London Broncos
Real club history, honours, and Grand Final appearances, sourced and cross-checked.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
London Broncos — 0 Super League/British top-flight titles on record.
Club Background
London Broncos were founded in June 1980 as Fulham RLFC, set up by Fulham FC chairman Ernie Clay at Craven Cottage — the first senior rugby league club based in London since the 1930s. The club has changed name several times: Fulham RLFC (1980-1991) to London Crusaders (1991-1994) to London Broncos (1994-2005, after acquisition by interests connected to the Brisbane Broncos) to Harlequins RL (2005-2011) and back to London Broncos from November 2011. Sporting highs include finishing 2nd in Super League in 1997 and reaching the 1999 Challenge Cup Final (lost 52-16 to Leeds); otherwise the club has generally been a lower-mid-table Super League side with a turbulent recent history of relegation (2014, 2019, 2024) and promotion (2018, 2023).
Club history
Fulham RLFC was formed in June 1980 by Fulham FC chairman Ernie Clay, who set up a rugby league side at Craven Cottage largely to create an additional income stream for the football club and as part of the Rugby Football League's effort to establish the sport in the capital. The debut, a 24-5 win over Wigan on 14 September 1980 in front of nearly 10,000 fans, was an immediate success, and the club won promotion in its first season. Over the following decade the club moved grounds frequently around London — Craven Cottage, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, a Chiswick ground, and others.
The club was renamed London Crusaders ahead of the 1991-92 season, then became London Broncos in 1994 after being acquired by interests connected to the Brisbane Broncos NRL club, coinciding with rugby league's move to summer Super League from 1996. This was the club's strongest era: London finished 2nd in Super League in 1997, its best-ever league finish, and reached the 1999 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, losing 52-16 to Leeds Rhinos. The club competed continuously in Super League for 19 seasons, from the competition's 1996 inception through 2014.
In 2005 the club rebranded as Harlequins RL under a partnership arrangement with the Harlequins rugby union club; this branding lasted until 1 November 2011, when the club reverted to the London Broncos name. Performance declined through the 2010s: London was relegated from Super League in 2014 after finishing bottom with only one win, ending the 19-year top-flight run. The club won promotion back to Super League in 2018 by beating Toronto Wolfpack 4-2 in the inaugural Million Pound Game, but was relegated again after a single season in 2019. Most recently, London won a Championship Grand Final play-off against Toulouse Olympique (18-14) in 2023 to return to Super League, but finished bottom of the table with only three wins in 2024 and was relegated back to the Championship.
Sourcing caveat: The club's current home ground is genuinely unclear from research: sources indicate a move to Plough Lane, Wimbledon (ground-sharing with AFC Wimbledon) from 2022, after leaving the Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing — no confirmation was found of a return to Trailfinders. There was no Super League title challenge in 1999; the verified 1999 achievement was a Challenge Cup Final appearance (lost to Leeds Rhinos), with the genuine Super League high point being 2nd place in 1997.
Sources
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