Raising awareness of rugby league in France is an uphill struggle due to a lack of funding, but clubs can still use their creativity to overcome some of the obstacles in their way.
“STOP complaining, just act!”
This is the reproach sometimes made against Treizistes in France.
Treizistes would be prisoners of the past. They would ruminate about history; about the Vichy Regime’s ban of the code, and to fudge a line from the late Dave Hadfield, about the “dirty tricks” (see RLW issue 411, July 2015) by the French rugby union federation to prevent rugby à XIII from getting back the attention of the public.
Alright then, for the sake of argument, let’s consider that Vichy’s ban was just an aberration and that the competition between union and league has been guided by some fair rules of engagement, monitored by neutral authorities.
But then, where do the French rugby league clubs have to start?
Communication, that is for sure! Remember that millions of my compatriots just don’t know that rugby league exists in France.
And where to get the best hints on how to change that, if not at the most successful French club’s headquarters, nowadays.
Yannick Rey, the communications officer at Catalans Dragons accepted to answer my questions and what he told me could be regarded as the golden rules of communication for the French clubs.
“First thing first, you have to assign a genuine budget to your communication. To buy equipment and hire staff. In France, for example, work-study contracts are usual, this is a way to recruit at a lower cost.
“Secondly, our raw materials are video content and images; you can’t skip such important things like match highlights and after-game interviews. You must publish things like the image of a superb try or a spectacular well-executed tackle. We’re fortunate to have a telegenic sport, we can easily catch the attention of newbies. Clubs must capitalise on that.”
Rey also praised the interest of digital communication and social networks.
“The big advantage of digital communication is that it gives clubs the power back on their communication; they remain the boss of their communication. No use waiting for the interest of a traditional medium, even if classic media are still a part of the equation, and they are not to be neglected.
“There is another advantage with social networks; a well thought out campaign can be cheap but really effective.”
But Rey sets a clear priority for French clubs as well: “Clubs must establish a target! Are families the target? Or is that youngsters? In the past, our target were families. Accordingly, we put ads in the local press, screened commercials at cinemas, we adapted our ticket policy to families and even offered animations for children at Gibert Brutus.
“Since then our target has been youngsters (age between 15-25), we focus on social networks, we adjusted the animations to them, meanwhile we kept the ones for children, but we created fan zones with a DJ.”
It’s interesting to notice that even if some French clubs don’t tick each box, they already apply a few of Rey’s principles unwittingly.
For example, Elite 1 club Albi don’t have a clear communication target. Their objective is more basic. They are located in an area, Tarn, which is ideally situated in France. One hour drive from Toulouse, two hours’ drive from the Mediterranean shore. But it’s more a union area (especially with Castres Olympique union club) despite the fact that Albi Rugby League were five times French champions and they still hold the record attendance for a rugby game in the city (all codes combined); an attendance of 18,235 for the Championship Grand Final Carcassonne-Albi in 1977.
As recognises Nicolas Delpoux, volunteer communication officer of the club: “We want the local public to talk about rugby league and our club, since rugby league is suffering from a lack of recognition.”
And social networks are the club’s playing field, as Rey would recommend.
“We offer daily news, games announcements, results, interviews, match reports on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.”
For that, Albi Tigers assembled a team made of the aforementioned volunteer, Marie Montels, two cameramen (Pierre Ducos and Pierre Lissillour), Eric Tarroux and Stéphane Revello who deals with the interviews and comments on the games. Yet they don’t neglect their relations with local media such as la Dépêche du Midi, le Tarn Libre and they have initiated relations with the local TV channel Tarn TV.
But interestingly, their activity has also attracted a foreign audience: Brits and Australians have found their broadcasts on YouTube and keep asking where they can buy the club’s jersey!
An international interest which didn’t remain unnoticed for Delpoux and his colleagues: “We were even asked to broadcast our games with comments in English, but to achieve that we need some help from our English supporters. If anyone is interested, we’re ready to discuss that!”
If you want to contact the club, email: contact@albirugbyleague.com
Unexpectedly, Elite 1 clubs are not the only ones to address seriously their own communication.
Do you know Ariège? That southern sparsely populated area at the Franco-Andorran border? Probably not, yet this could be regarded as a rugby league stronghold, especially the Pamiers club who played at a high level in the past, giving the Chanticleers such great players as Jacques Moliner, Marc Tissyerre, Pierre Gonzales etc.
Presently, the club, called Pamiers-Vernajoul is only playing Nationale (the 3rd division). Yet, it’s probably the first club of its category to broadcast its games in a professional way as they have a deal with a local tv channel, 09 TV. Although Pamiers were absolute beginners at TV, they are now backed by a team of professionals; Franck Macakanja (president of that channel created in 2016 and based in Montels not far from Foix, Ariège’s head city) and Patrick Anné.
Edouard Laguerre, manager of the Pamiers club, who assumed the role of caller for the first game, confessed: “It was a little bit stressful debut for me as a commentator, but everything went ok and I did enjoy my time and I’m ready for the next broadcast!”
And it was a success, as the club got very positive feedbacks from the public.
Franck Macakanja even told me: “In two days, the first game was viewed more than 4,000 times in two days, on YouTube and Facebook. This is more than for the local union club games for instance.”
Laguerre recommends French clubs to follow Pamiers-Vernajoul’s experience, even if he recognises the difficulties in cost: “Of course, we advise the other clubs to contact the local video media, it’s vital for French rugby league to be publicised. Nevertheless, these broadcasts are not costless and so not all the clubs can afford them.”
As usual, what can be achieved comes down to money, or lack of it.
Treizistes may complain, in some cases quite justifiably, but they do act, where possible.
As a Treiziste, I understand that more money is needed to raise awareness of the sport through more effective communication, but as a French citizen, I’m left to wonder why does French rugby league always have to start from scratch even at a local level?
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 495 (April 2024)
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