Mike Eccles hopes to guide rugby league bosses in making more out of London | The Sun
MIKE Eccles and Bill Leyland believe everything is there for rugby league to make a Capital gain as London go for a top flight return.
The Broncos have made the last four of the Championship play-offs after winning 12 of their last 13 matches, with a side made up of predominantly southern talent.
Bromley’s Kai Pearce-Paul is doing the business for Wigan before heading to the NRL, while Catalans’ Mike McMeeken – raised in Hampshire – is also at the top table.
Tony Clubb, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook and Dan Sarginson have also gone all the way to the England squad after being brought through by the club.
And current boss Eccles hopes to sit down with the sport’s chiefs to develop a proper strategy down south.
He said: “We’ve had soundbites about a plan for London, I’m not sure I’ve seen it to be honest.
“There’s still this incredible opportunity for the sport. The talent pool down here is phenomenal. It’s too big for one club.
“I was surrounded by soundbites of ‘It’ll never work’ but as soon as you come down and have a look, it blows you away. Rugby league is in towns I’d never even heard of.
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“But my hope is the game itself can sit down with the club and work out a sensible way of how we harness this massive potential, for the whole game.
“There has to be a bigger conversation with the governing body. The time is now.”
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Under the new criteria coming in for clubs in 2025, London would score highly as their Plough Lane base is as good as anywhere.
Now to take a step closer to putting AFC Wimbledon’s stadium at the top level by shocking runaway leaders Featherstone today.
And hooker Leyland is well placed to know what should be done off the field as much as on it – it is a big piece of his business management and marketing degree.
The 20-year-old Kent product said: “I’m actually doing my dissertation about it.
“The talent is here, the difficult part is finding it. You get players from all over the south – some travel two-and-a-half hours to get here.”
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