Darren Lockyer has lifted the lid on why he has become a part-owner of the London Broncos, admitting the deal was never something he had originally sought out.
The Brisbane Broncos icon was confirmed this week as part of a new consortium at the RFL Championship club, which finished 10th this season but has ambitions of forcing its way into Super League next year.
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Lockyer has teamed up with his long-time business partner Grant Wechsel and former Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington.
‘It just landed in our lap’
Speaking on SEN 1170’s Afternoons, the former Kangaroos captain explained: “I’ve got to say that there was no aspirations to have an investment in a sporting organisation. It’s sort of one of those things that just came across the desk of myself and my business partner.
“We do a bit of stuff in the mining game, and through some consultants we’ve used with other parts of our business, it just came across and just landed in our lap. And we thought, ‘Well, hang on a minute, this is Rugby League, it’s got the Broncos attached to it and it’s in London’.”
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With coach Jason Demetriou already secured and approaches being made to NRL players, the Broncos are hoping to convince league bosses they deserve one of two new top-flight licences.
Lockyer sees the expat market as key: “There’s nine million people that live here, there are about 170,000 Aussies and Kiwis living in the London area... if a successful London Broncos team is a part of the Super League, it can only be good for the world game.”
A decision on expansion is due on 16 October.