London’s Super League push passionately backed by rival coach as Championship vision outlined

Widnes Vikings boss Allan Coleman has passionately backed London’s push to be a Super League club, insisting it’s what the Broncos need as well as the Championship on the whole.

Capital club London were taken over by a group headed up by Australian businessman Grant Wechsel and NRL immortal Darren Lockyer at the back end of last year.

The Broncos were unsuccessful in their bid for promotion to Super League as the top tier of the British game expanded to 14 clubs ahead of 2026.

But what has followed has been a domination of the second tier, with big name signings from both sides of the globe headed up by Papua New Guinea boss Jason Demetriou.

And for the good of the Championship as a competition, as well as London themselves, Widnes boss Coleman believes it is time for them to be allowed at the top table.

‘The sport needs to be a spectacle, and London are willing to make it one’

Last weekend saw Demetriou’s side beaten at Oldham in a big shock, with that their first league defeat of the season having won 20 on the spin in the Championship this term prior.

That setback has only delayed their League Leaders’ Shield triumph though, which is expected to come on Sunday – provided they avoid defeat on home soil against Halifax Panthers.

With the Championship play-offs still to come, as well as the 1895 Cup final against Widnes later this month, there is the chance for London to scoop a treble in 2026: just as Wakefield did in the second tier three years ago.

But with uncertainty still surrounding whether the Broncos will be admitted into Super League for 2027, Widnes head coach Coleman said: “If you look back in previous years where we’ve had one full-time team (in the Championship), or sometimes two, there’s just no real competition.

“York last year were fantastic, but that was a build-up of something two or three years in the making, and they worked very hard in the background.

“A lot of York players might not have been full-time, but they certainly weren’t working (alongside playing), they didn’t need to with their salaries.

“To get the best out of the Championship, I just feel like the competition is destined to – and needs to – be a part-time competition.

“That will really showcase it as a spectacle of 20 or 21 teams, whichever it may be, all on the same level and all on the same journey of being part-time clubs, working on a part-time environment.

“With London, how do we get our sport as a real spectacle without having our capital city involved (at the top level)?

“London have showcased that they want to sign absolutely fantastic rugby league players who people will travel miles and miles to support and watch.

“The sport needs to be a spectacle, and London are willing to make it one.

“Do I think they should put them in (Super League)? I do, personally, yeah I do. I think it can only grow the game.”

‘If somebody wants to spend money and sign world class players, they don’t belong in the Championship in my eyes’

Coleman’s Vikings are eight competition points worse off on the Championship ladder, sat fifth ahead of this weekend’s action.

There has been plenty of discontent around the format of the second tier throughout this season, with League 1 merged into the Championship ahead of 2026 before financial woes aplenty.

Lob-sided fixture lists have followed as a result, as well as huge blowout scorelines becoming a regular occurrence.

With a vision of his own for how the second tier should look, Coleman explained: “The RFL are working in the background to make the Championship a better-looking competition.

“That seriously needs looking at, because I don’t see how you can have a competition where you don’t all play each other. That, for me, is non-negotiable.

“Newcastle (Thunder) have played one team in the top six this year, I believe, and it’s through no fault of their own because they’ve worked really hard on recruiting and how they’ve done things.

“But they’re going into play-off rugby now having barely played against any of the top six, so who knows how they’ll perform?

“That puts them under the pump.

“Let’s have an overall look at whether the Championship could be A and B (two divisions), it could be in my eyes.

“Or if you’re going to go in the direction of being one big Championship, then at least play each other once with some fixtures on the back of that.

“If somebody wants to spend money and sign world class players (like London), they don’t belong in the Championship in my eyes.”