Exclusive: London Broncos plan Challenge Cup game at Stoop
London Broncos plan to take a game to the Twickenham Stoop this year as part of their first season under Australian ownership.
Brisbane Broncos NRL legend Darren Lockyer and a consortium of fellow countrymen acquired the Championship team, based at AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium, in 2025 with ambitions to see a London side win the Super League.
They begin their second-tier campaign this weekend against Widnes Vikings at the 9,215-capacity Plough Lane, and hope to conclude it by returning to the top flight under new ownership.
But the club will take a game west to Prem Rugby side Harlequins’ Stoop later this year in a bid to make the most of the Australian expat community in the capital and amid issues which will arise when Wimbledon look to renovate their pitch this summer, during the rugby league season.
“The only issue we have with Plough Lane is the pitch renovation and how long that will take,” Broncos co-owner Grant Wechsel told City PM. “We’ll work with them on what we can do next season and I think it’s fairly workable.”
London Broncos in Twickenham?
The Broncos have previously enjoyed two spells at the 14,800-capacity Twickenham arena.
Wechsel added: “This year we’ve got a couple of games scheduled later in the season at the Stoop, and obviously there’s a bit of history there for us. If we are in Super League then we’ll assess where the best home base is.
“We’re conscious that the club’s moved around a lot, so we don’t want to be going anywhere new but the Stoop is a bigger ground too. Even for some of these Challenge Cup games, if there’s a possibility we play some of those there, depending on who we draw [we’d look at it].”
The current London Broncos fixture list has their match in June against Featherstone slated as taking place at the Stoop, but the financially-troubled side were denied a spot in this year’s Championship due to cashflow issues.
Wechsel is also planning a Broncos match at Ebbsfleet United’s Kuflink Stadium against Doncaster.
The Australian mining magnate insists they’ll go all in for the FA Cup-style Challenge Cup given the opportunity to beat Super League competitors and potentially reach the Wembley final.
London Broncos enter the competition during round two and will face Wests Warriors in their second fixture at Plough Lane before a potential Stoop-suitable tie against fellow Championship side Bradford Bulls in February.