Super League side London Broncos have today announced a surprise stadium switch.
Since their formation in 1980, as Fulham RLFC, the Broncos have played home games at fourteen different stadiums in London.
These include Premier League grounds Griffin Park, Craven Cottage and even, as a one-off, Stamford Bridge.
Since 2022, they’ve been playing at Plough Lane, the home of AFC Wimbledon, which was opened in 2020 after being funded by supporters of the fan-owned and founded club.
In March 2021, members of The Dons Trust, the supporters’ organisation that owns the football club, foundation and stadium, voted 91.7% in favour of allowing London Broncos to move to the stadium, with a ten-year lease eventually agreed.
However, just two years after starting to play in Wimbledon, they’ll be returning to their former home, the Twickenham Stoop.
In a one-off change, they’ll host St Helens at a ground they’ve had three spells at in the past: 1995–1996, 1997–1999 and 2007–2013.
Credit: Imago Images
It’s the stadium they’ve spent the most time at in their 44-year history, and the ground-share with Harlequins Rugby caused them to rebrand as ‘Harlequins RL’ from 2006 to 2011.
Their first and last games as Harlequins RL were also against St Helens, as was the first game after reverting to the London Broncos name.
Broncos Head of Commercial, Mark Kemp, said: “After looking at a number of options for this fixture, it soon became apparent the answer was almost staring us in the face. As we returned to the Super League for the 2024 season, we looked to make a conscious nod to the past with the return of the simple black kit from the 93/94 season and the striking quarter kit from the 1996 first summer season.
“We are excited and looking forward to welcoming you all to the Twickenham Stoop on what will be a great occasion as we return to a venue that hosted one of the clubs most successful periods and we look to re-engage with some of those lost supporters from within the area now that we are back in Super League.”
‘Looking at a number of options for this fixture’ suggests that Plough Lane was unavailable for this game – likely due to pitch maintenance ahead of the 2024-25 EFL season for AFC Wimbledon.
London Broncos vs St Helens will take place on Sunday, 16 June at 3pm.
