Mike Eccles slams IMG – ‘We are ranked 24th with biggest catchment in world rugby’

London Broncos head coach Mike Eccles has publically slammed IMG, particularly on the point of how they calculate catchment areas.

Fanbase is one of the key criteria for IMG’s new proposals that grade every team in Britains’s three national divisions.

London, after the provisional grades were released last year, were in 24th, well out of the Super League spots and below teams such as Barrow Raiders and Batley Bulldogs.

Despite being the only club in the south of England, and London being one of the biggest cities in Europe, they aren’t awarded maximum points for their catchment, as according to IMG, it only counts the Borough of Merton.

Plough Lane, their home ground, is right on the outskirts of Merton, and it’s a minute’s walk from Wandsworth, where are large number of fans of the football club that play at Plough Lane come from.

However, even those living five minutes from the stadium in Wandsworth are not considered.

Eccles, speaking on Sky Sports’ The Verdict, said: “We have the biggest catchment in, probably, world rugby. We’re not given the maximum points for that.

“In the past, that would have gone in London’s favour.

“There are things we could improve on Jenna, absolutely we’re up for that challenge, but to have those things taken away, I think that’s really poor.

“I think there needs to be more joined-up thinking between the IMG proposals and the RFL and what we can offer.”

IMG themselves have said London is an important market for the game, and their role in rugby league is to grow it.

However, they’re keeping a huge market on the sidelines.

Does Super League need London Broncos?

Eccles continued: “Having them in the competition’s huge, we should have the capital club absolutely.

“I said it at the launch, rugby league doesn’t need London, it needs a strong London.

“A strong London requires everyone to sit down at the table and work out how we fit that, because we do not fit the criteria currently.

“The criteria is based on three years and probably the three worst years of the club, which we feel is unfair as well.”

London Broncos have taken part in 22 out of the 29 years of Super League since its rebranding.

They’ve also produced plenty of talent, such as England and Catalans Dragons star Mike McMeeken and his England teammate currently playing in NRL, Kai Pearce-Paul.

McMeeken from Hampshire and Pearce-Paul from Lewisham only had the Broncos as an option to play rugby, but their areas of the country, with no competing sides for their fandom, are not considered by IMG to mean anything.

Eccles added: “A more broad approach needs to be considered. London have achieved everything Jenna, we filled Wembley in ’99, we’ve had massive fanbases at home, we’re now producing our own players.

“It’s done everything that’s ever been asked of London Broncos, it’s just never been done at a single time.

“The challenge is, for the game, how we pull that together and make that happen right now.”