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Last Updated: Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 07:36 GMT 08:36 UK
Dawn of a new era
By Pranav Soneji

The London Broncos and Harlequins logos

It is not often you find the chief executive of a rugby club sitting around a table listening to the concerns of teenage fans - never mind two of them.

However, Nic Cartwright and Marc Evans, chief executives of Harlequins rugby league and rugby union respectively, share an ambitious vision to make their club the most famous in both codes.

Both men were at a London Rugby League Youth Forum (LRLYF) to hear how fans and junior players want the club to be run in the future.

And Cartwright, fresh from moving into his brand new office at the Twickenham Stoop, was impressed with what he heard.

"I ended up taking three pages of notes," he said.

"I hadn't come in with any preconceived ideas, but I knew there would be people who cared about rugby league in London attending.

"For half an hour the kids were telling us what they thought were the issues in the game. They hadn't been told to say what they did, these were their own opinions."

We want to become a great club and for that we need to grow
Nic Cartwright, chief exec Harlequins Rugby League

The LRLYF was established by the Rugby Football League in July with the express wish of finding out how junior players and fans wanted the game run in the capital.

And several of them had important questions for Cartwright.

Luke Hewitt, a 15-year-old from Surrey, wanted to know why more schools did not attend Broncos games at Griffin Park and the club's nine other previous "homes".

Theo White, a 15-year-old who plays his rugby for Croydon Hurricanes, asked why rugby league did not have a iconic household name like David Beckham, Jonny Wilkinson or Andrew Flintoff.

And 18-year-old Tom Bold from Beckenham thinks Great Britain internationals should be played at the Twickenham Stoop, which should also become the home of rugby league in the south.

They were all valid questions, and Cartwright believes all of these points will be addressed at some stage.

Quins rugby league will be hoping to fill the seats at the Stoop
The new Lexus stand increases the Stoop's capacity to over 12,000

First, though, he is keen to establish Harlequins rugby league in their new home.

"We've had lots of trouble in the last couple of years but over the past six months great things have happened to us," he said.

"We want to become a great club and for that we need to grow. We already have a good youth system and we made the Super League play-offs.

"Now we have the great facilities and all the other great things that come with The Stoop. It's impressive."

It is another three months before Harlequins will be able to start doing their talking on the pitch.

In the meantime, Cartwright will be gleaning more information from future LRLYF forums.

"I think it's a great idea that only rugby league can do," he said. "I'll definitely be back."




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