Andrew Abdo throws support behind London Broncos as position made clear

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo insists London is still a huge part of their vision for rugby league in the UK, believing the capital side will ‘only help Super League’ if they returned to the top flight.

The Broncos underwent a drastic off-field transformation this off-season following the takeover of Darren Lockyer and Grant Wechsel, but missed out on a place in the newly expanded 14-team Super League.

However, London look on course for promotion from the Championship sooner rather than later, with the club likely to post a major improvement on the IMG gradings table alongside a perfect record of eight wins from eight league games this season.

‘London offers a lot for the game’

The investment from Lockyer and Wechsel has once again made London a very exciting project, and Abdo admitted the capital outfit are central to their vision for both Super League and British rugby league as a whole.

“Huge: you got it,” he told Love Rugby League. “You’ve got to keep you got to keep trying and investing there. London offers a lot for the game.

“It’s a diverse community. It has many of the aspects that we think can bring a whole other dimension to the game.

“I know that this is not something that hasn’t been tried before, but I think it’s pretty important.

“Having a London team in the Super League is going to add a whole other dimension in terms of acquisition of fans, acquisition of sponsors,” Abdo continued. “I think it’ll benefit the league.

“If it’s done appropriately and executed well, I think it will be great. It can only help Super League.”

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His words come amid growing speculation that the NRL is set to invest into Super League, in what could be the biggest transformation to the British game in the Super League era.

The NRL and Super League have begun working together closely in recent years, namely with the Las Vegas event, which has opened the doors to a potential investment into the European competition.

However, it is not a done deal just yet, with Abdo telling Love Rugby League there are still plenty more hurdles to jump over before anything is signed.

“It’s not about an offer yet,” he said. “It’s about whether or not there’s an opportunity to do something together in a formal partnership. Sure, we can bring some capital investment but there’s quite a few things that need to occur still for that to happen on both sides.

“We’ve got stakeholders on our side and our board has been really clear around what’s required and our clubs will want to make sure this is something that’s going to create value for the sport overall.”

The NRL CEO has also recently been in Hull for crunch talks with RFL and Rugby League Commercial figures, and was in situ for St Helens’ win over Hull FC on Thursday night.

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