Rugby league club London Broncos’ future at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane has descended into uncertainty after the former Super League team chose to activate a break clause in their contract.
London Broncos, the only England-based club south of Widnes and Sheffield in the top two divisions of rugby league, have played at Plough Lane in south west London since 2022 as part of a long-term agreement.
But the team, who are looking for new ownership having been relegated from the Super League to the Championship last season, have activated a break clause in their contract and are now negotiating a yearly rolling agreement.
Speaking at a Wimbledon “Meet The Club Board” meeting on Monday evening, Dons managing director James Woodroof said: “We were in a long-term agreement with London Broncos which had a break clause that has been broken. That agreement ends in April of this year.
“They’re a key commercial partner of ours. It does represent a significant revenue line for this football club. We’ve got a good working relationship with them and long may that continue.
“We will, subject to negotiations, switch to a year-by-year contract, rather than being tied in for a huge period of time, which was the original deal. So hopefully it is going to be a rolling one-year deal.”
Broncos key partner
Woodroof admitted that the Broncos contribute a significant portion of the £600,000 commercial revenue Wimbledon made last season from non-Dons activities, which includes filming days and event space hires.
“The fact that they have been relegated to the Championship means we trigger a much lower payment,” added Woodroof. “Without going into details, that’s a hit to us.”
City AM reported this month that London Broncos’ ownership remains in serious doubt despite NRL side Brisbane Broncos holding talks with the club surrounding a potential takeover and the Australian rugby league potentially touting a minority investment.
Mick Buckley, AFC Wimbledon Board Chair, said that London Irish – recently purchased by a consortium including former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan – hadn’t signed a deal to play at Plough Lane, despite rumours, adding that it is just speculation at this point.