Rian has now secured a First Team contract after progressing through their Scholarship in 2016 then Academy in 2018, he is the first player to go through both setups and secure a first team contract!

Today, London Broncos were delighted to announce the signing of two London Academy players for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Rian Horsman and Oli Leyland have signed first team contracts for the next two years. Whilst this is not for this season, as they are already on part time contracts, they will still technically be Under 19s when the first year of this full time professional contract kicks in.

Both players have impressed in the Academy programme and Danny Ward was eager to get them both to put pen to paper.

“Rian and Oli are two exciting young half backs”, he told us.

“We are pleased that they have committed to signing for two more seasons. They are good kids who have worked hard and impressed in their 1st year. They will be promoted to the 1st team squad next year and we are looking forward to working with them and we believe the early exposure to the 1st team full time environment will only help with their future development”.

Rian Horsman, originally from the Brentwood Eels club said, “This opportunity is a dream come true. I’ve supported the club from a very young age so being able to say that I am a part of the first team is a real honour. I would like to thank my Dad for coaching me from the age of eight at Brentwood and also my Mum. She gave me all the support in the world and for that I will always be truly thankful. I would also like to thank all the staff at Broncos for their advice and guidance and I look forward now to the challenge ahead.”

Rob Powell, Head of Youth Development at Broncos told us, “‘This is great news. On one hand I am really pleased for the boys having both played community rugby league for so long and progressed through our ranks. They have worked hard along the way and have had great support from their families. On the other hand it’s fantastic that the club continues to show faith in the junior players offering first team contracts so early for the boys especially given the promotion to Super League. They have a long way to go but I look forward to seeing them in their development and transition to first team squad members.”

Chairman David Hughes said, “I yet again find myself congratulating young London Talent. I have been watching these two lads in their Academy games and am delighted that we have managed to secure them for the 2020 season to the first team. Our Academy here never ceases to amaze me with the level of players coming through here in the south of the country.”

Anthony Sherwood, Vice Chairman at Brentwood RLFC said “The club is really proud of Rian’s achievement and clearly demonstrates our commitment to developing players. Rian has worked extremely hard over the years and has played with us since a young age so this is a great moment both for him, his family and the club. We have a number of other players in the Academy and Scholarship programmes at London so the conveyor belt continues. Plans are underway for the 2019 season and if anybody would like to play please contact us via the club website”.

Picture 1:
Rian Horsman with Head Coach Danny Ward