Tuesday, 18 December 2007
London RL website re-launched
The RFL backed London rugby league website londonrl.com re-launched yesterday with a re-skin and a host of new features. Anybody interested in getting involved in RL in London and the South can get updates on courses, events, fixtures as well as club details.
Monday, 17 December 2007
Quins RL fans brave the cold for seasonal cheer
Many Quins RL fans braved the bitter cold yesterday afternoon to attend the Christmas fun day down at The Stoop. Visitors were treated to a full programme of musical entertainment, an appearance by the Harlequin Hearts, and a variety of activities for children.
Those who shunned the warmth of the Kings Bar entertainments may have caught a glimpse of new signing David Howell who took part in a training run out with the academy squad despite only arriving in London that morning.
Reports from the club suggest that the recent academy recruitment programme is also progressing well with prospective young players being put through their paces over the last couple of Sunday’s at the Roehampton Vale training ground.
A fans forum in scheduled to take place at The Stoop this Wednesday at 7pm when new CEO Paul Brown will be outlining his views on the future of the club.
Those who shunned the warmth of the Kings Bar entertainments may have caught a glimpse of new signing David Howell who took part in a training run out with the academy squad despite only arriving in London that morning.
Reports from the club suggest that the recent academy recruitment programme is also progressing well with prospective young players being put through their paces over the last couple of Sunday’s at the Roehampton Vale training ground.
A fans forum in scheduled to take place at The Stoop this Wednesday at 7pm when new CEO Paul Brown will be outlining his views on the future of the club.
Thursday, 13 December 2007
London Club Challenge details unveiled
The details of this year’s London Club Challenge between Harlequins RL and London Skolars have been confirmed, with kick off at 1pm on Tuesday 22nd January, at the Artillery Garden, Moorgate.
Fears that the event would be a corporate only affair have proved groundless as all three hundred tickets have gone on sale at just £10 each, with corporate hospitality available as an optional extra. A stellar line up of sponsors have been announced with ETF Securities Ltd, Selftrade, Flow Traders and the London Stock Exchange all putting their name to the game.
Quins have also announced a second friendly fixture four days later away at Bridgend based Celtic Crusaders. However, the game to kick of at 5.30pm at Brewery Field, has raised eyebrows due to the decision to play four 15 minute quarters. In theory the structure will allow the coaching staff of both clubs room to experiment with their line-ups whilst maximising intensity, but there is considerable scepticism about whether such experimentation will turn the game into little more than a convoluted training exercise.
Tickets details for the game between Quins and Skolars can be found here. Details of the game between Quins and Crusaders here.
Fears that the event would be a corporate only affair have proved groundless as all three hundred tickets have gone on sale at just £10 each, with corporate hospitality available as an optional extra. A stellar line up of sponsors have been announced with ETF Securities Ltd, Selftrade, Flow Traders and the London Stock Exchange all putting their name to the game.
Quins have also announced a second friendly fixture four days later away at Bridgend based Celtic Crusaders. However, the game to kick of at 5.30pm at Brewery Field, has raised eyebrows due to the decision to play four 15 minute quarters. In theory the structure will allow the coaching staff of both clubs room to experiment with their line-ups whilst maximising intensity, but there is considerable scepticism about whether such experimentation will turn the game into little more than a convoluted training exercise.
Tickets details for the game between Quins and Skolars can be found here. Details of the game between Quins and Crusaders here.
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Harlequins RL reach out to the public
Quins RL are planning to hold a fans forum down at The Stoop on Wednesday 19th December. The event is being billed as a means for the club to get closer to its fans and supports a number of other initiatives launched recently aimed at raising the profile of rugby league in London.
In recent years the management of Quins RL have been criticised by some sections of the supporter base for distancing themselves from the fans, although much of this criticism is perhaps drawn from the club’s previous incarnation as London Broncos whose often hand to mouth existence required greater involvement from volunteers. Some have lamented a loss of community club spirit whilst others have seen the shift as a positive development placing the administration of the club on a more professional footing.
Other efforts intended to raise the club’s profile include the open day this coming Sunday and various promotions building awareness amongst local communities. Whilst at a London wide level Hector McNeil, chairman of London Skolars, is leading efforts to sell rugby league as a whole to the business community through initiatives such as the City of London RL Luncheon Club and the revamped London Club Challenge.
The marketing of rugby league in the capital is a hard sell, nowhere else in the UK has the same level of competition for leisure spend, whilst the sports entertainment market in particular is dominated by football. It is a mark of how competitive the market is that Quins RU is the only top flight rugby union team still based in Greater London, despite the supposed strength of the code in the area.
New Quins RL CEO Paul Brown is noted for the development work done establishing community links in his time at the helm of South London Storm and as a consultant for the RFL, he will need all of that experience to grow the Quins RL brand.
In recent years the management of Quins RL have been criticised by some sections of the supporter base for distancing themselves from the fans, although much of this criticism is perhaps drawn from the club’s previous incarnation as London Broncos whose often hand to mouth existence required greater involvement from volunteers. Some have lamented a loss of community club spirit whilst others have seen the shift as a positive development placing the administration of the club on a more professional footing.
Other efforts intended to raise the club’s profile include the open day this coming Sunday and various promotions building awareness amongst local communities. Whilst at a London wide level Hector McNeil, chairman of London Skolars, is leading efforts to sell rugby league as a whole to the business community through initiatives such as the City of London RL Luncheon Club and the revamped London Club Challenge.
The marketing of rugby league in the capital is a hard sell, nowhere else in the UK has the same level of competition for leisure spend, whilst the sports entertainment market in particular is dominated by football. It is a mark of how competitive the market is that Quins RU is the only top flight rugby union team still based in Greater London, despite the supposed strength of the code in the area.
New Quins RL CEO Paul Brown is noted for the development work done establishing community links in his time at the helm of South London Storm and as a consultant for the RFL, he will need all of that experience to grow the Quins RL brand.
Monday, 10 December 2007
2008 London Club Challenge gamble
The organisers of the traditional pre-season trial game between London Skolars and Harlequins RL are reported to be switching the game away from its traditional late January weekend slot at New River to a corporate focused event played on the afternoon of Tuesday 22nd January at the Honourable Artillery Company ground near Moorgate.
Initial indications are that tickets for the match will be restricted to three hundred people at £55 per person including some form of corporate hospitality. The hope behind the move is that it will introduce potential corporate supporters to both clubs, which in turn will produce a much needed influx of capital into rugby league in London. The danger, however, is that the game may fail to sell, leaving the clubs out of pocket and existing supporters alienated by the exclusivity of the pricing policy.
It will be interesting to see the makeup of any potential Quins side; recent years have seen a line up based largely around academy and fringe first team players allowing a more competitive friendly than would be expected from a straight clash between a professional Super League club and a semi-professional National League Two outfit. Creating any new corporate event is likely to be a challenge, creating one around a match that has traditionally been little more than a training exercise is likely to be even harder.
As by far the smaller of the two clubs London Skolars arguably have the most to lose from the event failing, a home game against Super League opposition early in the year usually attracts a decent crowd by regular season standards and with it a much needed cash boost. An expensive corporate event would need to deliver sufficient ticket sales to cover costs as once tickets have gone on sale any cancellation would leave both clubs looking very shoddy to the investors they are desperate to attract. If however just one significant investor were to come forward from the event then any short-term loss would be mitigated by the long-term benefit.
Initial indications are that tickets for the match will be restricted to three hundred people at £55 per person including some form of corporate hospitality. The hope behind the move is that it will introduce potential corporate supporters to both clubs, which in turn will produce a much needed influx of capital into rugby league in London. The danger, however, is that the game may fail to sell, leaving the clubs out of pocket and existing supporters alienated by the exclusivity of the pricing policy.
It will be interesting to see the makeup of any potential Quins side; recent years have seen a line up based largely around academy and fringe first team players allowing a more competitive friendly than would be expected from a straight clash between a professional Super League club and a semi-professional National League Two outfit. Creating any new corporate event is likely to be a challenge, creating one around a match that has traditionally been little more than a training exercise is likely to be even harder.
As by far the smaller of the two clubs London Skolars arguably have the most to lose from the event failing, a home game against Super League opposition early in the year usually attracts a decent crowd by regular season standards and with it a much needed cash boost. An expensive corporate event would need to deliver sufficient ticket sales to cover costs as once tickets have gone on sale any cancellation would leave both clubs looking very shoddy to the investors they are desperate to attract. If however just one significant investor were to come forward from the event then any short-term loss would be mitigated by the long-term benefit.
Sunday, 9 December 2007
Harlequins RL ease recruitment worries
The club moved to ease concerns over the lack of depth in the back division by signing Canberra Raiders player David Howell. Powerfully built, twenty-four year old Howell can cover the wing and fullback positions, but is most likely to fill the centre slot vacated by the departed Paul Sykes. His arrival will also hopefully provide the club with breathing space to nurture home grown youngster Tony Clubb as a long-term first team centre.
Howell joins the club amongst mixed signals over his commitment and desire to play in the UK. He is understood to be disappointed not to feature in Canberra’s plans and hopes to return to the NRL after his spell in London. Quins fans are unlikely be too perturbed about such a prospect as any return to the NRL would require Howell to demonstrate some fine form over the next two seasons.
The former St George-Illawarra junior found limited opportunities at the Dragons where he was behind Kangaroo centres Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper seeing him switch to the Raiders in 2005. He played forty-eight first grade games during his time in the Australian capital, but after two seasons as a first choice player his appearances were restricted by injuries in 2007. He comes to Quins with a reputation as a solid performer who is prone to unfortunate errors under pressure. However Quins fans will give him the benefit of the doubt given the club’s past reputation for picking up unheralded signings who prove themselves to be inspired choices.
In other news London Skolars head coach Latham Tawhai will be making the trip across the capital to join Brian McDermott’s backroom staff as an assistant coach. Kiwi Tawhai, a former journeyman in the lower leagues, led the Skolars to their best ever standing last season and will link up with Bill Peden and Rob Powell to form one of the brightest young coaching teams in the Super League. He will be replaced at New River by former Leigh boss and fellow New Zealander Tony Benson.
Howell joins the club amongst mixed signals over his commitment and desire to play in the UK. He is understood to be disappointed not to feature in Canberra’s plans and hopes to return to the NRL after his spell in London. Quins fans are unlikely be too perturbed about such a prospect as any return to the NRL would require Howell to demonstrate some fine form over the next two seasons.
The former St George-Illawarra junior found limited opportunities at the Dragons where he was behind Kangaroo centres Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper seeing him switch to the Raiders in 2005. He played forty-eight first grade games during his time in the Australian capital, but after two seasons as a first choice player his appearances were restricted by injuries in 2007. He comes to Quins with a reputation as a solid performer who is prone to unfortunate errors under pressure. However Quins fans will give him the benefit of the doubt given the club’s past reputation for picking up unheralded signings who prove themselves to be inspired choices.
In other news London Skolars head coach Latham Tawhai will be making the trip across the capital to join Brian McDermott’s backroom staff as an assistant coach. Kiwi Tawhai, a former journeyman in the lower leagues, led the Skolars to their best ever standing last season and will link up with Bill Peden and Rob Powell to form one of the brightest young coaching teams in the Super League. He will be replaced at New River by former Leigh boss and fellow New Zealander Tony Benson.
Monday, 3 December 2007
Harlequins RL November round-up
November proved to be a month of off field progress for the Quins marketing and promotions machine, with the club getting involved in a number of initiatives to drive awareness around the capital. There were also encouraging signs that revenue from ticket sales would be up year on year although some fans are unhappy about the steep price rises of certain seats.
In on field matters there were positives reports from the early pre-season work, with injury victims Rob Purdham and Daniel Heckenberg back in full training. The club also ramped up its development work through the Community Coaching Programme, a recruitment programme for potential academy players and new opportunities for talent scouts.
On a less positive note the club appear resigned to the reality that former Warrington winger Henry Fa'afili will renege on the contract he signed for next season in order to remain with French rugby union side Biarritz. However, Fa'afili’s decision may in the passing of time be seen as a blessing to the club, given that he was allegedly recruited to play centre, a position in which he has looked rather less assured than his regular wing slot.
In on field matters there were positives reports from the early pre-season work, with injury victims Rob Purdham and Daniel Heckenberg back in full training. The club also ramped up its development work through the Community Coaching Programme, a recruitment programme for potential academy players and new opportunities for talent scouts.
On a less positive note the club appear resigned to the reality that former Warrington winger Henry Fa'afili will renege on the contract he signed for next season in order to remain with French rugby union side Biarritz. However, Fa'afili’s decision may in the passing of time be seen as a blessing to the club, given that he was allegedly recruited to play centre, a position in which he has looked rather less assured than his regular wing slot.
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