Mike Eccles: London Broncos head coach says 2024 Super League 'land of the unknown' with new rules for 2025
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London Broncos beat Toulouse in the Championship Grand Final to earn promotion to the Super League
London Broncos defied the odds to win promotion back to the Super League last year but have been written off by many before the season has even started.
A new grading system for 2025 will almost certainly see the London club relegated back to the Championship this year, regardless of on-field success.
Broncos have already been rocked by season-ending injuries to Bill Leyland and Josh Rourke and head coach Mike Eccles admitted it has been hard to prepare ahead of a season full of uncertainty.
"I don't think anyone has ever had to do what we're going up against with the insecurities around what's going to go on next year," he said.
"It is tough because where do you get your strategy from that? What's your evidence to suggest 'that we'll do it this way' and we'll be alright?
"I look at other sports and other teams and think 'how can we take things from that and apply them to our strategy?' but this year's the land of the unknown."
London Broncos completed a remarkable return to the Super League for the first time in 2019 when they came from behind to beat Toulouse 18-14 in Championship Grand Final, having finished fifth in the table.
Broncos won 10 of their 29 matches in the 2019 season and were only relegated due to having an inferior points difference to Hull Kingston Rovers.
The Rugby Football League's new grading system, , externaldevised with sport management company IMG, allocates each club a score with only 25% awarded for success on the pitch.
The breakdown of how a club are awarded points, related to criteria met, is broken down into segments with different weightings:
25% of the 20 points available are awarded for a club's 'fandom' - which covers both attendances, digital interaction and engagement
25% of the points come from on-field performance
22.5% of the available points are awarded for financial performance
15% of the points can be achieved for the stadium experience - quality of facilities and appearance of stadium in and away from the ground
12.5% - the lowest figure - is available to clubs for their community outreach and engagement
A score of 8.07 puts Broncos 24th on the list of 35 teams, rated category B.
Castlefield are the second lowest ranked Super League team in 13th with a score of 12.16.
Broncos owner David Hughes criticised the system last month, stating "promotion and relegation should be staples of all sports".
But Eccles, who is also director of rugby at the club, was focused on the challenge his players would face on the pitch.
"I don't know what's going to happen next year," he said.
"What I do know is that a year is a very long time in any sport and, who knows what's going to happen?
"Are they going to expand the competition? Are we going to do really well this year, or, in other people's eyes, massively overachieve?
"Will we struggle? Who knows?
"All I can do is strip it back to the team, how I prepare them, how I can get them to believe they can compete at this level and how we can win games."
Broncos will be without hooker Bill Leyland for the whole season after he injured his anterior cruciate ligament in a preseason friendly
Eccles will have to navigate the season in its entirety without hooker Leyland and full-back Rourke.
Leyland, 20, damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in a preseason friendly with Castleford while Rourke, 25, broke his leg in the club's final pre-season game with Oldham.
Former Wakefield winger Lee Kershaw, 24, signed to play for the 2024 season at the weekend.
Broncos begin the season away at St Helens on Friday night and play their first home the following Friday against last season's runners-up Catalans Dragons.