FORUMS > London Broncos > Story in Guardian today |
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51435_1276261580.png Resistance is futile.:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_51435.png |
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| Ah, there's nothing like friendly banter over the North/South divide!
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| Quote: just_jillie "We're Quins - live with it or lose even more fans, constant changing name, colours and location will do us no good. Get the team right (which it was yesterday) get the crowds up and stand up and be Harlequins RL based at the Stoop in London
Hear, Hear!
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International Star | 319 | No Team Selected |
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May 2010 | 14 years | |
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51435_1276261580.png Resistance is futile.:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_51435.png |
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| The problem as I see it with the Quin's is that they've never really settled on either an identity or a home. Despite being in existance since 1980 in one form or another and in the top flight since 1996 you've always looked a bit uncomfortable with who you are and what you're supposed to be.
Are you a marketing tool for the game designed to show that they game can expand, survive and appeal outside it's heartland or are you a proper club that deserves to be judged on it's own merits? Personally I think there is no denying the fact that you were introduced into SL purely as a marketing gimmick along with PSG and Gateshead Thunder as the RFL had a moment of madness with the launch of 'SL Europe'. Unlike the other two clubs you managed to survive the fact that there was limited support for the game in London and be relatively successful, unfortunataly you didn't seem to be able to build on this success and get the fans to really make a success of what is now a franchise.
Personally I thought the idea of linking yourselves to Harlequins was a good idea at the time, giving you the opportunity to market yourself as a club and the sport under a recognised brand and develop 'Harlequins' into a larger sporting club rather than being two seperate entities. Unforunately that hasn't really worked for you (just has it hasn't for Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Tykes/Carnegie) and if anything it's watered down your identity even more. If you'd had success on the pitch it might have been different (at Bradford the whole 'Bulls' concept really took off when we started to really compete - it's harder to be cynical when you're winning!)
Whatever your board decide to do next needs to be something they stick with as jumping from one identity to another and one ground to another is definately not doing you any good! Building a club,an identity and a fanbase is no different to building a brand in any other business. Once you get known it makes no sense to keep changing it in the hope that the casual supporter can keep up. Again, looking at it from a marketing and sponsorship point of view (for yourselves rather than the game as a whole), I'd say that having London in the name would be a positive and allow you to appeal to a larger fan base rather than limiting by associating with another club or borough with its own loyalties and rivalries (at least until another London club is ready for SL to provide you with a local rival!) Do you go back to 'Bronco's'? I never had any affection for the name myself but you had your most successful period under that name so why not? My personal choice would have been for you to go back London Crusaders but that names being buggered up by someone else at the moment! London Eels?
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Player Coach | 547 | |
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| The Sunday Times today say Quins RL will change their name next year.
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International Chairman | 4140 | No Team Selected |
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Mar 2002 | 23 years | |
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May 2014 | May 2012 | LINK |
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| Given we've been at the Twickenham Stoop for nine years and nearly one third of our existence as a club (1997-1999, 2006-2011) I see nothing wrong with Harlequins. It's as close to home as we have got and as good a name as any. I think it is telling the fact that there is no consensus on what we should renamed to anyway…
A few things I thought were important, but I'm sure people will disagree:
1. The enormous amount of good community work the club has done since 2006 has all been done under the banner of Quins (and more recently the foundation). Like it or not, by disassociating ourselves from Quins we indirectly disassociate ourselves from that as well.
2. As far as I can see the Quins club have been very good to us and seen very little in return. We can use the ground for the whole season and not just when the pitch isn't being reseeded, they have our merchandise in the club shops, old shirts, photos is on display in the bar etc. It seems like a bit of a snub to them to change the name on a whim. Maybe some people don't care (and yes I know we pay rent now) but I think it would be foolish to take the other things things for granted.
3. The club struggles with resources (money, staff) to do the things it wants to do today. To do any rebranding well is very resource intensive. And I'd suggest a poor use of them. I'd rather the money and staffs time were spent on other initiatives.
4. Minor point: all the best wins (yes there have been some) as Harlequins have been achieved with mainly British squads featuring a number of local players.
When we went 4th in the league half way through the 2009 season I don't recall too many people complaining about associating with the Harlequins brand back then. Nor for that matter do I remember many people complaining about associating with Harlequins when Chad Randall dived over to bring up the forty yesterday either.
Being called Harlequins is the least of our problems as far as I can see.
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Club Coach | 12169 | No Team Selected |
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Oct 2004 | 20 years | |
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10696_1330181301.jpg london RL: scraping the barrel:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_10696.jpg |
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| I would like everyone to read the above post by PTB. I'd like them to read it, and then read it again. Because he's absolutely spot on and he's articulated the feelings of myself and a number of others I know far better than I could.
I will geniunely be very frustrated if we change our name and location. I just don't believe change for change's sake is the right move.
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Club Coach | 6035 | No Team Selected |
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| I hope beyond hope we change our name to anything but Harlequins. It will be a great day when I can be proud to say the name of the RL club I support again. I HATE sharing a union club's identity. Please do it Mr Hughes.
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International Chairman | 4958 | No Team Selected |
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1649_1338292262.jpg I have followed the LONDON CLUB since I was in my teensl even though born in St Helens and still live nearby and went to the first game at Fulham, also Big West Ham Supporter:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_1649.jpg |
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| I am not calling for a move from The Stoop, but one day we must aim for sharing a ground we part own! but No Way can I accept we keep the Quins name is killing us off and does us no favours, okay the on the field performances are what are vital to get right first, but IF money is going to be really spent to try and ensure we take off and brining in some serious signings how ever well articulated a opinion may be the name retention of Quins for me is a Non Negotiable Option! the quicker we rid ourselves of it the better.
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Player Coach | 131 | No Team Selected |
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Dec 2008 | 16 years | |
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| Quote: The Penguin "I would like everyone to read the above post by PTB. I'd like them to read it, and then read it again. Because he's absolutely spot on and he's articulated the feelings of myself and a number of others I know far better than I could.
I will genuinely be very frustrated if we change our name and location. I just don't believe change for change's sake is the right move.'"
Couldn't agree more. Exactly what I've been trying to say myself in other, earlier posts. Well said, PTB.
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Club Coach | 6035 | No Team Selected |
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| We went in with Quins RU when they were a second tier union club with a view to merger. Since then the commercial success of RU has left us far behind and the merger is off, we are a tennant using the name on the door with no say in the brand.
We desperately need another body supporting us financially as well as David Hughes, otherwise at some point soon we are extinct. The only possibles I can think of are another millionaire, a local authority wanting to attract some business into their stadium/area, a football club wanting a partner not in football, or the RFL protecting their sky money with a southern club. None of these contributors will put any money into a brand owned by somebody else! I see the name change as a commercial necessity.
I love the Stoop as the best ground for club rugby inside the M25 and I am quite fond of Rugby Union as a game as well. Good luck to Quins RU and I hope they understand our problems.
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Club Coach | 5588 | No Team Selected |
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11488_1322662174.jpg Twitter @chris_caulfield:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_11488.jpg |
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| Not only do we have the fewest fans but some of the stupidest.
Let's get one thing clear. We had no choice. We went bust.
We had two options available to us. VCA which was rejected or fold. We folded and only came back cuz a man with more vision than any one we've ever employed thought there could be merit in a dual code club. That it failed is not something to be proud of but just shows how narrow minded some of our fans are. They'd rather no RL than any RL.
I can see why we are looking at moving - it hasnt worked here. Will another move undermine all the work put in by the community club? Yes. Who will benefit from it if we move. Most likely Quins ru. Was this why the agreed to us moving in rent free, quite obviously.
Nothing would have made me more proud than to have seen Sykes score the win ing try at wembley and rip off his Quins top to reveal a bronco jersey an have him kiss the badge.
We've failed as Fulham crusaders and broncos so no surprise to see us failing as Quins. But for those who have stayed away. I hope youre happy that you keep RL in London the embarassment it is.
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10696_1330181301.jpg london RL: scraping the barrel:d7dc4b20b2c2dd7b76ac6eac29d5604e_10696.jpg |
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| Quote: Darthchris "I can see why we are looking at moving - it hasnt worked here.'"
Apparently we're only allowed to spend maximum five years in any one guise before supporters decide its time we try something else and move on.
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| For fu$ks sake...
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| for me its a no-brainer we have to change back to the name of london,its clearly not worked the tie in with quins for me it was never going to for a start the name harlequins are one of least liked amonst union fans what chance did we have! before im labled as a union hater i met my current partner 14years ago at the stoop when we were broncos and shes was a quins fan watching a league game for the first time and we have enjoyed both codes since! this is more personal i guess but we need to move back to sundays so i can make a game lol, as for missing 5000 as one poster put it ive made a couple of games this year and i have noticed hundreds of missing faces from years before but then again im sure we"ve gained new ones so 5000 hummmm!
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