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Super League club owner calls IMG score changed

London Broncos

London Broncos owner David Hughes is unhappy with the IMG system being placed introduced in Super League.

The Broncos were given a Grade B score and the worst Grade B score for that matter ranking 24th out of the full 35.

They are 10 places between London and the closest Super League team to them which is the 13th placed Castleford Tigers. They are 12 spots away from Super League which means they are likely to be relegated no matter what happens which would be a blow taking away London from Super League.

Owner David Hughes has slammed this system saying: “We are incredibly proud to represent London however, playing rugby league in London is a difficult proposition compared to the north. We have taken rugby league to communities in East London (Charlton), North London (Barnet), and South West London (Ealing, Brentford, Twickenham and Wimbledon).

“We have worked tirelessly within our community to discover talent and create a pathway to professional rugby league. In a part of the world which is dominated by other sports, in particular rugby union, we have been very successful. We have helped to produce countless players who now ply their trade in Super League and even current England players (Mike McMeekan & Kai Pearce Paul) have come through our academy. In last season’s Championship winning squad there was just one person who was born in the north of the country – that was the head coach Mike Eccles.”

Super League club wants score changed

London Broncos in Super League

Alex Walker of London Broncos celebrates his try with Matty Fozard, Luke Yates and Matt Fleming during the Betfred Super League match between London Broncos and St Helens R.F.C at Castle Bar , West Ealing , England on 21 July 2019. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xLiamxMcAvoyx PMI-2912-0031

Hughes also explained how this situation led to the club ending their academy:

“We made the difficult decision not to run our academy in 2024 – a decision that was made with the new IMG grading criteria in mind. We will instead run a new ‘Lions Development’ programme which will still see us create a pathway for youngsters in London and the surrounding areas. Within the IMG grading criteria there is no direct reward for having an academy and producing players. We all share the same ambition to grow the sport, so why would this not be included in the criteria yet something like the amount of social media followers a team has is?”

Speaking of the criteria, he also called for the club’s IMG score being changed over catchment:

“We embrace the challenges that we face by being the only professional club south of the midlands and the only Super League club south of Castleford (in the UK). We acknowledge that we still have a long way to go to establish the club and sport within London. However, there can be no denying that due to its size and population London’s potential remains as big as it has ever been. Yet despite being in London and being the only professional club in the south of the country we were awarded the lowest possible score for our catchment area. This needs to be re-looked at.”

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