Firstly, The irony as we post this Femi’s new team have just beat our cousins Parramatta Eels in the NRL by 1 point but none the less, We managed to catch up with Arran Smith who coached him on that very first day and during his time at London Broncos Scholarship until he later signed for their Academy.

“Even at 11 years old Femi’s potential was clear, quick feet, tall, athletic & powerful, from the very beginning he loved the freedom & physicality of Rugby League.
Brentwood Eels provided Femi with the framework to harness his skills in a fun environment. Endless summers of training year after year, alongside his mates paid dividends, as he progressed into the London Broncos set up.
As we all know, it takes more than raw talent alone to make it to the top.
The strong foundations & support of his family, gave Femi a drive & work ethic second to none.
Babs & Funmi (mum & dad) we’re always so supportive & positive.
I’d like to wish Femi all the best for the future, I’ve no doubt he’ll have a long & successful career, in the biggest & best Rugby comp in the world, the NRL.”

An exciting year for the club as its Open Age (16+) debut in the Northern Hemisphere’s tier 4 competition, Southern Conference (SCL) and look to expand the games inclusivity by kicking off a ladies team. This news really was the cherry on the top of the clubs’ recent efforts chairman Anthony Sherwood had to say

“I am over the moon for Femi and his amazing family, I still pinch myself to believe I am involved in a community organisation that has provided so many opportunities for local lads and hopefully soon ladies to make it at the highest level in the game. This wasn’t an overnight success Keith Marshall a former chairman put it better than I could of in that… we have had former Eels in League 1, The Championship, Super league and the last World Cup. The NRL was the next logical step. Femi was one of the first players from the south of our country to make it in the England u16 team. I am also so pleased for our club and proud of all of our volunteers and what they do, the hard work that goes in, off the field to maintain and grow the opportunities in the sport, is hard and only getting harder to achieve. However, moments like this make it all worth it and a side from having fun, remind us of exactly what a community club should be doing and I think a lot of clubs and sports forget that.”

Has this got you in the mood for some live RL or possibly wanting to get involved…? Our men and boys train Thursday nights and the ladies will be trialling this weekend all at Old Brentwoods ahead of our first ever game in the SCL against 3 x SCL winners Hammermsith Hill Hoists!

Saturday 23rd April
Ladies Open Training session 11am to 1pm (Then every Tuesday from 7pm)
Mens SCL Round 1 – 2:30pm KO