Wells did not play for Harlequins this year

Jon Wells wants to continue helping the development of rugby league in London, following his retirement.

Wells, 31, retired in his testimonial season with Harlequins RL after playing in all 14 years of Super League.

He told BBC London 94.9: "I have made it clear to the club that I'm staying down here for the foreseeable future.

"I'd love to stay involved with the club. They've got great potential and a great future and I want to help them realise how that's going to be."

Wells had already said that this would be his final season of professional league action, but failed to recover from a long-term neck injury.

"I got myself back fit and we had one more bridge to cross which was taking contact and that proved to be a step too far," he said.

"You don't want to be playing the game half-heartedly and you don't want to be thinking about things like that [getting injured] and I couldn't contribute to the level that is expected of me by the coach, the team-mates and myself."

Wells made his debut for Castleford, and played for Wakefield before moving to the capital to play for the London Broncos. He says his move down south raised a few eyebrows at the time, but hopes he has done his bit to expand the game beyond its traditional regions in the north of England.

"We've really opened the door and said that it's alright to come down and play for London," he said.

"My inspiration for coming down, apart from Tony Rea, was seeing Paul Sykes and Rob Purdham, who were the trailblazers. And maybe my decision has helped persuade others since then - and if that's the contribution that I've made I'd be very happy with that."

Although Wells' time in the capital has not been easy, he says he is sure the the problems the club have encountered will make them stronger in the long-term.

I'd say at the moment it's too early to walk away, although I can't contribute on the playing field Jon Wells

"One of the key things that really epitomises London rugby league was very early on in my career. 2004 was a tough year for us [London Broncos] financially," he said.

"We were doing a weights session in the morning and Tony Rea gathered us in and said: 'Before you start lads, I want to be honest with you. You may not be employed by two o'clock this afternoon, you may not have a job'.

"There were two ways we could have taken that - get all upset and feel sorry for ourselves or what I saw that day from the entire squad - where we ripped in and had a great weights session, a great field session.

"I think that epitomises the togetherness and and team spirit of not only London but of rugby league players in general.

"Days like that, looking back on it, prove to be massive inspiration and character building for me.

"I'd say at the moment it's too early to walk away, although I can't contribute on the playing field."

Wells was speaking to BBC London 94.9's London Rugby League programme.

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