Darren Lockyer has faced some monumental challenges for club and country but this year his trickiest task may be finding the opponents of his new club on a map as he takes on rugby league’s mission impossible.

Throughout his illustrious career, Lockyer faced Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters and some of the world’s best international teams. This year, Lockyer’s interests will be centred on places like Goole, Swinton and Batley after taking ownership of London Broncos late last year and attempting to make them a rugby league powerhouse.

“I’m about to get stuck into all that aspect of finding out more about our opponents: it’s all part of the fun,” he says in the buildup to Sunday’s season opener against Widnes. “I played a lot of rugby in the UK but there are a lot of places I’ve never been or even heard of, so I’m really looking forward to all of that. It’s a journey that’s pretty unique and new for me, which is exciting.”

Lockyer and his business partner, Grant Wechsel, are having to do this the long-winded way. When they took ownership in September they were adamant the club were in a strong position to claim a spot in the expanded 14-team Super League for 2026 but London missed out via IMG’s gradings system.

That means for at least one season, Lockyer and London have to contend with the second tier, where they are the only full-time operation among the 20 teams. But the pull of the Kangaroos great, coupled with some significant investment, means they have still been able to attract some marquee signings.

Among them are the Australia international Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who would be one of the best forwards in Super League let alone the second tier. The former South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou will also lead the team and expectations are high that after a fairly low-key existence thus far, rugby league in London could have its breakthrough moment.

But anyone with even a potted history of the club would be quick to remind Lockyer that there have been moments like this before, not least in the 1990s when Richard Branson owned the club. Can this be different? “It’s going to be a real challenge, and we understand how big a task is ahead of us,” he says. “It’s been a real eye-opener so far.

“People before us have learned the hard way that the hardest part is getting people in London to wake up to the game. But we think we’ve got some strategies and plans that make us different. We want to get people coming to the ground who perhaps don’t understand rugby league, but we can attract them here in other ways and then get them hooked.”

Sunday’s game against Widnes will see celebrity input from the former England rugby union star James Haskell and social media personality Big John, both of whom have already helped promote the club after a rebrand in the off-season. More big names are expected this weekend, and the new regime will go after London’s expat Australian community in a bid for new fans.

Games will probably be moved across the city in 2026 rather than remain at the club’s Wimbledon home and after numerous members of the Papua New Guinea national team joined the club, London will beam games back to the island in a bid to build a global profile. Lockyer’s pull alone will ensure eyeballs and attention in Australia.

It is hard not to look ahead already, though. London will be almost a certainty to get the nod for Super League in 2027, which is where the vision for the club will truly come alive. “A lot of time and resource went into our Super League bid and while it was disappointing to miss out, it gives us a bigger runway to build,” Lockyer says.

Before then, London are also aiming for a run in the Challenge Cup, where they could make the latter stages with the squad they have put together. Most interestingly for the game though, all of this is happening at a time when Super League is renegotiating its own broadcast deal, which could significantly shape the sport’s medium-term future in the UK.

Having a strong London at the table undoubtedly boosts those prospects. Lockyer, Wechsel and the new-look Broncos have made some very encouraging noises thus far but on Sunday, the talking stops and the journey truly begins.