in Ebbsfleet with Halifax and then Doncaster - read the full match preview; stats, and key information below. Squad Information
FIXTURE CHANGE!! London Broncos can confirm the final home league fixture of the season with Bradford Bulls has been moved to September 6th, 4pm KO. This fixture has been changed due to a clash with one of our partners’ events the Merton Big Sports Day, taking place on the 7th. Also, AFC Wimbledon are scheduled to play away from the home on the 6th allowing us to now play on the Saturday. Tickets are available to buy from the link below and any tickets that have already been bought for this fixture will still be valid. We would like to thank Bradford Bulls with their co-operation in the change of this fixture. #WeAreLondon
JOE DISKIN ADDED TO LONDON BRONCOS SQUAD Leeds Rhinos back Joe Diskin has been added to the London Broncos squad for the weekend’s game with Halifax Panthers on Saturday. The teenager is the son of Leeds Rhinos legend Matt Diskin who would win four Grand Finals during his time at Headingley. Joe made his first-team debut in the most recent Boxing Day game with Wakefield Trinity coming on at full-back. Joe will join up with the London Broncos squad along with Jack Smith as part of the dual-registration agreement with Leeds Rhinos. #WeAreLondon
Oscar Romero win the Year 8 Girls and Dorothy Stringer win the Year 8 Boys
GALLERY: Record breaking win for London Broncos! Take a look through some of the best images from a special afternoon for Mike Eccles and his side as they recorded the 6th biggest win in the clubs history and the biggest since 2018. The win came at the expense of Hunslet as the Broncos racked up 72 points on the way to victory. TRIES: Gorman x4, Smith x2, Tindall x2, Natoli, Hursey-Hord, Polselli & O'Beirne CONVERSIONS: Smith 10/13 #WeAreLondon
HIGHLIGHTS: Hunslet RLFC vs London Broncos Mike Eccles' side picked up a big win away to Hunslet in the round 15 of the Championship season. After going behind early on it was then a relentless Broncos onslaught to run out comfortable winners. TRIES: Gorman x4, Smith x2, Tindall x2, O'Beirne, Natoli, Hursey-Hord & Polselli CONVERSIONS: Smith 10/13 #WeAreLondon
