GARY Hetherington revealed his bold ambition for London Broncos to make a return to the Betfred Super League as soon as 2026.
The current Leeds Rhinos chief executive, who will step down from that role at the end of this season to oversee the attempted revival of the capital club full-time, laid out his ambition as part of Wednesday’s event at the Australian High Commission in London outlining the wider way ahead for the Broncos.
Mike Eccles’ side are currently 12th in the 13-team Betfred Championship after being relegated with an IMG B grade of 12.65 at the end of last year, behind the likes of promoted Wakefield Trinity (15.06) and Toulouse Olympique (13.58), but Hetherington has set his sights on both promotion this year and obtaining an A-grade.
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“That’s the plan, that’s the ambition,” Hetherington said. “The objective is we get a Grade A licence as soon as possible.
“There is so much potential. For some clubs, there is not much more potential, but for London there is significant potential and if we start to put in place all of the things we’ve been talking about, we’ll get a Grade A licence.
“We are aiming to get a Grade A licence as soon as possible, and to be a member of Super League and a member of the elite establishment of the game as soon as possible, ideally in 2026 – and that is what we want to achieve.”
Hetherington, who founded the original Sheffield Eagles in 1984 before leaving to join the Rhinos in 1996, is currently in the process of bringing together an ownership group which set to have significant Australian involvement to finance his ambitions for the Broncos.
The 70-year-old emphasised how the plans, which include a potential rebrand and relaunch of the club’s academy, have the support of governing body the RFL, plus Rugby League Commercial and marketing partner IMG to make a concerted effort in growing rugby league in London and the South of England.
Whether IMG gradings or even RL Commercial will be part of the picture for much longer remains up in the air pending the outcome of the ongoing club-led review into the sport in the UK, with the viability of the sport’s commercial entity, the agreement with the global sports marketing giant, and promotion and relegation formats all set to come under scrutiny.
Nevertheless, Hetherington is not worried his plans for London will be impacted by the review’s outcome when it is reveal at July’s Rugby League Council meeting, particularly with Wheelchair Rugby League general manager Martin Coyd and former London Crusaders winger Abi Ekoku part of the panel undertaking the review to fight the region’s corner.
“I don’t have any concerns,” Hetherington told Rugbyleaguehub.com. “[Coyd and Ekoku] have a good knowledge of rugby league down here, which I think will be very helpful.
“I can’t imagine that any review will ignore half the country and this is where significant potential is.
“There is no doubt that if London can be successful, it will have a significant impact on the future of the game – much more so than any club in the North.”