London Broncos coach says club should be treated ‘differently’ as he makes case for IMG exemption

London Broncos coach Mike Eccles has made a final plea to IMG to grant the club an exemption to allow them to grow – saying all logic dictates the capital-based club must be treated differently to other sides: and that the sport is at ‘the point of no return’ with rugby league in London.

Barring a miraculous change of approach from IMG, London’s time in Super League will come to an end this weekend – irrespective of whether or not they finish bottom of the competition.

They are off the bottom going into their final league match of the season away at Warrington Wolves, with growing calls that London should be kept in the top-flight if they finish 11th. That, however, seems almost impossible to happen, with IMG insisting no club will get preferential treatment.

But Eccles has made one last call for the game to treat London in a way that befits their unique circumstances, 200 miles away from most other clubs.

He told Love Rugby League: “I’m very happy to put my name to this. You have got to treat London differently: there has to be an exemption.

“It’s a different world down here. We cut our cloth accordingly, we produce players on par with the best academies in the game and we’ve got a home where we can build. Things are different down here.”

Eccles also admits he is still flabbergasted by the decision for IMG’s grading system not to include rewards for producing academy players – with the Broncos ahead of many northern Super League clubs in that regard: 70 per cent of their squad this season has been developed internally in the south of England.

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He said: “I know it’s not included in the IMG criteria but in terms of producing players and the strength of an academy, the top three clubs in the game, we’re up there fighting with them.

“We could be alongside them with the right support, I genuinely believe that. We have a home at Wimbledon that works, and a potential to really grow our crowds.”

But Eccles warned: “We’re at that point of no return now. We’ve got things wrong as a club and centrally, the game has got things wrong around London.

“But objectively, you can write down the things that are going on in London and that are working. My fear is just losing all this traction.. how far back it’s going to set us.

“It’s a crying shame we can’t build on this. Is there not a conversation we can have around London? Can’t we just have a conversation about how we can make this work?

“I don’t really know what’s going to happen next. I’m confident that we can avoid withering away but the danger is starting again, and how almightily different things are going to look.”

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