Brisbane legend Darren Lockyer wants to rebuild London Broncos as a Super League force and is part of a consortium aiming to take majority ownership of the club.
Lockyer and his long-time business partner Grant Wechsel fly to London on Friday and will hold talks with Rugby Football League officials and current London owner Gary Hetherington.
Not currently in the top tier, Lockyer said there was great hope London would soon be back where they belonged.
“They are in the Championship, but there is an opportunity with the expansion of Super League to get London back there,” Lockyer told AAP.
“That is what sparked our interest, that there is an opportunity with the right acumen from a business perspective and football program perspective to get London to reach their potential and result in a good outcome.
“There’s London. It’s rugby league. The Broncos name is attached to it,” Lockyer added when asked what attracted him to the cause.
“In the bigger picture London is important to international rugby league, and its profile has wavered a little bit over the past decade.
“We are doing DD (due diligence) at the moment, but if we think we can make it work we will have a crack.
“We want to get an understanding of how the club is going and the challenges it is facing and what its vision is.
“Gary Hetherington is the current owner, but he is willing to sell down the majority of it so he can stay involved when the right people take the club over and hopefully towards a bright future.”
As the capital of England and home to a suite of the biggest sporting franchises in the world, a successful London would be a boost to international rugby league.
“We want to make rugby league global,” Lockyer said.
“That is the vision of Peter V’landys, as we have seen with the NRL going to Las Vegas.
“London is an important piece to the puzzle.
“They are one of 12 teams that are bidding to potentially get two spots in an expanded Super League next year. There are no guarantees, but with the right people and vision you can achieve things.”
Lockyer has followed the career of NFL legend Brady, who successfully invested in Birmingham City, who won the 2024-25 League One title with a record 111 points to gain promotion.
“If you watch the ‘Built in Birmingham’ doco, it shows how Tom Brady came with the mentality that you have got to work hard, be team-orientated and not take short cuts or compromise on standards,” Lockyer said.
“They kept driving standards that turned things around on the footy field. His business partner has the resources to invest in the club and create a business that is viable.
“It’s been done before and it has been successful.
“If you have got enough resources at your disposal and set the business up, then it just comes down to the work ethic and culture you create with the football program.
“We are trying to get an understanding of whether it is achievable at London. If it is then we will look to take the challenge on.”
Lockyer, a current Brisbane director, said he told the Broncos board of his plans and would keep them updated of its progress.
Former South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou is “a target” as a prospective head coach.
“I know JD from his time at the Broncos. People forget he got Souths to a preliminary final in 2023 after he took over from Wayne (Bennett),” Lockyer said.
“He is a very capable coach.”
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