Not long to go now and we'll have the club back after 5 years in the wilderness with an unloved moniker.

Personally I cannot wait for a return to what I'm assuming to be "London". The atmosphere should improve dramatically and maybe some lost fans will return.

Since being Quins RL nobodies, the standing of RL in London in the media has nosedived (nothing to do with results either).

I've never been able to bring myself to sing "Quins RL" or "Harlequins" and am looking forward to buying my first London shirt for a good few years. I've nothing against Quins RU though - the name has been theirs for many years and works for them. I'm grateful that they have been a helpful partner, but the time is right for London RLFC to move on.

Now I can look forward to being a full blooded fan again rather than just a semi-neutral spectator.

What I'd like to see next year is for the club to set up dedicated areas for fans to congregate in and sing (not just the central season ticket area), rather than have the current morgue like family/freebie areas throughout. I think a lot of fans tone it down due to this. Would be good to have dedicated family areas for small kids/prams etc

Time will tell-I suspect atmosphere is related to success rather than name.

Possibly this could be true - did we really lose that many fans when we becasme Quins RL though?

I am sure I sure a thread a while ago which had some figures and the attendance difference between Broncos and Quins was pretty negligible.

I suspect atmosphere / attendance is more likely linked to what happens on the pitch

are there any ideas/rumours about what you guys will be called next year and where you will play?

Almost certianly we will be staying at The Stoop (at least for next season anyway) - albeit with a couple of games taken "on the road" around the SE of England (Gillingham, Brighton, Milton Keynes and Oxford) have all been mooted...

As for name nothing announced yet - London will probably be in the name, but what goes with it is pure speculation..should hopefully know for sure in September

We have lost a fair few 'regular' fans but this is more to do with losing than the name, though it would be fair to say that it was not met with acclaim. As the D'ream song says 'things can only get better'.

I had hoped the change of name and news of 'on the road' games etc.. was going to be announced at the fans forum before the Saints game - does anyone know if this is going to be the case?

I have to be honest, I really don't buy into the argument that a few people seem to have that simply changing our name will result in instant improved atmosphere at The Stoop or improved attendances. On the whole attendances have been reasonably static. The only thing that will bring an improved atmosphere (and hopefully attendances as well) will be better performances on the pitch.

If we go 'on the move' what happens about season ticket holders? I can't see a neutral stadium providing the same type/area of seating?

I think on-the-road matches are a terrible idea, on a par with having to play at another ground because the pitch is being re-seeded (remember Brentford/Charlton) and unlikely to bring in additional punters. Fans just want a regular time and day for their home matches coupled with improvement on the pitch and a few home wins.

Agreed.

And like just_jillie says, a further 2 fingers up to season ticket holders.

Are we deluded.............................................................or are we hamsters....................................what a pile of rubbish, change the name for success...........................roll up, roll up all the fun of the fair.......................

I was going to say that the rebranding will make zero percent difference, but I'll go with 0.02%.
I cannot understand why it makes a difference - Purdo not playing is more meaningful to me.

Utterly deluded - wins=bums on seats=better atmosphere - simples!

Really? On what do you base this statement?



No...and once the final home game is played I will post some stats on here to prove that we have done no better or worse than when we were the Broncos.


It makes no difference what we are called..........how we announce what we are called and how many times we invite people to come and watch us is what will make the difference.

Not so. Plenty of clubs in plenty of sports can win as many games as they please but they won't find my bum on any of their seats unless I identify with them.

Other than RU supporters, few people will identify with "Harlequins". And not a lot of people identified with "London Broncos" even when they enjoyed some on-field success.

I don't know the solution and I don't believe it's simples.

I know there's no way of knowing for sure but perhaps we did lose some fans by becoming Quins but also gained some new ones. Now if the disullisioned fans return due to the new brand etc and the new fans from the Quins era remain (and I don't see why any wouldn't) then we could be in line for a boost in attendances could we not?

You might want to try a regression analysis of average attendance versus win % over the SL era. I think that will tell you everything you need to know.

we were more successfull in the 6 seasons before 2006 with 2 trips to the play-offs and we averaged 3,546 per game.

Since the start of the 2006 season we averaged 3,596 and have never finished higher than 7th.

Crowds at the Stoop, whilst disapointing, are not down to the name of the club and to a certain extent, not badly influenced by the performance of the team either.

Yes, some die hard anti-unionites will have stopped coming since 2006, but the fact remains, we have been better supported since 2006 than we were before it.

GF-Since it appears success and names dont make much difference could you give us the av crowds at each stadium-ie what were we getting at the Stoop previously

The differences you are talking about there could be down to random variation. Statistically, there does not appear to be any effect of time on our crowds.

This statement renders your whole argument completely laughable IMO. How can a club's results have absolutely no bearing on its popular and media profile? Explain. Do the British newspapers focus on Manchester United and Liverpool because the public like teams who play in red?

If people couldn't bring themselves to cheer on a team called Harlequins RL that's down to two things - a substandard marketing effort by the club and IMO downright fickleness (is that a word?) on the part of some supporters. I started supporting the club as Broncos and overcame my initial scepticism about the Quins idea to become a season ticket holder. If some fans can't see the bigger picture, then IMO that's their problem, not the club's.

So now we have another name change, and the horrible (and discredited) idea of 'on the road' fixtures. Congratulations, you've dragged us back 6 years. Thanks.

The Penguin and a few others will never change their opinions whatever case and however strong it is that is a fact of life.

Pengy have you considered that the "on the road" games maybe testing the water given the club has mentioned a potential move away from the Stoop.

A day out in Brighton isnt that bad is it- Hearts in Scotland was a problem!

I take it you are one of the "few others" jaybs?