Any news on the forum? What was discussed.......

Didn't get home till midnight but will be letting all LBSA members know what was discussed. Have to say I'm very proud today to be involved with the Association. Wherever we are and whatever issues we have, over 50 members turned up in Ealing on a Thursday night for the Forum. The Association is coming of age and will make a real contribution to resurrecting the Broncos.

Good attendance , David Hughes was very open on what has gone on, how he is still committed to the club. How things will work with Trailfinders.
Hendo explained his plans for the squad. Several new signings to come, still trying to recruit certain positions.. Thoughts on the format of the middle eights.
Plans for pre season. His thoughts regarding the club now being concentrated at on base. Playing on a plastic pitch.
The Wigan game in London drew much comment, non complimentary on the whole.
How we need success on the pitch to build attendance, how savings made in ground costs will go into the squad.
How they plan to integrate into the local community and try to build from there.
Much was made of how welcoming Ealing Trailfinders have been. In fact the refreshments at the forum were laid on courtesy of Ealing.
First impressions of the facilities were not too good, but once you had a proper look around it sort of grew on you.
The evening was a success, we are where we are. The Hive is no longer an option. At Ealing we are in the Last Chance Saloon,
it is up to us as supporters but primarily the club itself to make a go of it.

If Hughes was open did he admit he threw away Broncos Super League place because he got the hump at that Challenge Cup result vs Wigan?

Talking of Wigan the badmouthing doesn't surprise me.

True believers & all that.

I believe David's reasons for the wobble run far deeper than just one match, though the words straw and camel may apply.

That's a vacuum that we've created and one that the Pies will exploit

Thats Business chaps and not a Saturday drinking club which Hughsey wanted and has got.

No bad mouthing of Wigan. The fact Wigan did not have the courtesy to inform The Broncos that they were bringing the game to London. The fact it was all smoke and mirrors. Vastly inflated attendance figures (All who went would agree with that). Office on Buckingham Palace Rd was rented by the hour. Was it was the success they built it up to be. Probably not. Judge it on whether it is repeated or not.
That was that.

Why would Wigan have had to ask 'permission' to play in London? Maybe if we were still SL but there's a gap in the market and they've looked to exploit it.

A couple of years ago I heard a CEO of another super league club say about Broncos management "For people who run their own club so badly, they are incredibly arrogant about other clubs". I saw that with my own eyes at a match earlier this season when they were incredibly sniffy about facilities (laughable now). The above statements just reinforces that impression.

Why would Wigan the biggest brand in RL ring the Broncos to ask permission! Out of curiosity who would they ring?

We've invited them in by being so bad as a club that we now play on a council pitch

FWIW I dont foresee anybody from Ian Lenaghan down having too many sleepless nights at Wigan over comments made at a Broncos Fans Forum.

Common courtesy, that is all. Then, who know how arrogant Wigan are.

Why did Broncos sell tickets and promote that game then if their noses were put out of joint that much?

When it comes to common courtesy perhaps we should remember how Wigan stepped in to keep the Capital Challenge going when Broncos wouldn't confirm to Skolars a couple of years ago whether they were going to play it or not

So True and Forgotten and already Wigan have confirmed next years game and costs and speaker and details etc,

PLANNING AHEAD

BUT REMEMBER, we had our press release last night, it was in all the papers this morning (HA HA HA HA HA HA)

Fact is - we don't have a London SL franchise anymore. So London is open territory.

Derision is all a club that are planning an assault on Super League from a park pitch deserve.

Hughes abrogated his rights to London RL supremacy & is lucky to get any scraps from the top table.

OK I didn't want to post last night and be too knee jerk so I've left it til now.

Firstly, we've had a fans forum! So well done to all concerned with setting it up!
Continuing in a positive vein the season ticket details, and the possibiltiy to check out the seating and purchase an ST was available.
Membership and matchday ticket prices announced.
Although not mentioned the club have announced a new kit deal - kits etc. will be by Kappa, last time we've had a major brand since ? Puma at the Stoop.

OK first impressions of the ground - it's a shocker! I went with low expectations and had to lower them further still! Congratulations to the photographer on the Ealing RU webite for making the place look so good! The reality..... .I've been on board since the Valley so can't comment on places like Chiswick or Barnet Copthall, but this place is pretty dreadful! The major plus however is the new plastic pitch.
Apologies if I go a bit scattergun now - Trailfinders own the site, not the Union club.According to DH Trailfinders 'want' us there. 3 years initially but 5 or 7 years mentioned.
All club activity is moving to Ealing - 1st team, academy ,offices, new club shop, new community dept. A new gym is being built and there are grass pitches to train on ahead of away games.
According to DH, if we get back to SL the capacity of the ground will be increased to between 5,000 and 10,000. However DH was somewhat evasive when pressed by one supporter as to how the redevelopment will take place and what plan he has for it. Talk of a notion of us and Trailfinders 'growing ' together - whatever that means. FWIW I was surprised this ground was passed by the RFL as being fit for Championship level. That said my only experince of Championship grounds are Leigh and Bradford - I've no experience of the Cumbrian grounds for instance so I'll admit to not being that well placed to comment, just my opinion.
Hendo came across as very entusiastic and committed - maybe he's bought into the London idea in a big way, like Tony Rea did.? He said about improving the matchday experience, junior games , academy matches on the allweather pitch, kids activities, beer tent, BBQs. He acknowledged the fact that there is a 'lot of work to be done and that a lot of infrastructure has to be put in place'. Yup I thought that was a bit out of the 'No **** Sherlock file' but I suppose he felt it needed saying.

The M word was mentioned - marketing! Talk of creating relationships with local people, local businesses, schools - talk of players going into local schools to do coaching sessions , kind of stuff that used to be done years ago IIRC. IMO Ealing Broadway is a big , local town centre to target - shops, restaurants, pubs ( looked to be an Irish one opposite the station which would be the sort of place to show spots on TV) . There was talk of making a local pub a 'Broncos' pub - nearest I could see was the Duke of Kent ( 5-6 mins walk from ground)

Pre season friendlies - not sure if i caught this right but of the 3 games being planned there was mention of a game against an Indigenous XIII? Also mention of holding a game against the NRL sid ethat comes over for the WCC.

Coaching - Danny Ward to join Hendo on a full time basis . Rob Powell and another coach to be recruited to run the Academy.
Recruitment - some players to come, one or two couldn't be announced yet at the request of their clubs, full salary cap spend ( £1m).Hendo commented he thought Joey Grima undersetimated how difficult it would be to get out of the Championship. Promised fast, exiciting , hard rugby next season.

Wigan game was discussed - we've all got our views on it but I was disappointed to see that DH used it as an opportunity to have a dig at Ian Lenagan and also Tony Kleanthous - they may be what they are but they appear to be having greater success at running their sporting teams don't they David - I thought your comments, while getting a few laughs from the floor didn't exactly do you any favours!

There will be signage outside the ground announcing our presence and forthcoming fixtues . Noticed on my walk up from Ealing Broadway ( largely residential. took about 25 mins) that there were boards along Scotch Common announcing Ealing RU games - perhaps Broncos could use the same sites for posters too?

Matchday - seems to be set for Sunday but some backpedalling to indicate flexibility when told that the nearest BR station doesn't open on a Sunday.

U16S - will be admitted free. One attendee raised the prospect of how old the support is, hopefully this could help to address it. Just as an aside regarding croeds DH stated that crowds will grow as Ealing is 'a more sporting area'

Grandstand - issue raised about accessibiltiy to top tier for premium seats. No lift present so effectively means no access for the disabled or those with mobility issues to this part of the stand.

DH mentioned the possibility of Trailfinders coming on board as a sponsor

So, to conclude
If the team is successful on the pitch
If they can bring about the idea of a club in London rather than just a team
If they market and promote successfully
If they get the matchday experience right
If families come back
If the locals and wider community are engaged

The MAYBE, JUST MAYBE London Broncos could start the long road back again. I know we've heard a lot of this before so I'm taking it all with a rather large pinch of salt but that's my take on last night FWIW. Will beinteresting to see where we are in 12 months time!

That was just my unofficial take on the night, feel free to add to it ( or tear it apart!)

All the best,
Rob

Rob

Thanks for the summary - I was trapped on North Circular so missed the forum. Popped along today to assess my renew ST and bumped into Steve and Jason. I have to say its my second reccie and my second visit made me feel a lot better about this option. Its not the best granted but it suits the current situation. Sounds like they have at least thought through the ''entire picture' which for me is a first.

I am made up for all those who are "satisfied' in varying stages with the new set up at Ealing and good on you for being so positive. There are a lot of "if"s" in this new plan, but let's hope they can push on and make a decent fist of it.

For the record....and this is purely my opinion which in the past has been as accurate as is possible to be, the club will never gain SL status under the current owner and I wouldn't give a flying one if Giorgio armani was supplying the kit, we have fallen faster than any other SL clubs apart from Crusaders and PSG and will be lucky to survive in the championship for the next 3 seasons. I wouldn't believe a word that comes out of the owners mouth in regards 'the future and his part in it" as his "word" was broken before and as a direct result we are playing park footie next year. Those employed by the club can be as enthusiastic as the energiser bunny but without a solid business plan in place and professionals in their elected fields to see it through, then we're as buggered as buggered can be.
Newsflash. We are playing at a banqueting venue in the third tier (that's where we are currently) 3 years after welcoming the likes of Wigan to a purpose built rugby stadium.....good luck to those poor distracted souls who've already bought season tickets and will hungrily lap up whatever spin the club deliver, but the truth is that you are now in the realm of fantacists(sic). There was a hint of exactly what Hughes expects in the future when he was pushed about "expansion" plans.......but I doubt the "devoted few' will have paid any heed to that.

Looking forward to being proven wrong. COYB!

I'm not sure who you think believes London will be back in Superleague soon. It's clear that the club may well cease to exist in the next few years. That doesn't change the fact I want to watch rugby league, if I enjoy myself most at London then I will watch there. Will me stopping watching rugby league in any way assist southern rugby league? No. Can I personally do anything about the situation southern rugby league finds itself in? No (bar start buying lottery tickets perhaps.) Will you be proven correct? Almost certainly but frankly it's a pretty safe bet and everyone know it. Will I watch rugby league down south next season? Yes. Will some of those games be at Ealing? Probably. Do I think David Hughes has done a good job and that London Broncos have been well run? Of course not.

Feel free to castigate me as a poor distracted fool. Personally I'd describe myself as a rugby league fan who wants to watch the sport and is well aware that option may not exist down south in the none too distant future. I intend to make the best of it whilst I can.

Frankly the most enjoyable game I have seen this season was in the NCL on a railed off pitch.The ground and playing standard may well be a huge step down from The Stoop but put two decent, evenly matched teams on the pitch and I'll enjoy it whilst I can. The rest of it is way beyond my control.

Good post and well put.
I was right 13 years ago by the way.....

Sounds like a load of to me

As far as the ground is concerned, looking at it on the website and Google Earth, I'm surprised that it was passed for the Championship by the RFL as all the other potential clubs in the division with the possible exception of Oldham are better (and I think that Oldham have alternatives in mind for big games). With regards to everything else that was said, it strikes me as just being the usual load of dark brown bovine soil improver that we've been told over the last few years. I'd love to be proved wrong but I don't think I will be

Wish it had been at Esher as they also have training pitches and a club house and parking. They would have welcomed us and we could ahve been in at the beginning of a great partnership and built a stadium to be proud of. Coming out of London would have been easier for me as trains run everyday from Waterloo and I would not have a 25 min walk from the station (providing there is a train) like I will have at Ealing. This is one of the many decisions I have decided not to renew membership or attend games next year.

Yeah, we've discussed the stadium before, and the RFL put the Champ 1 clubs in a position where they require a 5000 capacity to be eligible for promotion, which means if we got relegated it would not be good enough to come back up with. so I'm shocked the RFL agreed, but maybe there was some realism on their part, and I guess thats to be applauded, it's certainly better than Chiswick was, no doubt but to be honest even the RU grounds we used in an emergency two years ago are better.