BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Gary Hetherington is after new owners and new investment to join the London Broncos, and says he aims to get the club back into Super League as soon as next year.
Today, the Leeds CEO presented a five-year plan for London and the south-east at a media event that includes developing a new ownership group for the Broncos and potentially a different club brand and image. Hetherington has committed to reinstating the London player academy, confirmed they will remain at AFC Wimbledon and has announced a partnership with sports advisory firm Freshwater Strategy to try and revitalise the club.
The Broncos were relegated from Super League at the end of 2024 and long-time owner David Hughes stepped away from the club. Hetherington is now the majority owner but is seeking additional owners and support to take London to the next level.
“I don’t have a magic wand and I also don’t have a secret stash of cash to dip into as well. We need to generate that,” he told the crowd.
“The secret of this success is going to be to get everybody to get behind it. All the different parts, whether it be media, sponsors, fans, to do their bit. My job really is not to wave the magic wand, it’s to bring all the connected parties together.
“Make them feel welcome and part of the club. Part of the movement, because this is a movement in many ways. I feel we can achieve a lot of success in a short space of time. But all the parts of the plan need to come to fruition and that’s my job to make sure it does.
“A name change is one of the things we’re looking into, as well as a new image and a new profile for the club.”
Under the 2025 IMG grading system London sit in 14th spot, behind the 12 Super League clubs and Toulouse, with 12.65 points.
With the Broncos struggling in the Championship, sitting second from bottom with just two wins from one games, and with low crowds it appears highly unlikely they would have enough IMG points to return to the top flight in 2026.
But Hetherington claims he plans to get them back into Super League next season.
“You need to get 15 points to get a grade A licence, which protects you from relegation,” he said.
“That’s the objective, to get a grade A license as soon as possible. There’s so much potential here. For some clubs, there’s not much more potential, but for London there’s significant potential… that is very, very achievable.”
Hetherington, who has had success with both Sheffield and Leeds as an administrator over the past three decades, believes there is no better challenge in rugby league than turning London around.
“Vision is important, every club needs a vision,” he said.
“But it needs to be ambitious, realistic and achievable. The vision for London is we need a team that can be successful, be very successful in Super League, can win Super League and compete in the World Club Challenge.
“We want a team full of good role models, we need a team full of local players. We need to attract major companies into the sport. We need a crowd, we need sellout crowds.
“We need to appeal to all sectors of society, and we need to make it affordable. We need to play a part in the communities, and we need to generate a lot more awareness and interest.
“It’s a big plan, a big vision. First, we need to bring an ownership group together, we need major sponsors to come on board. We need to develop a bigger fanbase and re-engage with former fans and attract new fans.
Australian business management consultancy Freshwater bills itself on its website as operating “at the nexus of capital, business, and government, transforming uncertainty into opportunity. We create long-term value for companies.”
Freshwater has experience in rugby league and was involved in creating successful bids for both PNG and the Perth Bears in the NRL.
The press release states that the partnership between Freshwater and the London Broncos “will leverage London’s dynamic sports market to build a world-class franchise under new ownership and propel the Broncos back to the Super League.
“Freshwater has a proven track record of driving team transformations through market-leading sports advisory services, delivering success across a wide range of sporting codes.”Â
Freshwater Director Jonathon Flegg said in a statement: “Freshwater Strategy is pleased to be leveraging our global offices in Sydney and London, and strong pedigree in the Australian game to turn London’s flagship rugby league team into a beacon of growth in the UK.
“Freshwater’s partnership with London Rugby is focused on growing sponsors and investment underpinned by NRL partnerships and an exciting and contemporary club rebrand.
“Our aspiration is to help catapult the club back into the Super League, with the strongest brand, membership, merchandise, venue, sponsorships, governance and on-field competitiveness.”