Press Conference: Quins & Broncos Link Up

Ian Lenagan (Chairman of London Broncos): ‘The Broncos will be back at The Stoop from the start of the 2006 season, but to a different Stoop – The Twickenham Stoop, as Mark has said, it has changed a lot since we were last here in ’99. It has superb player and spectator facilities but it is also it is the scene for some great moments for Broncos in the past: the scene of our victory over Canberra; getting to the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley; and in particular a very famous victory over Bradford that many Broncos supporters remember well. But secondly, while it’s a return to The Stoop, it’s not a return to The Stoop as rent paying tenants that we have been for quite some while at other locations, it’s as a long term partnership with Harlequins.

‘A partnership in two ways first of all sharing resources: marketing, commercial and administrative, training grounds and facilities for both teams, development of players because there is much to gain from the special  approaches to training in both of the codes and obviously in the youth and academy area. The move here in the partnership represents a sensible, attractive yet realistic share of revenue for the Broncos, things that we’ve not necessarily had before at our previous locations, including, for instance, bar and food revenue on match days, merchandise and corporate hospitality that the new Twickenham Stoop, as you can see, is superb for, and great for Rugby League spectators.

‘This leads me to the most exciting change of all which is that the London Broncos become Harlequins Rugby League from the start of the 2006 season with a full adoption of the Harlequins brand – the Harlequins shirt, the Harlequins logo, everything about the Harlequins brand now is the brand now used on Harlequins Rugby League. Whilst this is not a merger at corporate level or a takeover in either direction (despite the publicity – all of it incorrect – that you saw) what it does represent is the most exciting coming together of Rugby Union and Rugby League ever, secondly it represents that coming together under the most famous club rugby brand in the world with the most capable boards of directors on both sides. We are quite sure it means a very strong future for rugby league in the capital.’

The a video was shown:

“It’s been a nomadic journey for professional Rugby League in London first as Fulham at Craven Cottage, the 25 year struggle has included several stopovers including extended stays at The Valley and Griffin Park but what’s alluded London for so long is a place that they really could call home but that is now set to change with the club assuming a new identity and returning to a new look Twickenham Stoop.

Tony Rea: “It feels fantastic, when we were at The Stoop last time playing obviously in a different guise we had our best and happiest times – we really enjoyed life here and it’s been a part of us always wanting to come back. It’s a super way to do it as well.

“Losing the Broncos name is not easy but necessary for a brighter future.
Tony Rea: Our big responsibility now is to take those colours out and wear them with pride until the end of the season and to retire them in such a way that the people that supported it and played in those colours know that they have been retired in the most dignified way they possibly can be. 

“London enjoyed some of their fondest times at The Stoop
Tony Rea: “It was a great night when we beat Canberra in the World Club Challenge when Canberra Raiders came here with all their fantastic big names, it was great to see so many people here cheering us on – what a great night, there was such a great feeling in the stadium. 

“It’s not just about sharing a name and stadium but other resources as well
Tony Rea: “We will be sharing coaching, we will be talking daily on how we’re going, I’ve already done a little bit of it, I’ve done a little bit of work with the Quins, I can’t tell you how invaluable it is to look something that’s out of the box for you as an individual and therefore it helps the club because it makes you think a bit differently and it broadens you. This whole thing is about broadening, anyone can carry on doing the same old thing. When you put two things together sometimes it can dilute other times it can come together and be a whole force when joined together and be more powerful. We’re going to work real hard to make sure it is more powerful for both groups of people involved. 

Dean Richards: “When you get two teams like Quins and Broncos merging together and becoming Harlequins it’s great for the game – it can only get better and it can only become stronger.” 

Mark McLinden: “On a performance front there appears benefits all round – The facilities here are great, when you compare it to our current home at the moment you couldn’t probably even call it a home, it’s just a place we play at in Brentford, it’s been great for us, it’s served us well. But we’ve got an opportunity to come here and really have a home, being from Australia and living in London having a home is very important so I’m looking forward to this next step.”

Andre Vos: “We’re very excited and for Harlequins as a whole it’s definitely a step in the right direction and something that supporters of both sides can be extremely excited about.” 

"Harlequins have nothing but progress on the agenda with a return to the top flight and a new partnership.
Mark Evans: “I think it makes a lot of sense to try two codes from the same name, we’ve put a lot of work into the stadium, it’s going to be a great venue. The fact that people will be able to come and watch rugby twelve months of the year and watch Harlequins watch rugby in either code, I am sure a lot of people will watch both codes, I will. It’s just going to be fantastic.”

“These two clubs have all the essential ingredients and if the blend is right it should work
Mark Evans: “It’s not a merger or a takeover, it’s a partnership and in all good partnerships you go in, it only works if both sides commit to it and I believe both sides are. We certainly are, we are not in this for the short run, it could be the venue and the name and the club that will finally secure Rugby League’s future in the capital and a successful future for Rugby League in the capital.” 

“Under construction a relationship that looks to be built on solid foundations
“We’ve got a deal to be here and Harlequins are part of that deal, Harlequins want us to be here, Harlequins are going to be helping us to improve our performance, they are going to be investing their staff, their time, their resources into making us work as part of the Harlequins brand. However Rugby League in London is bigger than just a brand name and we’ve been trying for 25 years to find a home and we had Fulham which was our last home and we’ve been nomadic ever since that time. The Broncos was a stepping stone along the way to what we believe the home for Rugby League in London. 

“For the Broncos before the doors open to their new home there is some unfinished business
Tony Rea: “We know the day after our last Broncos game that we’ll be 100% ready and I’ll be the most excited man in the world to be a Harlequin.”

Mark Evans: ‘I would just like to endorse everything that Ian said, we see this as a huge opportunity to do something that, perhaps, it would be very, very difficult to replicate anywhere. It’s only in this area that there are two professional rugby clubs from the different codes that could come to this sort of partnership because in most of the rest of the country the location of the clubs is too far apart. 

‘It isn’t the same as Leeds, they have a common ownership and two  distinct rugby brands in the Tykes and the Rhinos, this is about separate ownership but with one brand playing union and league. Who knows where it will go in the future all we know is that we have got a long term agreement lasting five years in the first instance – it’s a bit like a couple who have known each other a while (Tony has helped us out on the coaching side and I’ve known Nick and David for a number of years) and get on well so we thought we’d live together for a while and who knows we may even end up with something a bit more legal and get married. Or it may not happen, I just know that for the next five years we’ve got a massive opportunity to build Harlequins in Union and League to be a powerhouse in both codes. I think it’s a tremendously exciting prospect and one that certainly we’ll be putting all of our energy and what capabilities we have into making it a success.’

There have been a number of announcements since the Press Conference, some of the more important points are:

• Quins would have done this whether we had been relegated or not, it’s not just to make money, if Quins had just wanted to make money they would have had a traditional ground share for a year or two until they had the money and were back in the Premiership
• Both sides and academies will keep their full coaching staff but there will be ‘cross-pollination of ideas from both codes’
• It seems that the deal will not bring much money for Quins in the short term because Broncos will get the revenue that they are due from ticket sales, bar sales etc.
• This revenue share will help get Broncos back into being a viable business