Top level professional Rugby Union is not particularly big in Greater London – two of the so called London clubs (Wasps and Irish) play well outside of the M25 in Wycombe and Reading. There is really only one top level London Union team and that is Quins and they are slap bang in the middle of the Range Rover tailgate picnicking crowd of Richmond

Football is huge in London but our pro RL team is right in the heart of RU country. You cannot tell me that’s not a problem?

Take my word for it... Richmond is not and never will be a RL area. The ground is nice but for Quins RL to generate a good supporter base, they will have to reach outside of the local population and that in itself is a problem. I agree they need stability and marketing... I also agree it isn’t easy

Yes. We used to not far from Crystal Palace so it was handy. They moved to Copthall so I moved house to Herts. Soon as we got there they bu**ered off to the Valley (back to near where we'd moved from)! Is it any wonder people get fed up - you spend thirty grand or whatever it costs to move house and they do that to you! I may start watching them again if they've dropped the Harlequins name. It gave me the creeps.

Wouldn't that area be a good gamble? I admit I know nothing about London really but surely with the eclectic mix of foreigners there must be some SA/Aus league fans amongst others?
I dunno.

Part of the problem is the "London" tag. If they'd stuck in, say, Charlton and called themselves Charlton (or similar) they'd have done better in the long run than using "London." It seems "London" serves 3 purposes:

1. Protects against the forced moves.
2. Attempts to attract a metropolis-wide audience.
3. Gives the sport a "London" club.

As to 2, I strongly believe a local branding would achieve far better results (but in view of 1 and 3, probably isn't a great option).

Shepherds Bush? There are Aussies and Kiwi’s here and I see some NRL shirts etc (plus there is a London Kangaroos team which is an Australian ex pats team I think). The problem is that audience is transient and you would never get a truly stable fan base

I would say that certainly West London is a good target area and we have already seen London play at Fulham and Brentford... maybe being based out of Loftus Road and targeting the Hammersmith/Shepherds Bush/Acton area would be fruitful. I think it would be an easier area to crack than Richmond

Yeah I meant Shepherds bush. Like you say I thought there were lots of nz, Aus and SA people living there that you could get attending games regularly. Maybe they don't stay forever but word could spread!

I think its a good move. London Broncoe's is fine and now its just a matter of getting in a decent location. If possible one which has tube station access for starters.

Football is king here and no doubt its difficult to get a solid fan base for RL but its possible. From what I have read the viewing figures for SL is not just a northern thing and there are plenty people who watch the game in the south.

The recruitment of players so far looks good and if London can get a winning team then like it or not thats a lot more attractive for people to get behind.

I would like to think the Australian and NZ communities are ones to target but whenever I have worked with Austalian RL fans I can talk NRL with them but they havent been interested in Superleague.

It is funny to see so many people say RL has no chance in London but like someone said its not as if RU is huge here as the RU clubs (other than Quins) dont even play in London.

Is the Broncos playing in Herts, Bucks, Berks an option?

Great idea.

Big Brother, rugby league style. Get in some really annoying wannabe idiots - a model, a few homosexuals, couple of immigrants, a fat lass, a lad with muscles, a chav and a few others - chuck 'em into pre-season training and see how they do in SL. Would be the most entertaining telly ever, though it might have to be rated 18+ for gore and violence.

Or Wigan, as they prefer to be called

On the point of trying to get Aussies and kiwis in London to watch the London broncos. I hate the sport, but I work in Stockport where London Irish played sale sharks on Friday. There were paddies coming from all directions (I work on a railway station) to be bored by London Irish. Maybe this could be a marketing way for London broncos? I'm not a Londoner, I just want London rl to succeed.

No.

Oh right. That's that point discussed and dismissed by the brains of the operation then.